iS74 A DIFFICULT SPEECH 445 



but I made my election and turned the notes face downwards 

 on the desk. 



To this day, I do not exactly know how the thing managed 

 to roll itself out ; but it did, as you say, for the best part of an 

 hour and a half. 



There's a story pour voiis cncourager if you are ever in a 

 like fix. 



He writes home on August 20: — 



Johnny's address went off exceedingly well last night. 

 There was a mighty gathering in the Ulster Hall, and he deliv- 

 ered his speech very well. The meeting promises to be a good 

 one, as there are over 1800 members already, and I daresay they 

 will mount up to 2000 before the end. The Hookers' arrange- 

 ments * all went to smash as I rather expected they would, but 

 I have a very good clean lodging well outside the town where 

 I can be quiet if I like, and on the whole I think that is better, 

 as I shall be able to work up my lectures in peace. . . . 



August 21. — Everything is going on very well here. The 

 weather is delightful, and under these circumstances my lodg- 

 ings here with John Ball for a companion turns out to be a 

 most excellent arrangement. I need not say that I was speaking 

 more or less all day long, fa va sans dire, though, by the way, 

 that is a bull induced by the locality. I am not going on any 

 of the excursions on Sunday. I am going to have a quiet day 

 here when everybody will suppose that I have accepted every- 

 body else's invitation to be somewhere else. The Ulster Hall, 

 in which the addresses are delivered, seems to me to be a terrible 

 room to speak in, and I mean to nurse my energies all Monday. 

 I sent you a cutting from one of the papers containing an ac- 

 count of me that will amuse you. The writer is evidently dis- 

 appointed that I am not a turbulent savage. 



August 25 : — 



. . . My work is over and I start for Kingstown, where I 

 mean to sleep to-night, in an hour. I have just sent you a full 

 and excellent report of my lecture. f I am glad to say it was a 

 complete success. I never was in better voice in my life, and I 

 spoke for an hour and a half without notes, the people listening 



* i.e. for the members of the jr-c!ub and their wives to club together 

 at Belfast. 



f " On Animals as Automata " ; see above. 



