out in action, and quite disgusted his own party, who had
been very well satisfied with Lord Cinquebars. There are many rocks
which a young speaker in Parliament should avoid, but no rock which
requires such careful avoiding as the rock of eloquence. Whatever
may be his faults, let him at least avoid eloquence. He should
not be inaccurate, which, however, is not much; he should not be
long-winded, which is a good deal; he should not be ill-tempered,
which is more; but none of these faults are so damnable as eloquence.
All Mr Fitzhoward's friends and all his enemies knew that he had had
his chance, and that he had thrown it away.

In the Queen's Speech there had been some very lukewarm allusion to
remission of direct taxation. This remission, which had already been
carried so far, should be carried further if such further carrying
were found practicable. So had said the Queen. Those words, it was
known, could not have been approved of by the energetic and still
existing Chancellor of the Exchequer. On this subject the mover
of the Address said never a word, and the seconder only a word or
two. What they had said had, of course, been laid down for them;
though, unfortunately, the manner of saying could not be so easily
prescribed. Then there arose a great enemy, a man fluent of diction,
apparently with deep malice at his heart, though at home,--as we used
to say at school,--one of the most good-natured fellows in the world;
one ambitious of that godship which a seat on the other side of
the House bestowed, and greedy to grasp at the chances which this
disagreement in the councils of the gods might give him. He was quite
content, he said, to vote for the Address, as, he believed, would be
all the gentlemen on his side of the House. No one could suspect them
or him of giving a factious opposition to Government. Had they not
borne and forborne beyond all precedent known in that House? Then
he touched lightly, and almost with grace to his opponents, on many
subjects, promising support, and barely hinting that they were
totally and manifestly wrong in all things. But--. Then the tone of
his voice changed, and the well-known look of fury was assumed upon
his countenance. Then great Jove on the other side pulled his hat
over his eyes, and smiled blandly. Then members put away the papers
they had been reading for a moment, and men in the gallery began
to listen. But--. The long and the short of it was this; that the
existing Gov