a

he ought to have been a sol- there had been some nasty dier. Splendid ! There were orders given-ugh ! It makes two or three men in the court- me shiver even now. He knew yard, and one of them made I was the friend of Mr Linas if he would have attacked thorpe. Also that I had rescued us, and then drew back. So his sister, to whom he was we reached the gate.

much devoted. So he climbed “I was

I wondering if we the wall of the compound, and should take prisoner the Man- hurried to Mr Linthorpe. The darin. But, even at that mo- missionary immediately went ment, he was very clever. Just to the station to telegraph for as we were passing through the assistance, but found the ingate he suddenly dropped down, struments would not work, and and caught Linthorpe's leg as also found the two engineers he did so. Linthorpe stumbled very drunk. It was then he forward, and I half fell over took their revolvers, for a him. The next moment Li plan was coming into his mind. Ting-Fang, yelling something He knew I must be rescued in Chinese, had rolled on one early-orside, picked himself up in a And Captain Ivan Koravitch very quick manner for one so shrugged his shoulders, and fat, and was behind a pillar gave an expressive sound with even before I shot at him, A his lips. shot followed from behind, and "But it was Nora Linthorpe a bullet whistled past us. who thought out the clever

"'Run!' cried Linthorpe. scheme. She collected curiAh, and we did run. I laugh osities to take back to Engnow as I think of the mission- land, and had a fine Chinese ary drawing up his loose robe costume. Also she possessed above his bare knees. It was the big visiting-card of Wuvery funnee! They fired-yes- yao-chan, the governor of the but they were bad marksmen, province—the English consul those Chinese, and, except for had presented it to her for her a little scratch on my side, they collection,

collection, and her brother did not hit. So we came out knew a leetle Chinese. So he safely. Splendid !

wrote the letter to me, and “Afterwards, when Miss Lin- made up the parcel for Changthorpe gave us a good break. Yung to put through my winfast, her brother told me the dow, hoping that the luck of story. Oh, he was a very clever being able to open my door man, this missionary priest. would come to me. Then he It was due to Chang-Yung that dressed himself in the Chinese he had discovered where I dress, and with Ohang-Yung's was. Chang-Yung had seen help, who had returned, painted me in the corridor. He had with a brush in Chinese charalso guessed what was to hap- acters a short letter demanding pen to me in the morning- a private interview of import

ance.

A few years

Also, he rubbed some another. Pouf ! Li Tingyellow powder on his face. FangOh, he escaped. When Chang-Yung found a friend my soldiers, who returned, surwhom he could trust, and to- rounded his house it was empty. gether they carried him in a But one can never understand chair to Li Ting-Fang's house. these Chinese. A call in the very early morning later, after our war with Japan, -when much business is done, I was in Paris. Our ambassador is customary with the Chinese. there gave a diplomatic dinner, Linthorpe sent in Wu-yao- at which I was present. Next chan's card, and was shown to me sat an elderly Chinainto the reception-room. When man, an attaché at the Chinese the Mandarin entered he per- Embassy. It was

no other formed a very big kow-tow, than Li Ting-Fang. And he for he thought he was in the said to me very politely, in presence of the governor. But his voice of silk and with his when he looked up the pistol smilewas at his head, and he had to “ ' Did I not once have the hold his tongue till I appeared. pleasure of receiving you at Splendid !”

my insignificant abode ' The captain lighted a fresh “Yes,' I replied, as I looked cigarette, paused for a minute him hard in the face, and I or two, and then said,

fear my departure from your “ Miss Nora ! Ah, yes! I ho

Durable presence was very kissed her hands. I think she abrupt.' was very much pleased. Also No one regretted it more she was pleased that I was safe. than my entirely unworthy I think, too--but no matter. self !' he answered with a bow. She had promised herself to Splendid !"

THE BUBBLE OF GAELIO.

BY PERISCOPE.

“Like a bubble blown up in the air
By sporting children's breath,
Who chase it everywhere
And strive who can most motion it bequeath :
And though it sometime seem of its own might,
Like to an eye of gold, to be fix'd there,
And firm to hover in that empty height,
That only is because it is so light.
But in that pomp it doth not long appear ;
For even when most admir'd, it in a thought,
As swell’d from nothing, doth dissolve in nought.”

-W. DRUMMOND.

