The Irish Home Rule party, under the same suasion, was said to have refused to call a truce.

A letter had been received in high quarters from the German Emperor avowing his fixed determination to preserve peace, and this was honey to Lord Ashbridge.

Then in turn each of these was contradicted.

All thought of the coal strike in this crisis of national affairs was abandoned; the Irish party, as well as the Conservatives, were of one mind in backing up the Government, no matter what postponement of questions that were vital a month ago, their cohesion entailed; the Emperor had written no letter at all.

But through the nebulous mists of hearsay, there fell solid the first drops of the imminent storm.