an. 7), examined, and listened to the tale of heavy
wakeful nights. While treating the case as one of temporary and accidental
derangement, he instantly forbade a projected expedition to Midlothian,
and urged change of air and scene.

This prohibition eased some of the difficulties at Windsor, where
Midlothian was a name of dubious association, and in announcing to the
Queen the abandonment by Dr. Clark's orders of the intended journey to the
north, Mr. Gladstone wrote (Jan. 8, 1883):--

In your Majesty's very kind reference on the 5th to his former
visits to Midlothian, and to his own observations on the 24th
April 1880, your Majesty remarked that he had said he did not then
think himself a responsible person. He prays leave to fill up the
outline which these words convey by saying he at that time (to the
best of his recollection) humbly submitted to your Majesty his
admission that he must personally bear the consequences of all
that he had said, and that he thought some things suitable to be
said by a person out of office which could not suitably be said by
a person in office; also that, as is intimated by your Majesty's
words, the responsibilities of the two positions severally were
different. With respect to the political changes named by your
Majesty, Mr. Gladstone considers that the very safe measure of
extending to the counties the franchise enjoyed by the boroughs
stands in all likelihood for early consideration; but he doubts
whether there can be any serious dealing of a general character
with the land laws by the present parliament, and so far as
Scottish disestablishment is concerned he does not conceive that
that question has made progress during recent years; and he may
state that in making arrangements recently for his expected visit
to Midlothian, he had received various overtures for deputations
on this subject, which he had been able to put aside.

V

On January 17, along with Mrs. Gladstone, at Charing Cross he said
good-bye to many friends, and at Dover to Lord Granville, and the
following afternoon he found himself at Cannes, the guest of the
Wolvertons at the Chateau (M41) Scott, "nobly situated, admirably planned,
and the kindness exceeded even the beauty and the comfort." "Here," he
says, "we fell in with the foreign hours, the snack early, dejeuner at
noon, dinner at seven, break-up at ten.... I am