Page:Once a Week, Series 1, Volume II Dec 1859 to June 1860.pdf/485

472 should be prepared to take a statesmanlike view of every question. Who could tell in what department of administrations my services might at any moment be required? How political ideas thickened on my brain, and clung to it! At one moment I saw the Russians marching to the conquest of British India over the deserts of Asia: at another the institutions of this country were swept away by the surge of approaching democracy. Who was he amongst existing statesmen who would weather the storm then? Clearly no one. The country must seek its natural guide amongst younger and more energetic men. My idea of the Coming Man was of a young statesman some three or four years older than myself: of one not connected with the aristocracy directly by birth; nor of one risen from the ranks of the people. In either case you would arrive at a class-man, not a statesman. He should have been brought up at one of the Universities, if only for the purpose of feeling profoundly how worthless was the learning taught there. I should not have liked him to have been a high honour man either, for such a one is apt to degenerate into pedantry—still less could I tolerate the guidance of a person wholly without education or literature, for a dunce could never walk in the van of educated England. I did not lay any stress upon dazzling oratory, so the future Premier possessed a grave and weighty faculty of speech. Character and political consistency were indispensable requisites—and these were sufficient to exclude nine-tenths of existing statesmen from my calculations altogether. The man of the future should also, if possible, reside not in town, for the dissipations of the great capital might distract his thoughts;—nor absolutely in the country, for a man is apt to grow rusty and fall behind the age under such circumstances. A villa, now, in the neighbourhood of London would be the spot I should fix on as the residence of a great statesman. But where was England’s future Premier to be found? Down, ambitious thoughts—down, busy Fiend! I had forgotten to say that practising lawyers were out of the question.

Intent as I was upon my new occupations, it was impossible for me not to notice the change in F.’s manner since I had obtained a seat. There was an addition of dignity to her general bearing, for which I was not prepared. It was beautiful to see her as she walked along the cliff at Helmstone, followed by the phaeton drawn by the identical old horse (Tommy, as we used to call him), who in our less magnificent days used to take us from Marigold Lodge to London and back within the two hours—affording us time for shopping as well within reasonable distances—and how she carried her card-case in her hand in a majestic way—and with what sweet condescension she greeted her friends and acquaintances. Truly, there was a wife for a future Minister. Upon one occasion, when we met Mrs. Moppen with her van full of vulgar, ugly children—no more to be compared to our little and  than chalk to cheese—how F. did patronise her, but in a manner which Mrs. Moppen found it impossible to resent openly.

The autumn soon glided away, and winter came on; but winter brought with it grave solicitudes, for the attitude of the French Emperor gave abundant cause for suspicion as to his ultimate designs. Lord and his colleagues seemed to me like the people before the Flood, who were piping and dancing when the end of all things was at hand. As a Patriot and an Independent Member, I could not but feel that I might be prematurely forced into action, however much I might desire to blush unseen during the spring-tide of my Parliamentary career. I had private information from various foreign gentlemen actually resident in London as to the imminent nature of the peril, and unless matters, mended considerably before the Meeting of Parliament, it seemed to me that it would be impossible to tamper any longer with the obvious dictates of duty.

What an exciting time it was when Parliament did meet at last, and the oaths were taken, and we had a little fracas about swearing in a Jewish Member, and we were all summoned to hear the speech of our gracious in the Upper House. I did not think a very happy selection had been made of the two gentlemen who had been chosen to move and second the formal answer to the Royal Speech, and I confess I was astonished when I heard Lord rise up and declare that “long as had been his experience of Parliamentary life—an experience which now unhappily extended over more than half a century, it had never been his good fortune to hear topics of such transcendent importance to the common welfare examined and discussed with such singular ability as by the two Honourable Members who had opened the debate. Sure he was that if this commencement was to be taken as an earnest of their future career, the House and the Country would have reason to rejoice that there had been such an accession of ability to the councils of the State.” Now I must be permitted to mention that the Mover had repeated his speech off—it was a sorry business at best—just like a schoolboy on speech-day. I am very confident that he had learned it by heart. As for the Seconder, I can only say that he was always referring to his hat.

And now the votes and presently the Blue Books began to pour in, and I can very honestly say that I devoted to them all my spare time and attention. It was also incumbent on me to call in at The Brutus every afternoon and hear the political gossip of the day. Dear me! when one got behind the scenes how different it all appeared. I remember well how an old member of great experience, with whom I was gossiping in the gallery one evening, told me that he would help me on five years in my political career, by explaining to me the real constitution of the House. There were a hundred and some odd lawyers who looked upon the House as a stepping-stone to professional preferment; there were fifty or sixty members who sate there merely to defend various railway adventures and interests of the like kind; then there was a firm phalanx of military gentlemen whose duty it was to stand up for the Horse-Guards, and resist inquiry into military matters. Then there was the