[Sidenote: Happy again.]
But May 31st brought the Derby, and with the Derby there came upon the
Tory Benches one of those moments of temptation which the natural man is
utterly unable to resist. The amendments followed each other in rapid
succession; division came on top of division; and in them all the
Liberals jumped back to their old superiority of numbers. In the earlier
part of the day, when the fortunes of Isinglass were still undetermined,
the majorities were enormous; and though there was a certain falling off
when sporting gentlemen began to get back from the dusty Downs, the
average was well kept up; and it was with a distinct rise in the
temperature of Liberal hopes and confidence that this stage was reached.
On the following day the lowness of the voice in the Old Man was a
little more perceptible, and when it got to midnight, he seemed
painfully fagged and exhausted. It was, perhaps, because he was in that
mood that he made some concessions to the Unionists, which have been
somewhat resented. But as these concessions, according to Mr. Gladstone
himself, only carried out what the Government had intended from the
first, these things may be passed.
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