It was on this
amendment that the Ministerial majority fell, owing to various
accidents, to 30, and the Tories cheered themselves into a happy
condition of mind for a few minutes.
[Sidenote: The guillotine--but not yet.]
Towards the end of the sitting there was a certain feverishness of
expectation. Dr. McGregor, a Scotch Highland member, had announced that
at half-past six he would move the closure of the third clause--on which
we had now been working for a fortnight. But Mr. Mellor refused to put
such a drastic proposal on the suggestion of a private member. There
was, however, a very plain intimation that if a Minister were to make
such a proposal it might be considered differently; all of which meant
that we were approaching--slowly, patiently, forbearingly--but still
approaching the moment when drastic steps would be taken to accelerate
progress.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE SEXTON INCIDENT.
[Sidenote: Mr. Sexton.]
The resignation of Mr. Sexton, early in June, seemed to point to one of
those disastrous splits in the Irish ranks which have always come at the
wrong moment to spoil the chances of the Irish cause. There were many
whose memories were brought back by the event to that trying and strange
time when Mr.
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