d meantime entered, and a
look of pain and solicitude crossed his white face. There is so much of
innate gentleness--of inexhaustible kindliness, and of high-bred and
scholastic spirit beneath all the vehemence of his political temper and
the frenzied energy of his political life--that for such scenes he has
never any stomach; and they always bring to his face that same look of
shock and pain and humiliation. And he it was who finally saved the
situation. Several times Mr. Brodrick would have been willing to
withdraw, but Mr. Balfour was resolved to get Mr. Gladstone and Mr.
Sexton into a difficulty, to convict Mr. Sexton of disobeying the chair,
to compel Mr. Gladstone to take action against his most useful friend
and most powerful ally. Over and over again, then, he refused to allow
Mr. Brodrick to get rid of the whole situation by withdrawing his
language, and so enabling Mr. Sexton to follow the example. Meantime,
Mr. Mellor had ruled that Mr. Sexton had been guilty of gross disorder,
and had called upon him to leave the House. Mr. Sexton had steadily
refused, basing his refusal on the demand that there had been no vote of
the House. The point was this: There are two rules for dealing with
disorder. Under the one a member is named, and then a division takes
place, in which the House may refuse or consent to the suspension of a
member. Under the other rule, the presiding officer has the right to
suspend on his own motion, and without any appeal to the House. The
latter rule was that under which Mr. Mellor acted. Mr. Sexton demanded
that he should be treated under the other rule, believing that if a
division had taken place the majority of the House, or at least a very
big minority, would have refused to sanction the action of the Chairman.
This would have meant that Mr. Mellor would have been censured, and
thereby compelled to resign the Chairmanship.

Mr. Gladstone, I say, saved the situation. In language of touching
delicacy and grace, he appealed to Mr. Sexton to obey the chair. Mr.
Sexton at first would not yield; but when the appeal was renewed--when
it was backed by all the resources of that thrilling and vibratory voice
of Mr. Gladstone, his stubborn resolve gave way. He rose from his
seat--several Liberal members got up and waved their hats; the Irishmen
followed their example. And then Mr. Brodrick was able to make his
tardy apology, and the matter for the moment was ended.

[Sidenote: The interfering Milma