to-day.
MACLEAN, drawing himself up another inch, looked down on GRANDOLPH.
GRANDOLPH, seizing the situation, half turned round, and looked up at
his successor in the re-adjusted representation of Woodstock. Neither
spoke; but it was a pretty scene, not needing words.

[Illustration: Past and Present Members for Woodstock.]

GRANDOLPH found MATTHEWS on Treasury Bench, looking as if nothing had
happened, and as if nothing was going to happen. House curiously
crowded, considering. The old story over again, with just a difference
in enumeration of the chapter. Hitherto been on Coercion Bill, First
Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, and Report Stage. Now Third
Reading moved. GLADSTONE begins it all over again, as if nothing had yet
been said. Benches filled to hear him, and no one moved till speech
ended in glowing peroration. Then Members, simultaneously struck with
conviction that they'd heard this before, streamed out. Rest of Sitting
dull talk and empty benches. _Business done._--Third Reading of Coercion
Bill moved.

_Friday._--Coercion Bill through at last! Final bout of talking dull
till towards end, when DILLON made one of his impassioned speeches
(wonderfully improved has JOHN since he first entered House). HARCOURT
stroked Ministerialist back wrong way; and GOSCHEN replied in animated
speech. One little flash disturbed monotony of earlier part of sitting.
Elderly young man, name of COLERIDGE, trotted out again the mean and
spiteful reference to Old Morality's Book-stall connection. O. M., for
once moved to anger, hotly resented impertinence.

Haven't we had enough of this now? It was TIM HEALY began it. Not
desirable that men without a tithe of TIM'S talent should imitate his
ingrained ill-manners.

_Business done._--Coercion Bill passed by Majority of 87.

* * * * *

SONG BY SIR ABEL HANDY.

'TWAS on a summer morning in this tropical July,
A happy thought impelled me an experiment to try.
Hot early, weather promised to be more hot later on:
What were the highest grade the glass would register anon?
A delicate thermometer, the Fahrenheit, was mine;
I placed it in the solar-beams direct, A.M., at nine.
It shortly rose to ninety; and by ten reached twenty more;
Eftsoon degrees one-hundred-nine-and-twenty was the score;
Glass went on rising near as high as it was marked to go.
A hundred, three times ten, and six the highest it could show.
_Excel