House,
and he it was who received the blow from Colonel Saunderson's clenched
fist. Mr. Austin fell, and immediately Mr. Crean rushed forward, and in
quick succession gave Colonel Saunderson two hard and resounding
blows--one of which drew blood.

[Sidenote: The bursting of the cyclone.]

Then the cyclone burst. When the sound of blows was heard; when Colonel
Saunderson was seen to be in grips with another member,
anger--shame--horror, took possession of everybody; some men lost their
heads, determined to have their share in the fray, and for a brief
second or two a solid cohort on either side--the Tories on one side, the
Irish on the other--stared and glared at each other, with pallid,
passion-rent, and, at the same time, horror-stricken faces--ready to
descend into the abyss, and yet standing in the full consciousness of
horror at its brink. William O'Brien, John Burns, Mr. Bowles, Mr. Healy,
Tom Condon, a stalwart and brave Tipperary man ready for peace, ready
for war, and several others--myself included--rushed to separate and
remonstrate, with the result that the scene came to an end in a space
which was extraordinarily short, considering the circumstances, but
terribly long to those who lived through its horror. Really only three
people were in that scrimmage--Mr. Austin, Colonel Saunderson and Mr.
Crean. There was, I believe, some hustling, but of even that I saw
little. Whether it was at this moment, or when Mr. Hayes Fisher laid
hands on Mr. Logan, the hissing came from the gallery, I do not know;
but it was at either of these two moments--a sound hideous,
unparalleled, sufficient to bring the maddest man back to reason. And
then, thinking once more that it was all over, we went into the division
lobbies again.

[Sidenote: The Speaker appears.]

In common with most people, I had by this time forgotten all about Mr.
Chamberlain--all about Herod--all about Judas; thinking the whole affair
was over and done with; that the incident had been submerged under the
row; and all I expected we had now to do was to trudge drearily and
wearily through the lobbies in the long series of divisions which would
precede the final passage of the Bill through Committee. It was only
the wild cheering which announced the advent of the Speaker that brought
me back to the House, and gave me some idea of what had gone on. If you
want to understand why France welcomed Napoleon after the Terror, you
had only to be in the House at tha