This led to other scenes, men rising and talking together.
Mr. Chamberlain turned fierce in fore front. Again and again Mr.
Gladstone arose to try and end the scene, and again and again he was
prevented by Mr. T.W. Russell at one point, Mr. Chamberlain at another,
and Mr. Balfour at a third, to seek to bring the struggle back to the
fierce temper it was about to leave. But the Old Man at last got up, and
in measured language and tones which betrayed profound emotion, he
scathingly denounced the attack of Mr. Forster as wanton and
mischievous. Here again there was another uproar. The Old Man pursued
his way, but Mr. Chamberlain again tried to get Mr. Sexton called to
order, but the charge had been too coarse, and Mr. Mellor declined to
interfere.
CHAPTER XVI.
REDUCED MAJORITIES.
[Sidenote: The week before.]
On Friday, July 7th, we just entered on the fringe of the ninth clause.
The ninth clause had all along been held to be, perhaps, the very
gravest rock ahead of the Government. This is the clause which regulates
the position of the Irish members at Westminster after Home Rule has
been passed. There were as many plans for settling this question as
there were members of the House of Commons, and all plans were alike in
being illogical, unsymmetrical, and, therefore, liable to attack from a
dozen different quarters.
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