which might have strained the fabric of the constitution. The
excitement which quickly arose in Parliament spread to the whole
nation. Mr. Gladstone alone remained calm and confident. He
devised a series of compromises, which he advocated in conciliatory
speeches. He so played his game that by a few minor concessions he
secured nearly all of the points he cared for, and, while sparing
the dignity of the Lords, steered his bill triumphantly out of the
breakers which had threatened to engulf it. Very different was his
ordinary demeanor in debate when he was off his guard. Observers
have often described how his face and gestures while he sat in the
House of Commons listening to an opponent would express all the
emotions that crossed his mind; with what eagerness he would follow
every sentence, sometimes contradicting half aloud, sometimes
turning to his next neighbor to express his displeasure at the
groundless allegations or fallacious arguments he was listening to,
till at last he would spring to his feet and deliver a passionate
reply. His warmth would often be in excess of what the occasion
required, and quite disproportioned to the importance of his
antagonist. It was in fact the unimportance of the occasion that
made him thus yield to his feeling. As soon as he saw that bad
weather was coming, and that careful seamanship was wanted, his
coolness returned, his language became guarded and careful, and
passion, though it might increase the force of his oratory, never
made him deviate a hand's breadth from the course he had chosen.



CHAPTER IV: ORATOR