reform of the House of Lords, should
receive such scant attention in the Commons.

[Sidenote: _Il y a_ POWER _et_ POWER.]

Mr. Brodrick, however, got off his speech, and the local paper came out
with its verbatim report, a concatenation of circumstances not always
achieved. In the high tide of the Parnell invasion of the House of
Commons, there happened an accident that excited much merriment. Mr.
O'Connor Power--one of the ablest debaters the early Irish party brought
into the House, a gentleman who has with equal success given up to
journalism what was meant for the House of Commons--had prepared a
speech for a current debate. Desirous that his constituents should be at
least on a footing of equality with an alien House of Commons, he sent a
verbatim copy in advance to the editor of the local paper, an
understanding being arrived at that it was not to be published till
signal was received from Westminster that the hon. member was on his
feet. It happened that Mr. O'Connor Power failed on that night to catch
the Speaker's eye. Mr. Richard Power was more successful, and the local
editor receiving through the ordinary Press agency intimation that "Mr.
Power opposed the Bill," at once jumped to the conclusion that this was
the cue for the verbatim speech. Mr. Power was speaking; there was not
the slightest doubt that Mr. O'Connor Power, when he did speak, would
oppose the Bill. So the formes were locked, the paper went to press, and
the next morning County Mayo rang with the unuttered eloquence of its
popular member, and Irishmen observed with satisfaction how, for once,
the sullen Saxon had had his torpid humour stirred, being frequently
incited to "loud cheers" and "much laughter."

[Sidenote: SIR ELLIS ASHMEAD-BARTLETT'S DILEMMA.]

In this same debate on the Second Reading of the Home Rule Bill, where
the energy and enterprise of the provincial weekly Press was
incidentally illustrated in connection with Mr. Brodrick's speech, there
happened another episode which did not work out so well. Sir Ellis
Ashmead-Bartlett broke the long silence of years by delivering a speech
in the House of Commons. It was a great occasion, and naturally evoked
supreme effort. It was, in its way, akin to the wooing of Jacob. For
seven years that eminent diplomatist had worked and waited for Rachel,
and might well rejoice, even in the possession of Leah, when the term of
probation was over. For nearly seven years Mr. Ashmead-Bartlett had