"Ah, now, Madame, who'd want to shoot you? You wouldn't want to shoot one of us, would you, Madame?" said the detective who was doing all the talking. "But I would," cried Madame. "I'm quite prepared to shoot and be shot at." "Ah, now, Madame, you don't mean that. None of us want to die yet: we all want to live a little longer." "If you want to live a little longer," said a voice from out of the darkness, "you'd better not be coming here. We're none of us very fond of you, and you make fine big targets." "We'll be going now, Madame," said the detective. As he stepped out through the door he turned and said, "You'll not be thinking of going to Kerry, Madame, will you?" "Good-by," said Madame cordially. "Remember, I'm quite prepared to shoot and be shot at." {42} "Well," she said as the door closed. "What am I going to do now? I want to go and defy them. How can I do it? I'm so well known--but I'm under orders. Perhaps Mr. Connolly wouldn't allow me to go anyway. I'll go down and talk it over with him. Wait a minute, Nora, and we'll all be down together." On our way down a brilliant idea, as I thought, struck me. "Write your speech out, Madame, make it as seditious and treasonable as possible. Send some one down to Tralee to deliver it for you at the meeting. In that way, the meeting will be held, your speech delivered, and the authorities will not be able to arrest you on that charge." "I was just thinking of that and who I could send down. But I'll decide nothing till I see Mr. Connolly," said Madame. We met my father at the top of the staircase in Liberty Hall. "What do you think, Mr. Connolly," cried Madame. "I've received an internment order or rather an order prohibiting me from going down to Tralee. What am I going to do about it? Shall I go or shall I obey the order." "Did you bring the carbine and bandolier?" asked my father turning to me. {43} "Yes," I answered. "Harry has them." "No, Madame," said my father. "You cannot go down to Tralee. If you make the attempt you will probably be arrested at some small station on the way, and sentenced to some months in jail. You are too valuable to be a prisoner at a time like this; I'll have need of you. If the authorities follow up their action of to-day we may be in the middle of things to-night or to-morrow; who knows? No, you must stay here. You are more important than the meeting." "Should I send some one in my place, then?" asked Madame. "That is for you to decide, though I think it would be a good thing." "Whom will I send?" asked Madame. "Send some one who cannot be victimized in case our hands are not forced; some one who is already victimized. Why not ask Mairé Perolz?" "The very girl!" said Madame. "You can always pick out the right person."