However, they are all doing that. It is curious to see. Men who only
vote, and can't make speeches, and don't know how to invent witty
ejaculations, wander about the vacated parts of the floor, and stop in
a good place and strike attitudes--attitudes suggestive of weighty
thought, mostly--and glance furtively up at the galleries to see how it
works; or a couple will come together and shake hands in an artificial
way, and laugh a gay manufactured laugh, and do some constrained and
self-conscious attitudinising; and they steal glances at the
galleries to see if they are getting notice. It is like a scene on the
stage--by-play by minor actors at the back while the stars do the great
work at the front. Even Count Badeni attitudinises for a moment; strikes
a reflective Napoleonic attitude of fine picturesqueness--but
soon thinks better of it and desists. There are two who do not
attitudinise--poor harried and insulted President Abrahamowicz, who
seems wholly miserable, and can find no way to put in the dreary time
but by swinging his bell and discharging occasional remarks which nobody
can hear; and a resigned and patient priest, who sits lonely in a great
vacancy on Majority territory and munches an apple.

Schonerer uplifts his fog-horn of a voice and shakes the roof with an
insult discharged at the Majority.

Dr. Lueger. 'The Honourless Party would better keep still here!'

Gregorig (the echo, swelling out his shirt-front). 'Yes, keep quiet,
pimp!'

Schonerer (to Lueger). 'Political mountebank!'

Prochazka (to Schonerer). 'Drunken clown!'

During the final hour of the sitting many happy phrases were distributed
through the proceedings. Among them were these--and they are strikingly
good ones:

'Blatherskite!'

'Blackguard!'

'Scoundrel!'

'Brothel-daddy!'

This last was the contribution of Dr. Gessman, and gave great
satisfaction. And deservedly. It seems to me that it was one of the most
sparkling things that was said during the whole evening.

At half-past two in the morning the House adjourned. The victory was
with the Opposition. No; not quite that. The effective part of it
was snatched away from them by an unlawful exercise of Presidential
force--another contribution toward driving the mistreated Minority out
of their minds.

At other sittings of the parliament, gentlemen of the Opposition,
shaking their fists toward the President, addressed him as 'Polish Dog'.
At one sitting an angry deputy turned