political as they were; he knew that his bills for the emancipation of the State were prisoners in the maw of the dragon, and not likely to see the light of law.  Not a legislative day passed that he did not demand, with a firmness and restraint which did him infinite credit, that Mr. Bascom’s and Mr. Butcher’s committees report those bills to the House either favourably or unfavourably.  And we must do exact justice, likewise, to Messrs. Bascom and Butcher; they, too, incited perhaps thereto by Mr. Crewe’s example, answered courteously that the very excellent bills in question were of such weight and importance as not to be decided on lightly, and that there were necessary State expenditures which had first to be passed upon.  Mr. Speaker Doby, with all the will in the world, could do nothing:  and on such occasions (Mr. Crewe could see) Mr. Doby bore a striking resemblance to the picture of the mockturtle in “Alice m Wonderland”—­a fact which had been pointed out by Miss Victoria Flint.  In truth, all three of these gentlemen wore, when questioned, such a sorrowful and injured air as would have deceived a more experienced politician than the new member from Leith.  The will to oblige was infinite.

There was no doubt about the fact that the session was rapidly drawing to a close; and likewise that the committees guided by the Honourables Jacob Butcher and Brush Bascom, composed of members carefully picked by that judge of mankind, Mr. Doby, were wrestling day and night (behind closed doors) with the intellectual problems presented by the bills of the member from Leith.  It is not to be supposed that a man of Mr. Crewe’s shrewdness would rest at the word of the chairmen.  Other members were catechized, and in justice to Messrs. Bascom and Botcher it must be admitted that the assertions of these gentlemen were confirmed.  It appeared that the amount of thought which was being lavished upon these measures was appalling.

By this time Mr. Crewe had made some new friends, as was inevitable when such a man unbent.  Three of these friends owned, by a singular chance, weekly newspapers, and having conceived a liking as well as an admiration for him, began to say pleasant things about him in their columns—­which Mr. Crewe (always thoughtful) sent to other friends of his.  These new and accidental newspaper friends declared weekly that measures of paramount importance were slumbering in committees, and cited the measures.  Other friends of Mr. Crewe were so inspired by affection and awe that they actually neglected their business and spent whole days in the rural districts telling people what a fine man Mr. Crewe was and circulating petitions for his bills; and incidentally the committees of Mr. Butcher and Mr. Bascom were flooded with these petitions, representing the spontaneous sentiment of an aggrieved populace.

“Just then a scout came flying,
All wild with haste and fear
To arms! to arms!  Sir Consul
Lars Porsena is here. 
On the low hills to westward
The Consul fixed his eye,
And saw the swarthy storm of dust
Rise fast along the sky.”