[Sidenote: A narrow shave.]
At last the debate was over; and then came what was, perhaps, the most
exciting and most momentous incident of the evening. I have already
spoken of the interest with which every division is regarded. The
interest in this particular division was fully justified when the
numbers were told; for the Government majority had fallen to twenty-one.
At once there was a wild outburst of cheering from the Tory Benches.
Some wits ventured on the cry, "Resign! Resign!"--altogether, the Tories
had the best quarter of an hour they have enjoyed since that hideous
afternoon before the Easter vacation, when, after a prolonged fight, the
Old Man had to announce that he could not propose the second reading of
the Bill until after Easter. It was all more or less of an accident;
there were plenty of things to account for it--a reception at the House
of a prominent Liberal lady, and many other explanations: but, all the
same, it was a very ugly little incident; and though Mr. Gladstone
carried it off with that indomitable courage of his, which doesn't know
what a confession of defeat means, one could see that he did not like
it; and for the rest of the evening there was a visible gloom in the
Liberal ranks.
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