The Irish standard., 1900-01-27
his own views he was willing to listen
to argument and to allow time for fur
ther consideration.


AS the time went on and intervals
during whicl, we did not meet became
longer, and Parnell threw himself more
and more into the work OF agitation in
Ireland, l could not help observing
each time that we met again how his
face was becoming thinner and paler,
his manner more nervous and that
certain physical irritability was grow
ing on him. I call it a physical irrta-
bility, because it did not appear to af-
feet his ordinary demeanor or his man
ner OF transacting business. He was
just as quiet and good as us
ual i'll his conversation with me, but it
appeared to me that he was wearing
himself out with overwork; that he was
taxing at once his mental and bodily
strength too much, and I told him SO
more than once, He took my remarks
in the most friendly spirit, and assured
me that he was not working more than
he could avoid. and that he was taking
all possible care OF himself.
When speaking OF the good temper
with which Our discussions were con-
Quoted | should say. perhaps, as l do
not want to claim for him or for myself
any extraordinary suavity OF mood,
that Our only discussions we're over
matters of detail, and had nothing to
do with any question OF party organiza-
ton. On the great differences which
had divided the party we never spoke
a single word There seemed to be
from the first common understanding
between us that the whole subject was
never to come UP in our discussion. We
had come to no agreement of the kind ;
it simply appeared to be assumed be-
tween us as matter OF course, and as
a necessary part Of our business. Par
nell told me nothing of his projected
movements in Ireland, nor did I ask
him any question on the subject but
on two or three occasions he related to
me some odd or amusing incident which
had come under his notice during his
campaigning, just as anyone might
have told OF something that had hap
pcned to him on journey; but moth
ing was ever said by him which brought
into question any OF the subjects on
which he and I were compelled to have
opposing opinions.
At the same time it must be said that
we had to meet more than once under
conditions which might have seemed
likely to lead to ill-humor on the one
side or the other. Parncll, in his
speeches throughout ireland, frequently
made severe attacks ON some of those
who had withdrawn from his leader
ship. When he felt inclined to de-
nouncc an opponent he had decided
gift OF expressive denunciation, and he
employed this gift pretty freely against
several Of the party to which I be-
longed.
dare say I came in for some dis
paraging illusions myself. All his
speeches were fully reported in the
Irish papers, and the spicy passages
were carefully reproduced in most of
the London journals. On the other
hand, some of those who acted with
me were not sparing in their denunci
ations Of Parnell, and in one or two
instances the style of the attacks on
him went beyond anything which most
OF us could have approved.
These attacks, too, it is almost need
less to say, were faithfully rendered in
most of the papers. Therefore it so
happened that Parnell and met more
than once just at the time when the
papers were full of these flowers OF
controversy. But Parnell never said a
word about them to me, nor did l ever
say word about them to him. He
assumed, I have no doubt, that could
make allowance for the conditions un-
der which he was carrying on his
struggle, and that was not likely to
take offense at every extravaganza
uttered during the passion of so bitter
a controversy. I felt sure that he could
make the same allowance for me, and
so the quiet of our consultations was
not disturbed by anything going on in
the world around us.
l mention all this chiefly in order to
do justice to the spirit in which Parnell
conducted his part of our negotiations.
On my side there was no particular
merit. Nature had endowed me with a
temper not easily stirred up to excite
ment, and I had been in the world a
good deal longer than Parnell, and I
had become accustomed to the atmos-
phere of political agitation since my
childhood, and I could not claim any
praise for not attaching too much i'm
portance to every angry word spoken
on either side during so fervid con-
troversy.
But Parnell was in many ways a SEN
sitive man, with highly strung tenn
permanent, and just at that time his
whole future seemed to be at stake on
the issue of the struggle that was going
on. 1 could we'll have made allowance
for any occasional breakdown in the
genial tone of our conversation if any
such had occurred, but he was always