Balfour, in his speech, had over and over again used the name of the Deity.  “I pray God,” said the pious leader of the Tory party, as he addressed the Orangemen.  When, in the imaginary speech which Mr. Asquith put into the mouth of Mr. Morley, he recurred again and again to the phrase, “I pray God,” there was just the least lifting of the eyes and lowering of the voice to the sanctimonious level of the Pharisee which made this part of the speech not merely a fine piece of oratory, but a splendid bit of acting.  Mr. Balfour’s appearance during this portion of Mr. Asquith’s speech was pitiable.  His face, with its pallor—­look of abashed pain—­was tell-tale of the inner shame which he felt, as thus calmly, coldly, cruelly—­with extraordinary art, and amid a tempest of cheers—­he was brought by his opponent face to face with realities which lay underneath his bland and oily phrases.

[Sidenote:  Another unmannerly interruption.]

In the midst of the calm and stately flow of Mr. Asquith’s speech, while the House, spellbound, listened in awe-struck and rapt silence, suddenly, there was a commotion, a shout, then the roar of many voices.  The whole thing came upon the House with a bewildering and dumbfounding surprise; it was as if someone had suddenly died, or some other sinister catastrophe had occurred.  In a moment, several Irish members—­Mr. Swift McNeill, Mr. Crilly, and others—­were on their feet, shouting in accents hoarse with anger, inarticulate with rage.  The Speaker was also on his feet, and, for a while, his shouts of “Order!  Order!” failed to calm the sudden, fierce cyclone.  Above the din, voices were shouting, “Name!  Name!” with that rancorous and fierce note which the House of Commons knows so well when passion has broken loose, and all the grim depths of party hate are revealed.  At last, it was discovered that Lord Cranborne was the culprit, and that when Mr. Asquith, amid universal sympathy and assent, was alluding to the beautiful speech of Mr. Davitt, this most unmannerly of cubs had uttered the word, “Murderer.”

[Sidenote:  A whipped hound.]

If he had not been so unspeakably rude, vulgar, odious, and impertinent, one might have almost felt sympathy for Lord Salisbury’s son in the position in which he found himself.  His face is usually pale, but now it had the deadly, ghastly, and almost green pallor of a man who is condemned to die.  But, amid all the palpable terror, the Cecil insolence was still there, and Lord Cranborne declared that, though he had used the phrase, he had not intended it for the House, and that it was true.  Since his relative, Lord Wolmer, made the lamest and meanest apology the House of Commons had ever heard, there never had been anything to equal this.  The House groaned aloud in disgust and contempt; even his own side was as abashed as when Brookfield sought to interrupt Mr. Davitt.  The Speaker, quietly, but visibly moved and disgusted, at once told the insolent young