statements, some preliminary time might be saved in the evening.

_Business done._--Budget brought in.

_Friday Night._--Missed OLD MORALITY from Treasury Bench; looked in
his room; found him in arm-chair, collapsed, by fire-place, with copy
of _Morning Advertiser_ in his hand.

"What's the matter?" I asked. "Surely you've not been reading JOKIM's
Budget Speech right through!" He certainly looked as if he had.

"No, TOBY," he said; "it's not that; it's the Leader. Haven't you seen
what the _Morning Advertiser_ says about me? 'For the first time in
our recollection he (that's me) bears on his political escutcheon a
deep smudge of dishonour': and that's all because JOKIM wouldn't take
a penny off a barrel of beer, and twopence off a gallon of spirits.
It's the injustice I feel most acutely. It doesn't seem fair that Mr.
BUNG should try to intimidate JOKIM by abusing me."

"It _is_ hard," I said; "but it's no use sitting moping here. Come
along into House; they're in Committee on the Land Bill; an hour or
two of that'll freshen you up." And it did.

_Business done._--In Committee on the Irish Land Bill.

* * * * *

NOTICE.--Rejected Communications or Contributions, whether MS.,
Printed Matter, Drawings, or Pictures of any description, will in no
case be returned, not even when accompanied by a Stamped and Addressed