brushing away Instructions.
Only GRANDOLPH'S stands, a monument to his adroitness and ingenuity.
Opposition looking forward to pleasant evening. If GRANDOLPH makes
rattling speech in support of his Instruction, it will make things
disagreeable for the Ministry. Moment comes, but GRANDOLPH lingers.
Cousin CURZON gets up, announces that GRANDOLPH has heard that
Government intend to oppose the Instruction. That being so, he does
not think it expedient, in interests of public business, to persevere
with it. So will stay in Paris, look through the Luxembourg, loiter in
the Louvre, lunch in the Eiffel Tower, and otherwise innocently wile
the hours away.

"No," said Cousin CURZON, when I observed that this was not like the
GRANDOLPH of old times; "he is much altered; as meek as he was
once aggressive. Shudders at the thought of causing a moment's
inconvenience to a Government of which GEORGIE HAMILTON is an
ornament; quite surprised to learn that Government would oppose
Amendment, the carrying of which would be equivalent to defeat
of their measure. When he heard of it at once decided to drop his
Instruction."

_Business done._--In Committee on Compensation Bill.

_Wednesday._--House sitting; Members talking; Bills advanced by
stages; but thoughts of Members concentrated on secret OLD MORALITY
carries in his placid bosom. What proposals are Government going to
make for arrangement of public business? Are they going to drop three
Bills, or two, or one, or carry all three? If so, how is it to be
done? by Autumn Session? by peremptory Closure? or by new device
of carrying over measures into succeeding Session? Over a cup of
five-o'clock, taken in his private room, I frankly put these questions
to OLD MORALITY. No use beating about the bush when you are with old
friends.

"TOBY," he says, as I light another cigarette, and settle myself
to hear the disclosure, "recent morphological inquiry has a curious
bearing on this point. Biologists have lately been busy discussing
the meaning of a certain organ, to which, in the present stage of its
development, it appears impossible to assign any utilitarian value.
The case I allude to is the electric organ in the tail of the skate,
on which Professor COSSAR EWART read a paper before the Royal Society.
You will find a full report of it in _Phil. Trans._, Vol. LXXIX. Other
aquatic animals which possess such organs use them to advantage as
electric batteries against their foes. They feel