hysical condition and in the brightest of spirits. Indeed, I was never
more struck with the extraordinary physical perfection which Mr.
Gladstone's frame has maintained after his eighty-three years of full
active and wearing life. The back was straight, the figure erect, the
motions free, unconstrained, easy; the gestures those of a man whose
every joint moved easily in a fresh and vigorous frame. And the face was
wonderfully expressive, now darkened with passionate hatred of wrong,
now bursting into the sunshine of genial and pleasant smiles. And--as is
usual when he is in this mood--he was extraordinarily quick at taking
interruptions; he was, indeed, almost boisterous in his manner, and
seemed to positively invite those interjectional interventions from the
other side, which, in less exuberant moods he is sometimes inclined to
resent. Mr. Chaplin had quoted a portentous passage from Cavour to show
that the great Italian statesman had declared against Home Rule. Mr.
Gladstone was able to cap this with another passage--which, beginning
with a strong indictment of English methods of government in Ireland,
wound up with the declaration that Ireland ought to be treated with the
same justice and generosity as Canada. While the Liberals were still
cheering this thrust, Mr. Chaplin got up to make the remark that Cavour
had said other things quite contradictory of this, whereupon the Old
Man--still with a smile of deadly courtesy--pounced upon Mr. Chaplin
with the remark, "Is it your case, then, that Cavour contradicted
himself?"--a retort, the rapidity and completeness of which crushed Mr.
Chaplin for the moment.

[Sidenote: Cowed silence of the Tories.]

When he dealt with the charge that the Government had unduly curtailed
debate, the Old Man had made up his case very thoroughly, and as he read
the damning indictment which showed the wild multitudinousness, the
infinite variety and the prolonged duration of the speeches of the
Opposition, there was plenty of encouraging cheers from the Liberal
side; while on the Tory Benches they sat in dumb and stricken silence.
Indeed, throughout the whole speech, the Tories were singularly quiet.
Perhaps it was that they too were carried away by the witchery and the
spell which the Old Man had cast over the rest of the House; and, while
disagreeing with him, were still sufficiently wound up to the lofty and
more empyrean heights which the orator reached to feel that there would
be some