UNITED STATES AND CANADA 193 



travelling in the States and Canada, wrote and asked 

 her if she could confirm or deny the rumour. Mrs. 

 Edwardes, who is the embodiment of diplomacy 

 and discretion, naturally and very properly replied 

 that she knew nothing about it. When months 

 later the engagement was given out and became 

 public property, this same divine thought fit to 

 write her a homily on the enormities of duplicity, 

 and the condign punishments in store hereafter for 

 those who depart from the truth. Of course the 

 disquisition of this psalm-singing humbug was 

 treated with the contempt it deserved. 



For the benefit of such of my readers as may not 

 be versed in transatlantic politics, it may be well 

 to explain why it was desirable to keep Mr. Cham- 

 berlain's engagement a secret till later in the 

 year of our Lord 1888. Miss Endicott was the 

 daughter of a Cabinet Minister in Mr. Cleveland's 

 administration. Mr. Chamberlain was the strongest 

 opponent in this country to Home Rule, though 

 always in favour of a liberal measure of local self- 

 government for Ireland. The one predominating 

 thought in America among politicians as a presi- 

 dential election approaches is which way the Irish 

 vote will be cast. On that largely depends the result. 



So in America, just as in this country, the Irish vote 



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