Thursday.—Noisiest evening we have enjoyed since Parliament elected. Peculiarity of situation was that everybody, not excluding Chairman of Committees, strenuously anxious to preserve order. Quiet enough till Chamberlain appeared on scene, then followed the ordinary cool-cucumbery results. Tim Healy torn with anxiety that Joseph should limit himself strictly to Motion before Committee. Sort of triangular duel; Joseph at corner Bench below Gangway to right of Chair; Tim in corresponding position opposite; Mellor in (and out of) Chair; all three on their feet simultaneously; Committee assisting in general desire for peace and order by tumultuous shouting. Tim fired furiously at Joseph; Joseph answered shot for shot; Chairman pegged away alternately at both.
"Joey up again!" Scene from the Parliamentary Show.
Then Grandolph, finding temptation irresistible, romped in. "I move," he said, "that the words be taken down." Very well; quite so; but what words? The Chamber was full of words, surging like the waters at Lodore. Which particular ones would Grandolph like taken down? Turned out that his desire centred upon almost the only words that had not been uttered. "I distinctly heard the Member for Louth say, 'You are knocked up.'" So Grandolph solemnly declared, standing at table.
Mr. J. G. L-ws-n, having found in a dictionary the Irish word for "a House of Commons," obliges:—
In Irish, I will sing it clear,
There's a name for the House which you shall hear.
(Spoken) Which is
(Sings) "Riaz-na-Nuaral"-tooral-looral