The Irish standard., 1901-03-30

At first she gave him no encourage
ment whatever. His frequent visits to
her fathers house (where he was al
ways welcome, his father and Curran
having been close friends), were prob
ably attributed by the unobservant
parent to natural pleasure taken in
his own brilliant society by ambitious
OR admiring friends.
1t was not until after he had re-
turned from Paris, whence he should
have sailed to join his brother, Thomas
Adds in America, and his secret plots
and affiliations being in part discov-
cred, he was in some danger that SYM
pathy began to enlist her affections.
"Afterwards," Emmett writes in his
letter to Curran, after his arrest, 81 had
reason. to suppose that discoveries
were made, and that ] should be
Obliged to quit the kingdom immedi-
atcly, and l came to make a renuncia-
tion of any approach to friendship that
might have been formed.
| then, for the first time, found, when
l was unfortunate. by the manner in
which she was affected, that there was
a return of affection, and that it was
too late to retreat"
Among the predominant traits in
Robert Emmets character and the
ones which most certainly foiled his
plans and made him an easy prey to
the spies and informers of the day,
were his simplicity, and unsuspicious
trustfulness. He was confident of
success" says Madden. "cxaggcratng
its prospects, extcnunting the difficult
ties which beset him, Judging OF others
by himself, thinking associates honest
who had seemed so, and animated, or
rather inflamed, by n burning sense of
the wrongs of his country, and an en-
thusinsm In his devotion to what he
considered it's rightful cause"
1t is strange that he should not have
given thought to the danger to which
lie was exposing Il young and very in
nOccnt and simple-minded girl. II
Sarah Curran had any ideas of patriot
ism, she never seems to have express
cd them. She was not the stuff Of
which patriots are made. The task of
Drawing her fathers displeasure prob
ably had far greater terrors for her
tEnn had the project of defying the
whOlo British government for her low
or. Yet her c0nstnncy was unswerv-
ing. She carried on Il constant CORE
spondencc with him, through the me-
dunn of Miss Lambart,, whose part in
the matter was, to say the least, inju-
diclOus
Finally, the storm broke. The little
so exccllcntly planned, so
ill-carricd out, was soon over. The
lack Of anything like concerted action
was evident. The Wicklow men, not
being ordered, had not arrived; the
Kildare men were turned back; the
Wexford contingent came and remain
ed waiting for orders. which never
came. Other bodies Of men were wait
ing in convenient places for signals
which were not given. All this gives
evidence of traitors In the ranks, and
when, to crown all, n false ALARM.
"The army is upon us!' was suddenly
given, Emmett determined to sally.
forth, and meet death in the street, If
need be, rather than remain cooped up
in ignorance. Even yet all might have
been saved, had it not been for the
murder of Lord Kilwarden; but, on
hearing of that lamcntable act, the un-
precipitately.
Currans first news of this whole
business was gained next morning.
when he found detachment Of SOL
dicrs, under Major Sirr, waiting for
him outside "The Priory," with the in
formation that they were to search
his house for evidences Of completely
in the transactions of the preceding
night.
almost thunderstruck," says Cur
ran, II at once proffered every facility
In my power. To my utter amazement
q correspondence Of which had not
even a suspicion was discovered" A
severe blow this to man of Curran's
prominence in public matters.
The unfortunate prime mover in the
matter was lying hidden at Harold's
Cross, a spot half way between Dub
lin and "The Priory." He might have
escaped, had it not been for Quixotic
resolution of seeing once more his lady
love and personally begging her for
giveness for the calamities he had
brought upon her. Even after his dis