What impressed me most in Gladstone's free, earnest talk was its solemn and thoroughly Christian tone--he was longing for peace on principle.

On my telling him playfully that the time which belonged to the British Empire was too precious for further talk, he said: "Come and breakfast with me to-morrow morning, and we will finish our conversation." The next morning Dr.Hall and myself presented ourselves at ten o'clock in Mr.
Gladstone's parlor.

We had a very pleasant chat with Mrs.Gladstone (a tall, slender lady, whose only claim to beauty was her benevolent countenance), about the schemes of charity in which she was deeply interested.

At the breakfast table opposite to us were the venerable Dean Ramsey, of Edinburgh, and Professor Talbot, of Oxford University.
The Premier indulged in some jocose remarks which encouraged me to tell him stories about our Southern negroes, in whom he seemed to be much interested.

He laughed over the story of the eloquent colored brother who, when asked how he came to preach so well, said: "Well, Boss, I takes de text fust; I splains it; den I spounds it, and den _I puts in de rousements_." Gladstone was quite delighted with this, and said it was about the best description of real parliamentary eloquence.