What he had said was that the Government intended to stand by the principle that the Irish members were to have a place in the Imperial Parliament, which, it will be seen, leaves open the perilous and perplexing question: what form that representation in the Imperial Parliament is to take.

At once there was a heavy sigh of relief, and most of all on the Irish Benches.
Among the Irishry, the declaration of Mr.Gladstone had produced a moment of something like panic; the only exhibition of which was a certain impatience with the attempt of Mr.Balfour to pin the Old Man down to the most literal interpretation of his words.

The panic soon passed away.

It was all, I say, a false alarm.

Vulnerable though his temper--though there was in him still enough of the hot onrush of battle and of resistance under all the snow of advancing years--the great old tactician had not forgotten his cunning.