The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-10-20
CHAPTER XXXVI.
king Robert came too late
Long, long may Hrin mourn
Famine rage and dreadful fate
Forbade her BannoCk burn"


LAMENT FOR EDWARD BhrcE.
Ellen mounted the st,irs to Anne's room
"ith a much less tranquil miud than she had
carried in coming down. The prospect CT
danger to Coanor ii or six weeks hence was
different thing from the thought Of his be.
ing IN peril now, perhaps at this hour and
yet, 80 completely was she imbued with his
spirit. that she could not help vague feeling
of exhilaraton stealing in among Ter fears.
She had heard the question asked so often u
eloquent speech or verse, HAS the time comet"
that the thought at has come, then, at last
sent thrill through her nerves. She hardly
| asked herself "lhe time for what I" The
glowing words and burning verse had raised
mist before her. through which she could
only see that something was to be nobly dared
| for Ireland, and the consequences lay beyond.
| hidden by the halo that appeared to surround
| the effort. Anne was asleep when che re-en-
tered the room, so she took her writing case to
| table in the window, to begin her letter.
The writing it took long time, for she had
| to frame her set tences cautiously, 80 as to ap-
peal to considerations most likely t. weigh
with Connor, and yet net startle him by seem
| ing to ask too much. She thoughteit better to
avoid any Illusion to Mr. Thornley,, as Connor
| would think of him only as @ cunning enemy
! to the cause, and might oven in his vanity CON
slider his cautions stratsgem to deprive the
movement of his valuable presence aud aid at
it's most critical moment. As she wrote, fear
and sickeninH anxiety for Connor predomina-
ted, and put ont the willo'-the-wisp light of
excitement and she was often obliged to lay
aside her pen and calm herself by ing over
the quiet valley. How many mothers aud
sisters nd friends might there not be through
ont Ireland employed just aen like herself
schemiDg with sick hearts to hold back their
dearest from rushing on destruction /; or, more
papfally yet, battling within themselves be.
tween the martyr spirit that urged them on t )
let go, and the cry of the heart tnst bade them
hold back. Oh, If the right al d the wron q
were only quite clear to her Biud, how mach
easier action would b=l If she cuuld feel cure
that this effort about to be made for res: orin 6
naaonslity to Ireland was not only hopeless,
| hnt wrong. That it was hopeless ~Os not,
she Thought, enough to urge against it so
many apparently homeless causes had been
gained in the end. Had not Gideon gone ont
to victory with three hundred chosen men, ,
and Tell with three and had not Bruce
landed with his friend, the two of them on the
shore at Arran over there, to save Scotland
| from wearing that NessCS garment of shame,
! the consciousness of being a conquered coun.
try, which clung to Ireland and eat into her
yitals yet 1t was not reason enough to urge
for holding back that the cause was hopeless
Bot might it not be true that the DAYS were
past when such struggles had the help Of
Heaven that the time for shifting with the
| sword had gone by, aud bloodless moral vic
| tories were those nlone which Heaven
smiles nowf And then on Elen's memory
| there rose vision OF . scene she had witnC ;.
ed in her childhood, when her father b ad taken
her to Cliefden to hear Daniel 0'Conuen har-
tspgue q countless multitude gathered on the
green hill.side, and along the shores of the
| blue ford that there iudents the coast, on his
| fsvorite scheme of raising Ireland to the rank
| OF an independent nation again, through the
majestic force of its peoples united will
genial, beamipg, grand face of the speaker
raised above the throng, the thousand faces
| turned one way, Ali with an intent, sympaEhe
tic look upon thhm she heard the deep, 40
his speech. Wet is all wasted feeling, wasted
i alou uanoee Were the thOuonnde of heart