'And it may be that you and I think upon the whole they may be worn with advantage.What does the country say to that?'
'The country never says the reverse.We have not had a majority against us this Session on any Government question.'
'But we have had narrowing majorities.What will the House do as to the Lords' amendments on the Bankruptcy Bill? There was a bill that had gone down from the House of Commons, but had not originated with the Government.It had, however, been fostered by ministers of the House of Lords, and had been sent back with certain amendments for which the Lord Chancellor had made himself responsible.It was therefore now almost a Government measure.
The manipulation of this measure had been one of the causes of the prolonged sitting of the Houses.'
'Grogram says they will take the amendments.'
'And if they don't?'
'Why then,' said Mr Monk, 'the Lords must take our rejection.'
'And we shall have been beaten,' said the Duke.
'Undoubtedly.'
'And simply because the House desires to beat us.I am told Sir Timothy Beeswax intends to speak and vote against the amendments.'
'What,--Sir Timothy on one side, and Sir Gregory on the other?'
'So Lord Ramsden tells me,' said the Duke.'If it be so, what are we to do?'
'Certainly not go out in August,' said Mr Monk.
When the time came for the consideration of the Lords' amendments in the House of Commons,--and it did not come till the 8th of August,--the matter was exactly as the Duke had said.Sir Gregory Grogram, with a deal of earnestness, supported the Lords'
amendments,--as he was in honour bound to do.The amendment had come from his chief, the Lord Chancellor, and had indeed been discussed with Sir Gregory before it had been proposed.He was very much in earnest;--but it was evident from Sir Gregory's earnestness that he expected a violent opposition.Immediately after him rose Sir Timothy.Now Sir Timothy was a pretentious man, who assumed to be not only an advocate but a lawyer.And he assumed also to be a political magnate.He went into the matter at great length.He began by saying that it was not a party question.The bill, which he had had the honour of supporting before it went from their own House, had been a private bill.As such it had received a general support from the Government.It had been materially altered in the other House under the auspices of his noble friend on the woolsack, but from those alterations he was obliged to dissent.Then he said some very heavy things against the Lord Chancellor, and increased in acerbity as he described what he called the altered mind of his honourable and learned friend the Attorney-General.He then made some very uncomplimentary allusions to the Prime Minister, whom he accused of being more than ordinarily reserved with his subordinates.
The speech was manifestly arranged and delivered with the express view of damaging the Coalition, of which at the time he himself made a part.Men observed that things were very much altered when such a course as that was taken in the House of Commons.
But that course was taken on this occasion by Sir Timothy Beeswax, and was so far taken with success that the Lords'
amendments were rejected and the Government was beaten in a thin House, by a large majority--composed partly of its own men.
'What am I to do?' asked the Prime Minister of the old Duke.
'The old Duke's answer was exactly the same as that given by Mr Monk.'We cannot resign in August.' And then he went on.'We must wait and see how things go at the beginning of next Session.
The chief question is whether Sir Timothy should not be asked to resign.'
Then the Session was at an end, and they who had been staunch to last got out of town as quick as the trains could carry them.