Ireland, as Lady Gregory remarks in another column, is not
the land of compromise. But the unexpected has happened in Nationalist circles, and the recent conference between Mr. John Redmond and Mr. William O'Brien has borne surprising fruit. Not only has the party pledge been modified or defined in such a way as to secure the adhesion of Mr. O'Brien, but, more remarkable still, Mr. Healy has abandoned his irrecon- cilable attitude and returned to the fold of the Parlia- mentary Party. Mr. O'Brien has further declared that in rejoining his old associates he has made no concession of principle ; and concession is as hypothesi impossible in the case of an Ishmaelite like Mr. Healy. The reunion of the Irish Party clearly augurs some concerted action in the House of Commons, and is doubtless responsible for the rumour
that it is the intention of the Government to revive the Irish Council Bill.
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