-elected House of Commons as thoroughly
discontented with itself. But we wish that Mr. Furniss had carried his
prediction into the regions of counsel, and had been able to read in
'Mr. Gladstone's collars,' or in the 'unknown quantity of Sir William
Harcourt's chins,' and whatever else serves him for his Stars, what is
to be the outcome of a situation in which no party is able to obtain a
working majority. If Mr. Furniss is right, the question of 'how is the
Queen's Government to be carried on?' will assume a practical importance
which it never had before; and unless he himself, as a thoroughly
non-party man, can be induced to undertake the formation of an
administration of similarly fortunate persons, one does not see what is
to be done. Party government is based upon big majorities--it is within
measurable distance of breaking down altogether unless the country will
make up its mind to stand no more nonsense, and to prefer what is really
a party to a conglomerate of fads and factions."

I was beginning to feel like a man who had started a story and forgotten
the point of it. The only "comic relief" was the following note from the
Editor of _Punch_:

_21st July, 1892.

"_Vates et Vox Stellarum._

"Dear H. F.,--'Respectability and aspirants.' Didn't you squirm at the
misprint? Is that setter-up-of-type still alive? Je m'en doute. The
reference to Harcourt's _chins_ will _get you liked_ very much. You
dated it from the Garrick, but you didn't put the time of night when
you wrote it. 'P.S.'--_Post Supperal_, eh?

"Farewell, O Prophet!--but 'why _didn't you say so before_?'

"Allah il Allah Ari Furniss is His Prophet!

"Yours ever,

"F. C. B.

"_Advt._--'LIKA JOKO'! Parliamentary Prophet!! Prophecies sent out on
shortest notice. Terms, ----. Reduction on taking a quantity."

Yes! I did squirm at the misprint, which, however, was rectified in the
next issue:

"_A Parliamentary Prophecy._--In Mr. Harry Furniss's letter under this
title in the _Times_ of yesterday the word 'aspirates' should be read
instead of 'aspirants' in the following passage: 'The Labour
representatives feel mischievous and happy--they are the heroes of the
hour--and, although the members of the Labour Party have hitherto been
none