[Sidenote: Deeper and deeper still.]
It was almost a welcome break in this passionate and scarcely civilized
din that a personal encounter between Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Byles for
a moment interrupted the tempest. Mr. Chamberlain, in his
characteristically genial way, had spoken of the Irish members as having
been "squared." The Irish members, habituated to insult--conscious of
Mr. Chamberlain's object--had allowed the observation to pass unnoticed;
but Mr. Byles--ardent, sincere, an enthusiast on the Irish
question--shouted out, "How much would it take to square you?" At once
there rose a fierce tropical storm. There were loud shouts of
approval--equally loud shouts demanding an instant withdrawal; members
rose from every part of the House; in short, it was Bedlam let loose,
and a scene impossible to describe.
This was deep enough, but there was a lower depth still to be sounded;
and again it was Mr. Chamberlain's plummet that descended down to the
unfathomable bottom. "I do not," he said to Mr. Byles, "object to the
question, and I will answer it by saying that it would take a great deal
more than the hon. member for Shipley will ever be able to pay.
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