"Where's the Vote of Thanks?"
Lawson up again. More cheering and laughter. Asked Speaker whether he had conveyed Vote of Thanks to Judges? No; Speaker had had no instructions on the matter.
Where is the Vote of Thanks? Who has it in his possession? Certainly not the Judges; one of those things nobody had thought about; various people's business to see to it; accordingly no one done it; no wonder Brother Day, sitting on Bench, has looked forth with stony stare, his heart consumed with secret sorrow. Whilst everyone congratulating Judges on rare honour done to them by both Houses of Parliament, the distinction has proved illusory. World pictured each learned Judge with copy of Vote of Thanks, framed and glazed, hung in best parlour; and behold! they have never had it at all!
House laughed when truth dawned upon it. But it was a hollow laugh, ill-concealing prevalent feeling of vexation and shame-facedness. Turned with affectation of keen interest to question raised by Mundella of iniquities of Education Department in connection with School Supply of York and Salisbury. But could not keep the thing up. Even rousing eloquence of Hart Dyke, on his defence, fell flat. Ever rose before Members the vision of the three Judges, daily expecting receipt of thanks which they read had been voted to them; too proud to complain of neglect; Hannen taking on a sterner aspect; Smith affecting a perky indifference; and over the solemn features of Brother Day ever stealing the deepening twilight of deferred hope. House gladly broke away from scene and subject, getting itself Counted Out at a Quarter-past Nine.
Thursday.—"Talk about Dizzy," said Harcourt, perhaps not without some tinge of envy, "if Old Morality goes on in this style, Dizzy won't be in it for persiflage."
House laughing so heartily, could hardly hear Harcourt's whisper. John Morley began it; Lunacy Laws Consolidation Bill with 342 Clauses and 5 Schedules gone through Committee like flash of lightning. Nothing been seen like it since, the other night, I and seven other Members voted Four Millions sterling in Committee on Navy Estimates. Courtney put Clauses in batches of fifty. No one said him nay. Natural supposition was, that House in agreeing to this critical stage of important Bill knew all about it. Every line of its 342 Clauses must be familiar to every man present; otherwise how could he lay his hand on his heart, and say, "Aye," when Courtney asked him should he knock off another fifty Clauses?
When it was over, John Morley rose, and gravely expressed hope that Old Morality would inform his friends, accustomed to say that Opposition persist in obstruction, how this piece of legislation had advanced by leaps and bounds. This meant to be a nasty one for Old Morality, prone to go into the country in Autumn and protest how he is hampered in performing duty to Queen and country by obstruction of Members opposite.
"Ha! ha!" chuckled the Liberals, "John's got him there. A hit, a palpable hit!"
But no one yet fathomed the tranquil depths of Old Morality. Rose from other side of table and, with equal gravity, promised that he would tell all his friends "how the Opposition had given greatest possible facility for passing the Lunacy Bill." This joke one of kind whose exquisite flavour evaporates on paper. But House enjoyed it immensely, none more than Old Morality. For an hour after, as he sat on Treasury Bench, his face from time to time suddenly suffused with genial smile, and his portly body gently shook with laughter.
"Ah!" said J. G. Talbot, mournfully regarding him through his spectacles; "he's thinking of the Old 'un," meaning the late joke.
