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"McNeice tells me," he said, "that you are writing a history of Irish Rebellions. I suppose you have said that Nationalism ceased to exist about the year 1900?" "I hadn't thought of saying that," I said. "In fact in view of the Home Rule Bill, you know I should have said that Irish Nationalism was just beginning to come to its own." O'Donovan snorted.
Bob Power, relying on what he knew of the character of one man, came to the same conclusion. "Who is the man you know?" said Conroy. "Not Babberly, is it?" "Oh Lord! no," said Bob. "Babberly is well, Babberly talks a lot." "That's so," said Conroy. "But if it isn't Babberly, who is it?" "McNeice," said Bob, "Gideon McNeice." "H'm. He's something in some university, isn't he?"
McNeice explained to me that The Loyalist did not court notoriety, and preferred to have an office which was, as far as possible, out of sight. He said that O'Donovan was particularly anxious to be unobtrusive.
So long as you know who I mean, the pronoun will satisfy me. They had to consider not what men like you wanted, but what the Liberal Party could be induced to give. I don't say they made the best bargain possible, but " "Anyhow," said McNeice, "we're not going to be governed by those fellows. That's the essential point." I think it is. The Unionist is not really passionately attached to the Union.
Its offer of a compromise shows that it is beginning at last to feel the full force of the Ulster objection to Home Rule." Here McNeice interrupted him. "If that's so," he said, "we must make our objection more unmistakably obvious than before." "Quite so," said Babberly; "but how? Is it " "By fighting them," said McNeice.
By way of passing the time they began to sing "O God, our help in ages past." "It is of the utmost importance to us," said Babberly, "to retain the sympathies of the English constituencies. Any illegal violence on our part " "You should have thought of that before you told the English people that we meant to fight," said McNeice.
But I could not agree with McNeice that he had changed his tune. He still seemed to be editing a rebel paper and still advocated the use of physical force for resisting the will of the King, Lords and Commons of our constitution.
I am satisfying my evil itch for writing by setting down an account of the short struggle between north-eastern Ulster and the rest of the British Empire. The 5th of June was the day on which I first met Bob Power, first came into contact with McNeice, and first set eyes on the notorious Finola.
The chairs there were only two of them besides the editorial stool were also covered with papers. But even if they had been free I should not have cared to sit down on them. They were exceedingly dirty and did not look safe. McNeice introduced me and then produced his own article. O'Donovan, very politely, offered me his stool.
"I reckon," said Conroy, "that we mean to use our guns now we've got them." Babberly made a curious gesture with his hands. He flung them out from him with the palms upwards and then sat down. McNeice rose next. "For the last two years," he said, "we've been boasting that we meant to resist Home Rule with force if necessary. That's so, isn't it?" Malcolmson growled an assent.
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