THE Irish Free State poses sound of whose babel will as bilingual. The make-believe reach unto the heavens. is enshrined in its Constitution, This determined effort to and now the Gaelic fanatics revivify the language was beare filled with the hope that gun by the Gaelic League thirty some day the traveller who years ago, and the League has lands on its shores may find captured the Free State Gova people as ignorant of his ernment, or rather has coerced language as he of theirs. To it, by reason of the prestige foster this delusion the names which it acquired in recent of the ports where he is likely years. From its birth the to land have been already League had in itself the germ changed, and this baptismal of the separatist idea. Of its process, which till yesterday development in that direction affected only the names of it is unnecessary to speak. Dublin's streets, is now, at the Will its development in the volition of each local tribe sphere of language be equally (Rural or Urban Council is the effective, equally remorseless, more modern name), over- in its working out ? spreading the whole country- To answer this question one side with a riot of unpro- must investigate historically nounceable syllables. The this problem of the resuscitalatest Railway Bill will add tion of a dying language. The to the bewilderment, for it Gaelic League has always provides for the printing of argued that nineteenth-century railway tickets and notices in Europe yields historical proof Irish and English, and soon that it can achieve its object. the whole population will be It is therefore of philological incomposed of one class—trans- terest to examine the argument. lators and interpreters, — the The first example which is

cited is the successful efforts to the Gaelic League before of the Croats and Slovenes the sinister developments in to resist the imposition of the Czecho-Slovakia in the year Magyar language. All through 1924 lent a moral to the tale. the nineteenth century the Secondly, the world was struggle between these nation- asked to compare the language alities went on. Magyar, spoken struggle of the Gael with that by the ruling aristocrats, had of the Poles against the Rusbeen made the language of sian tongue-a struggle in which State and law. The Slovenes, the chief resisting factor was thus ousted from all chance the Polish literary revival. of securing any part in public Here, too, the schools were the administration, saw their whole point of attack until the boy. nationality likely to be under cott of the compulsory Russian mined within two generations. schools by the children themThe Slovak tongue was gradu- selves forced Russia in the ally reduced to a peasant dia- year 1906 to legalise Polish lect. In the year 1879 Magyar schools. The Russian and Gerwas made compulsory

in man minorities in the Polish schools, and only those who State are likely to find their had a thorough knowledge of masters no whit less set to it were allowed to be teachers. nationalise their tongue. FinHaving thus ceased to be a land is the next point of compolitical force, the Slovenes parison. Here Russia had embegan to foster a literary move- barked on the same course as ment, destined to rescue the in Poland in violation of the language from illiteracy and Finnish Constitution, which their children from alien teach- made the Czar not the autoing. In consequence, despite crat but the constitutional monthe severity with which the arch of Finland. In the year Education Act was enforced, 1912 the danger - point was the members of the popula- reached when a Commission tion who knew no Magyar fell on which no Finn sat advised only from 47 per cent to 44 per the transfer to the Russian cent in the ten years 1870-80, Government of all powers of and subsequent decades saw legislation in regard to lanlittle change. Then came the guage and education. But the Great War; the Czecho-Slo- Great War frustrated this vaks have secured their polit- scheme, which had no foundaical independence, and to-day tion either in justice or commonthey in their turn are engaged sense. in the same operation of en- The struggle in Belgium bedeavouring to suppress the lan- tween the

the French-speaking guage of the new minority in Walloons and the Flemings their State. Such is the first may be taken as the final exemplar of the Free State ; parallel of what a literary rebut the comparison occurred vival can effect. The Gallicising

of Belgium seemed inevitable as any Gaelic enthusiast who in 1830 when, on the declara- knew but à few words of Irish tion of Belgian independence, could describe himself as biFrench became the only official lingual. The 1921 census was language. At the time, the never taken, for in order to Flemings were not in the least parade their power Sinn Fein distressed at this outlook, and ordered the local officials, who it was only when the literary were to act as census takers cult of the Flemish tongue (the police being otherwise enmade the people understand gaged), to leave it alone. It the risk of extinction which it is evident that, had it taken ran that the language movement place, a further drop in the deviated into political channels, number of Gaelic speakers where it remains even to-day. would have been recorded.

Now, in actual fact, is there Gaelic, therefore, contrasted any real parallel between the with European “minority ” Gaelic revival movement and languages, was starting with the language struggle in any an utterly impossible handicap. of these countries ? It has The second fundamental in been so long assumed that the which the parallel fails is that parallel exists, and the correct, neither was there any demand ness of the assumption is so on the part of the Irish speakers vital to the hopes of the Gael, to have their tongue taught as that it is necessary to investi- the vernacular, nor, save for gate the facts further, and even the few enthusiasts of the a cursory examination shows League itself, did Anglo-Irish the nakedness of the land. speakers desire to have Eng

The situation in each of lish and Irish placed on the these countries differed in all same level in the schools. its fundamentals from that in Native speakers looked upon Ireland in the last thirty years. their mother tongue as some

Slovakia half the popula- thing only suitable for addresstion knew Slovene as their only ing their pigs. language, and the proportion Thirdly, Irish was dying a of native speakers was higher natural death : it was not being in Finland and Poland. On extinguished by English rethe other hand, in Ireland the pression. This statement may census figures for 1901 showed be challenged, but it is inconless than 21,000 persons (that trovertible. It is true that is, 1 out of 200) who spoke England had from the year Irish as their only language, 1367 been passing sundry statand 620,000 who were bilingual. utes against the speaking of The figures for 1911 were less Irish, but these were a dead than 17,000 and 565,000 re- letter outside the pale, and spectively, and even then the inside it practically unenforcebilingual figures must be ac- able. In the eighteenth cencepted with very great reserve, tury the penal laws drew such

In