was littered with paper. A few dishevelled and weary Irishmen
were on one side of the House, about a hundred infuriated
Englishmen upon the other; some of them still in evening dress, and
wearing what were once white shirts of the night before last. Mr.
Parnell was upon his legs, with pale cheeks and drawn face, his
hands clenched behind his back, facing without flinching a
continuous roar of interruption. It was now about eight o'clock.
Half of Mr. Parnell's followers were out of the Chamber snatching a
few moments' sleep in chairs in the Library or Smoke Room. Those
who remained had each a specified period of time allotted him to
speak, and they were wearily waiting their turn. As they caught
sight of me standing at the bar of the House of Commons there was a
cheer of welcome. I was unable to come to their aid, however, as
under the rules of the House I could not take my seat until the
commencement of a new sitting. My very presence, however, brought,
I think, a sense of encouragement and approaching relief to them;
and I stood there at the bar with my travelling coat still upon me,
gazing alternately with indignation and admiration at the amazing
scene presented to my gaze.

"This, then, was the great Parliament of England! Of intelligent
debate there was none. It was one unbroken scene of turbulence and
disorder. The few Irishmen remained quiet, too much amused,
perhaps, or too much exhausted to retaliate. It was the
English--the members of the first assembly of gentlemen in Europe,
as they love to style it--who howled and roared, and almost foamed
at the mouth with rage at the calm and pale-featured young man who
stood patiently facing them and endeavouring to make himself
heard."

An hour later the closure was applied, for the first time in
Parliament's history. The records of Hansard spoil a story which Redmond
was fond of telling--that he took his oath and his seat, made his maiden
speech and was suspended all in the same evening. In point of fact he
took his seat that Wednesday afternoon, when the House sat for a few
hours only and adjourned again. Next day news came in that Davitt had
been arrested in Ireland. Mr. Dillon, in the process of endeavouring to
extract an explanation from the Government, was named and suspended.
When the Prime Minister after this rose to speak, Mr.