Part 36 (2/2)

”We're d.a.m.ned well sick of being played with,” said McNeice.

”If the English Government means to fight us--” said the Dean, speaking explosively.

”Do you mean to say,” I said, ”that you think the Admiral was not in earnest in that bombardment?”

”No more than the soldiers were yesterday,” said McNeice. ”They fired over our heads.”

”And we're not going to stand any more fooling,” said Malcolmson.

”We're business men,” said Cahoon, ”and this sort of play-acting won't do for Belfast.”

”Your boss politicians,” said Conroy, ”have been flooding us out with telegrams.”

There was a large pile of telegrams in front of him and some forty or fifty loose sheets of flimsy yellow paper were scattered about the table.

”Their notion,” said Conroy, ”is that we should send a man over to negotiate.”

”An amba.s.sador,” I said, ”Plenipotentiary?”

”Lord Moyne won't go,” said the Dean.

”He's the proper man,” I said. ”Let's try to persuade him.”

”He's up at the barracks,” said McNeice. ”He's been there all morning trying to get the General to arrest him.”

”It would be far better,” I said, ”if he went to London and handed himself over to the Prime Minister.”

”European convention,” said Conroy, ”makes it necessary, so I am informed, that this particular kind of job should be done by a member of your aristocracy.”

I was, I think, with the exception of Moyne, the only member of the House of Lords in Belfast at the moment. The committee had evidently fixed on me as an amba.s.sador.

”There is,” I said, ”a tradition that the Diplomatic Service should be--but our circ.u.mstances are so very peculiar--I am not sure that we ought to feel bound--”

”Will you go?” said Conroy.

”Of course, I'll go,” I said. ”There's nothing I should like better.”

”The _Finola_ is lying off Bangor,” said Conroy. ”I'll run you and Power down there in my motor. He'll land you wherever you like.”

”Good,” I said. ”I suppose I'll go in my s.h.i.+rt with a rope round my neck, like the burghers of Calais.”

”If that's the regular costume,” said Conroy.

He spoke so severely that I thought I had better drop the subject of clothes.

”Now, as to the terms which you are prepared to offer the Government,”

I said.

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