-concealing prevalent feeling of vexation and shame-facedness. Turned
with affectation of keen interest to question raised by MUNDELLA of
iniquities of Education Department in connection with School Supply of
York and Salisbury. But could not keep the thing up. Even rousing
eloquence of HART DYKE, on his defence, fell flat. Ever rose before
Members the vision of the three Judges, daily expecting receipt of
thanks which they read had been voted to them; too proud to complain of
neglect; HANNEN taking on a sterner aspect; SMITH affecting a perky
indifference; and over the solemn features of Brother DAY ever stealing
the deepening twilight of deferred hope. House gladly broke away from
scene and subject, getting itself Counted Out at a Quarter-past Nine.

_Thursday._--"Talk about DIZZY," said HARCOURT, perhaps not without some
tinge of envy, "if OLD MORALITY goes on in this style, DIZZY won't be in
it for persiflage."

House laughing so heartily, could hardly hear HARCOURT'S whisper. JOHN
MORLEY began it; Lunacy Laws Consolidation Bill with 342 Clauses and 5
Schedules gone through Committee like flash of lightning. Nothing been
seen like it since, the other night, I and seven other Members voted
Four Millions sterling in Committee on Navy Estimates. COURTNEY put
Clauses in batches of fifty. No one said him nay. Natural supposition
was, that House in agreeing to this critical stage of important Bill
knew all about it. Every line of its 342 Clauses must be familiar to
every man present; otherwise how could he lay his hand on his heart, and
say, "Aye," when COURTNEY asked him should he knock off another fifty
Clauses?

When it was over, JOHN MORLEY rose, and gravely expressed hope that OLD
MORALITY would inform his friends, accustomed to say that Opposition
persist in obstruction, how this piece of legislation had advanced by
leaps and bounds. This meant to be a nasty one for OLD MORALITY, prone
to go into the country in Autumn and protest how he is hampered in
performing duty to QUEEN and country by obstruction of Members opposite.

"Ha! ha!" chuckled the Liberals, "JOHN'S got him there. A hit, a
palpable hit!"

But no one yet fathomed the tranquil depths of OLD MORALITY. Rose from
other side of table and, with equal gravity, promised that he would tell
all his friends "how the Opposition had given greatest possible facility
for passing the Lunacy Bill." This joke one of kind whose exquisite
flavour evaporates on paper.