Mr. Mellor took the chair amid a wild
outburst of Tory cheers; and we got back to the tranquil consideration
of clause nine, and to a delightful, good-humoured historical speech by
Mr. Swift McNeill on the representation of Trinity College, Dublin.
[Sidenote: Divisions.]
The old story came back to our minds on July 13th of the historic scene
at Tyburn when all the traitors were hanged in succession. When the
first head was held up there was an awful shudder; the shudder was less
vivid when the second head was held up; and when the executioner
accidentally dropped the third there was a loud and mocking shout of
"Butter-fingers." So it was in the House that night until the dinner
hour came; but as ten o'clock approached, the House filled and there was
a rise in the excitement. The scene, however, bore no comparison to the
frenzied excitement of the preceding Thursday--it was evident we were
going to have an anti-climax, and the whole arrangement of the
Opposition broke down in an important and essential point. On the
previous occasion Mr. Balfour, by preconcerted plan, was speaking at the
moment when the guillotine fell--with the idea, of course, of bringing
into greater relief the wickedness of the Government.
Pages:
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377