Europe cared little whether a stone was thrown at Smith O'Brien or not, but Speranza viewed the transaction from her own magnifying glasses. According to the advice of Emerson, she "hitched her waggon to a star," she took no heed where the waggon might land her. While she was pouring forth her impassioned verses in The Nation, events were thickening rapidly. Revolution was in the air. The first Irish famine was followed by the French Revolution of '48, and then came the arrest of the Young Irelanders, including Gavan Duffy, who was imprisoned. His arrest paralysed the contributors to The Nation for the moment. In his "Reminiscences," he says:—
"The writers of the National Journals immediately left town, mostly for Kilkenny, by circuitous routes. A few concealed themselves in Dublin.… Martin could no longer bring out his newspaper, Lalor, the leading spirit, was arrested, and the other contributors were in the South, or in concealment. I should have found it equally impossible, but for the generous help of two noble women. Margaret Callan, my cousin and sister-in-law, who had been a contributor from the outset, undertook the editorship, and Miss Elgee (Speranza) promised a leading article suitable to the occasion, and produced one which might be issued from the head-quarters of the national army."
