Not until Mr. BONAR LAW announced that the PRIME MINISTER would move the adjournment of the House and make in Secret Session a statement regarding the air-raid was the House really roused.  At once a storm of “supplementaries” broke forth.  Mr. P. BILLING, baulked of his prey—­for private sittings are no use to orators of the flatulent variety—­bounced up and down like a Jack-in-the-Box until the SPEAKER finally suppressed him with the words, “There must be a limit to this.”  The Member for East Herts is presumably “the limit” referred to.

Fortunately, perhaps, for the Government the Home Office Vote was the subject for discussion.  This gave Members an opportunity for blowing off a lot of preliminary steam.  At one moment an even more dangerous explosion was feared.  Sir HENRY DALZIEL suddenly produced from his capacious coat-tails a shell which had fallen into his office during the raid.  His neighbours crowded round to examine it, until his remark that it was “still unexploded” caused a slump in their curiosity.  There was once a statesman who, to emphasize his argument, flung a dagger upon the floor of the House.  For once the House was thankful that Sir HENRY DALZIEL bears no resemblance to BURKE.

To warn or not to warn:  that was the question mainly agitating Members.  The majority appeared to think that some system of sound-signals was desirable; others pointed out that many threatened raids proved abortive, and that sirens would interfere with business, as in the leading case of Ulysses.  Thanks to the HOME SECRETARY’S conciliatory methods there was considerably less tension in the atmosphere when the time came for the PRIME MINISTER to make his statement.  When air-raids are about there is nothing he finds handier than a comfortable and capacious CAVE.

[Illustration:  WORK OF “GREATER NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.”

MR. SPEAKER MISSES A GREAT CHANCE.]

Tuesday, July 10th.—­The echoes of the air-raid had almost died away by this afternoon.  When Mr. BILLING again tried to move the adjournment, the SPEAKER put him back in his box with so firm a hand that his spring may have been irretrievably injured.  It is hoped that the National Service Department, which recently sent Mr. LOWTHER a notice informing him that he was about to be transferred to Wolverhampton as a labourer at 4s. 10d. a day, “on the ground that such employment is deemed to be of greater national importance than that on which he is at present engaged,” will now consent to hold its hand.

When the House was about to go into Committee on the Corn Production Bill a strange thing happened.  Before leaving the Chair the SPEAKER was proceeding to lop off a few excrescences in the way of Instructions that appeared on the Order-paper.  Meanwhile the SERGEANT-AT-ARMS had advanced to the Table to remove the Mace.  “Order, order!” exclaimed the SPEAKER, upon which Sir COLIN KEPPEL, much abashed to think that he, the guardian of order, should have been regarded as even potentially insubordinate, beat, for the first time in a gallant career, a hasty retreat.