J. L-wth-r (heard but not seen). Non, Monsieur! Mais vous n'osez pas dire le contraire.
"Bill like bagged fox, don't you know," said Kenyon, nodding confidentially to Speaker. "Meant to run any way you like. What I mean to say is—" and here he turned for approval to Lord Bishop, consorting in Gallery with his fighting Dean, "this fox is so tainted with insincerity, or aniseed, that the hounds may just as well shut up their noses, and have nothing to do with it."
With this sage remark, and, something horribly like a wink at the Bishop, Kenyon sat down. Up again later, when Closure moved. Hicks-Beach, in temporary command of Opposition, deprecated resistance. But Kenyon's blood up. With strong effort of self-restraint he stopped himself midway in stentorian shout, "Yoicks!" dexterously turned the "Yo" into "No," and so saved himself from reproof of Speaker. Having got the "No!" he made most of it. Nothing left but to clear House for Division. Members near entreated Kenyon to desist from further opposition. No use fighting Closure; only meant another Division and twenty minutes' prolongation of sitting. Kenyon, with eye reverently fixed on Bishop, immovable. Others might falter on the way; might palter with the truth; might parlay with the enemy. Kenyon would have no compromise, no surrender. "Yoic——" he meant "No! no!" and he shouted it too.
"Will the Hon. Member name another teller?" said the wary Speaker, when House cleared for Division. Kenyon, evidently still seeing the fox steal away, Aniseed at the Helm and Insincerity at the Prow, almost stumbled on the name "Yoicks!" Again stopped himself just in time, and looked forlornly round; eye finally resting on Peers' Gallery. If only the Bishop could "tell" with him! That evidently out of order. Bishop belonged, to other House. No one volunteering to stand with him in the breach, and two tellers being a necessary preliminary to Division, Kenyon bent his head in silent grief, and leave given to bring in Bill which Asquith remorselessly admitted was first step towards Disestablishment of Welsh Church.
Business done.—Welsh Church Suspensory Bill read First Time, by majority of 56, in excited House of 546 Members.
Friday Night.—After the storm, the customary calm. Spent night in discussing tempting themes of Local Taxation in London, and Superannuation of School-teachers. On latter subject that preux Chevalier, Temple, laying down the lute, and leaving Amaryllis in the shade, delivered luminous speech; convinced Chancellor of the Exchequer; made him promise to fork out.
Business done.—Much of useful kind.
"Suppositious."—"Well," observed our old friend, who was discussing a recent case that had been headed "Romance in the Court of Chancery," "this all comes from bringing up a child that they pretended was their own. I mean what they call 'A Superstitious Child.'"