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was rather an early riser, and expected her family to be punctual to breakfast at half-past eight, especially in this busy and anxious time of the autumn session, when a family political discussion took place every morning, from which her husband sometimes gleaned some useful hints for his guidance.

‘Very ugly news, Blanche,’ he remarked, as they took their places at the table. ‘I always feared these Irish rebellion-mongers would get us into hot water sooner or later. We made a mistake there; it would have been sounder policy to let them go with a good grace. Now we may have to let them go with a very bad one.’

‘Bother the Irish, Hum!’ was the reply. ‘You've done all you could in recalling Lord Gurth from Asia. He knows the Irish well, and, depend upon it, he’s a match for them and their French and Yankee allies.’

‘Redhill’s the man, beyond question,’ replied her husband, ‘and, as you say, we did the right thing in recalling him from Erzeroum. But such a force as he will have to cope with, by all accounts, is not driven into the sea at the first charge. I don’t feel comfortable about it, I assure you.’

‘I’m not comfortable either,’ said Friga sulkily, as she took a cup of coffee from her mother, ‘but it’s not about Redhill and his army. I wish I could have been invited to