which seeks to claim Irish support as a better Irish party
than the other, proposing that Ireland should have her full total of
members. The Irish members naturally would be inclined to support their
countrymen, if not to seek to keep the Irish representation as high as
it could possibly be.

[Sidenote: A splendid gambler.]

On the other hand, if all the Irish members went the same way it was all
up with the Government. Some fifty to seventy British Liberals adopt the
same policy as the Irish members with regard to the Irish question and
the Home Rule Bill, and if the Irish members only give the word, they
also would vote with Mr. Redmond, and the Government would be "snowed
under," to use an expressive Americanism, a majority of upwards of two
hundred against them. Mr. Gladstone had evidently made up his mind that
this was the situation he would have to face, and played his last, his
supreme, his desperate card. You could see that he himself felt that
this was the kind of card he was playing from his look as he played it.
There was outward calmness in the face, there was the same evenness of
tone in the voice; he built up his case with the same unbroken command
of his language and ideas as is his usual characteristic. His statement
of his position was admirable in its lucidity, its temper, and its
courage. But he was excited. Just as he rose up, Sir William Harcourt
jumped up, and in a state of impatience and excitement that was
palpable, asked for something. It was a glass of water for Mr.
Gladstone. The glass of water was brought in; it was put in front of Mr.
Gladstone; he sipped it just as he was about to start on his perilous
oratorical voyage, and then, clearing his throat, he made the fateful
announcement which possibly was to wreck his measure and himself. And
the statement came to this: If the Government were defeated, it would be
by a combination of different parties, but they would all agree in
supporting 103 as against 80 Irish members; and if they did that, why
the House was master. This was ambiguous, and yet it was pretty plain.
The Government declined to accept as a vote of want of confidence in
them a majority which was obtained by so dishonest and treacherous a
combination as men voting together who were at such opposite poles of
thought; and the Government would just checkmate the little game by
accepting the 103 members as what the House preferred to the Government
plan of 80.

[Sidenote: The fal