heir opponents, were convinced that the
comments of the _Daily News_ were more than justified. The frantic
cheers with which each successive sentence of the scathing attack in the
description was punctuated by the Liberal and Irish Benches, as Joe,
with affected horror, read them out, sufficiently indicated what they
thought. And, on the other hand, the man in whose defence this reply to
his assailants was made was just as convinced that his enemies had been
unjustly assailed, and that he himself had been well and courteously
treated. In such a situation it was just possible that Mr. Chamberlain
would escape from his position with flying colours; would have the
_Daily News_ censured for falsehood by a House of Commons that believed
in its truth; and have himself declared chivalrous by a Parliament that
knows him to be malignant, unscrupulous, and merciless. To prevent such
a catastrophe it was a painful but necessary duty to bring out the
realities of the case; and not only a painful but also a thankless duty
in face of what everybody knew would be the attitude of Mr. Gladstone
himself.

[Sidenote: Mr. Gladstone shakes his head.]

For Mr. Gladstone did not delay long in indicating to the House what his
attitude would be. When I was speaking and denouncing the rude
interruptions of the eventful Thursday night, he shook his head
ominously and in contradiction--though manifestations which came from
Liberal and Irish Benches showed that he stood alone in his view of the
events of that night. And it was no surprise to the House, therefore,
when he stood up and said that he entirely disclaimed any feeling of
resentment for anything that had been done to him, and that he confessed
he had not perceived the interruptions to which the report of the _Daily
News_ had called attention. After this, there seemed no more to be
said; but the battle was not yet over. The Tories had been charged both
by the _Daily News_ and by a speech in the House with want of courtesy
to Mr. Gladstone. Nobody knew better than Mr. Balfour how much ground
there was for such a charge; for often in the course of the present
Session--with a dark frown on his face, with an almost violent
gesture--he has called on his unruly followers behind him to conduct
themselves. The effect of what had taken place was to extort from Mr.
Balfour a tribute to the universal respect in which the Prime Minister
was held--a tribute which the splendid Old Man acknowledged by a