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.
Tearing up the Tithes.
Tithes Bill on for Second Reading. Picton rallied scattered forces of Opposition, and led them to attack. Slashing speech; soaring eloquence; trenormous energy.
"Reminds me," said Admiral Field, "of his grandfather, General Picton, who fell at Waterloo. Remember him very well; was in charge of Brigade of Marines there, you know; attached to Picton's Division. Never look on Member for Leicester without thinking of my old comrade in arms;" and the sturdy salt brushed away the reluctant tear.