speech directed to every absurd
prejudice and alarm which the ignorant or the timid could
feel--altogether made a most unworthy contribution. John Burns--breezy,
outspoken--not friendly to all things done by the Liberals in the past,
but firm in his Home Rule faith--went for Mr. Chamberlain in good,
honest, sledge-hammer, and workmanlike fashion. The member for Battersea
even dared to blaspheme Birmingham--the Mecca of the industrial
world--for its notoriously bad record in industrial matters--an attack
which Joe seemed in no way to relish. And all the time the Old Man--with
his hand to his ear, and sitting on the very end of the Treasury Bench,
so as to be nearer the speaker--listened attentively, sympathetically,
occasionally uttering that fine leonine cheer of his. It was on this
amendment that the Ministerial majority fell, owing to various
accidents, to 30, and the Tories cheered themselves into a happy
condition of mind for a few minutes.

[Sidenote: The guillotine--but not yet.]

Towards the end of the sitting there was a certain feverishness of
expectation. Dr. McGregor, a Scotch Highland member, had announced that
at half-past six he would move the closure of the third clause--on which
we had now been working for a fortnight. But Mr. Mellor refused to put
such a drastic proposal on the suggestion of a private member. There
was, however, a very plain intimation that if a Minister were to make
such a proposal it might be considered differently; all of which meant
that we were approaching--slowly, patiently, forbearingly--but still
approaching the moment when drastic steps would be taken to accelerate
progress.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SEXTON INCIDENT.

[Sidenote: Mr. Sexton.]

The resignation of Mr. Sexton, early in June, seemed to point to one of
those disastrous splits in the Irish ranks which have always come at the
wrong moment to spoil the chances of the Irish cause. There were many
whose memories were brought back by the event to that trying and strange
time when Mr. Parnell fought his desperate battle for the continuance of
his leadership. But then there were many modifications of the position,
and the chief of these was the much greater tranquillity with which the
affair was regarded; and the general faith that the Irish members would
be wise enough to settle their differences satisfactorily. Still there
were some very ugly moments.

[Sidenote: A Conservative opportunity.]

Nothing could be