The bottle which Mr.
Gladstone usually brings with him is about the size of those small,
stunted little jars in which, in the days of our youth, the young buck
kept his bear's grease, or other ornament of the toilet. But on Monday
Mr. Gladstone was armed with a large blue bottle--somewhat like one of
those 8 oz. medicine bottles which stand so often beside our beds in
this age of sleeplessness and worry. Nevertheless, Mr. Gladstone and his
wife had miscalculated, for on two occasions only throughout the entire
speech did he have to make application for sustenance to the medicine
bottle. Another precaution which had been taken turned out also to be
unnecessary. The Premier's eyesight is not as good as it was a few years
ago; and he sometimes finds it difficult to read anything but the
biggest print. For this reason, elaborate preparations had been made for
helping his eyesight. On the table before the Speaker's chair there was
a small lamp--somewhat like a student's lamp. This also turned out to be
unnecessary, for the Old Man was able to read his notes without the
smallest difficulty; and the speech had come to a conclusion long before
the hour when the deepening shadows make it hard to read by the light
from the glass roof of the House.
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