Hayes Fisher, and that, therefore, it was on
him any punishment should be visited which the House of Commons deemed
necessary for the protection of its outraged dignity. However, as I have
said, the House of Commons was so heartily ashamed of itself, and
desired to get its shame out of sight and out of memory as soon as
possible.
[Footnote: A lame apology.]
But Mr. Hayes Fisher did not act particularly well. It was he who had
taken Mr. Logan by the collar, and therefore, it was he who had struck
the first blow. There was some execrable haggling as to whether Mr.
Hayes Fisher or Mr. Logan should make the first apology--execrable, I
say, because a gentleman never ought to haggle over an apology if he
feels that he has been in the wrong, and because nobody could deny that
Mr. Fisher had been the original wrongdoer. The result was that when
Mr. Gladstone came into the House on July 31st, and was asked questions
about the business, the Old Man, for once, found himself in a
difficulty. He had been told that apologies were going to be made; but
Mr. Fisher made no sign, and, indeed, it looked very much as if he would
do nothing at all. Labby intervened at this psychological moment by
reading that extract from the account in the _Pall Mall Gazette_ which
fixed Mr.
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