But

more often and at an earlier date putting "supply" down upon the business paper, for it is perfectly well known that their doing so would have been merely to cause the waste of more time in the discussion of unprofitable amendments on the motion for the Speaker leaving the chair. if one night per week is to be devoted honestly and really to "supply" without intervening amendments, Ministers will be fairly chargeable with failure in duty if "supply" is delayed till a period in the session too late for its proper discussion, and "independent" members will have a chance of knowing the time at which important votes will actually be taken. It must be borne in mind that under the present system the division of time between the Government and "private members" is rendered most unfair towards the former by this practice of moving amendments on the motion for "supply." Government cannot encroach upon the Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays allotted to private members, save by consent of the latter, whilst these can interrupt Government business, and appropriate to themselves a share of Government time upon every day when "supply" is brought forward, and thus practically add another "notice day" to each week. There is, therefore, every reason for some such change as that proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

It is much to be regretted that the Select Committee refused in any way to deal with the question of repeated motions for adjournment. Two proposals were before them-one, that upon any motion for adjournment having been made and withdrawn or negatived, no such motion should be renewed within one hour; the other, that when the adjournment of a debate has been moved no member should speak to such motion upon the subject-matter of the debate, but only upon the question of adjournment. Both these propositions were negatived without a division, and the evil therefore continues, that a small minority may entirely set at nought the opinions and action of the majority by repeated motions for adjournment. By way of out-heroding Herod, this practice has

been so improved upon during the late session, that when the Government wished to fix the continuation of a particular discussion for the following day, to which certain members objected, the latter pertinaciously moved the adjournment of the debate upon the time of adjournment, and, having been ruled to be in order, were of course victorious, although the adjournment of a debate from one day to the next, or to some other future time, would appear to ordinary mortals to be a question which, from its very nature, must necessarily be decided on the moment, and be itself susceptible of no adjournment.

Another point was left unnoticed by the committee, upon which some improvement might possibly be effectedviz., the time occupied in taking divisions, which was stated (Question 243) to have amounted to fifty hours-equal to five days' sittings of the House, during the session of 1870, in which there were 240 divisions, and must, of course, have reached a higher figure during the session of 1871, which exceeded its predecessor by some thirty divisions. It is at present in the power of any member to force a division upon a reluctant House, provided he can obtain one friend to "tell" the numbers with him. Of course, it rarely happens that a member stands entirely alone in his opinion upon the question before the House, although even this contingency has before now arisen, and the House has thus been saved from the inconvenience and obstruction to business which would otherwise have followed. Instances, however, are by no means infrequent in which an obviously small minority forces the House to a division in defiance of the general wish. This is another instance of the want of control on the part of the whole House over its component parts. During the discussions upon the Ballot Bill, Mr. Beresford-Hope, impatient at the silence preserved by his opponents, exclaimed, upon one occasion, "If you will not talk, we will make you walk;" and after his usual hearty laugh at his own witticism, proceeded to enforce a totally useless division upon a wearied House,

in the early part of the month of August, when every moment was precious. It would be difficult, and probably undesirable, to deprive individual members of their power of calling a division; nor need resort be had to so extreme a measure, in order to effect the saving of time which is desired. It is, however, worth consideration, whether it might not be left in the Speaker's power, after his decision has been challenged, to call on the minority to stand up in their places, and whether the House might not then take upon itself to decide by voice whether or no a division should be taken. This, however, is only one of many suggestions which might be made. The obvious objection to all is the desirability of having the votes of members recorded upon important questions, for the benefit of their constituents and the country, and the difficulty of effecting this under any other system of division-taking than

one

similar to the present. It is, in fact, a balance of inconveniences, and it is difficult to devise a remedy which would be perfectly satisfactory.

Enough has been said, to indicate the necessity of improvement. It has been attempted in this article to point out some of the defects which surround our present parliamentary system. It is futile to deny that the machinery which sufficed for our fathers is unsuited to the House of Commons of the present day. Oil and clean it as you may, the substitution of new works has become a necessity for the efficient working of the machine. "This is an age of discussion," says Sir Erskine May; he might have said, "of overflowing discussion," and no remedy will be found efficacious for our present complaints until we put our insular pride in our pockets, and condescend to imitate those restrictions upon unlimited talk which have, in some shape or other, been adopted by every other constituent assembly. Little by little this conviction

is growing upon those who fairly consider the subject. What sane man would entrust the management of his private affairs to 658 individuals, however exalted their capacity? But, if compelled to do so, he would probably evince his sanity in the first instance, by either limiting their talking power, or dividing the business among them.

This is the alternative scheme to the adoption of a system of clôture. It is treated of by Sir Erskine May in the shape of a suggestion to refer to large committees of the House a certain portion of its business. But although every suggestion from such a quarter is worthy of serious consideration, the entire delegation by the House of any material part of its functions to a smaller body is a change which should be avoided, if possible, and which would be liable to much abuse. The real remedy may be secured without having recourse to such an alteration. It is to be found in the assumption by the House, collectively, of a power over its own proceedings in debate, which it now permits to be practically exercisedbut only in the direction of prolongation by its individual members. Should the principle of the clôture be adopted, modifications and restrictions in its application may be considered; but so long as the sanction of Parliament is withheld from that principle-that is to say, so long as the House of Commons, which trusts so much in the working of its rules to the forbearance and discretion of its members, hesitates to trust its own collective forbearance and discretion, with the power of remedying the evil results of the want of such qualities in individuals-so long will the ears of the House be wearied by dreary platitudes, legislation be impeded by obstructive egotists, and the boasted parliamentary system of England rapidly degenerate into a scandal to her own people, and to the other civilized nations of the world.

"ARE you in earnest?" said Paul, but the look he gave his wife asked a much more severe question.

For a moment Nuna felt as if she had acted guiltily in going to Park Lane without asking leave of her husband.

On the whole, she had come home happier than when she went out. She had been taken away from herself and her own sorrow, by sympathy for Roger; and then by the undefinable interest with which Patty managed always to inspire those who approached her, an interest mingled just now in Nuna with a sort of heroic pity, which carried her for the time, as this kind of heroism is apt to do, far above dislike or jealousy.

"Poor thing! one must feel for her; she is so lovely, and she has been badly brought up; and all this prosperity must be very trying. How silly I was to think Paul would like anyone so artificial; there is no simplicity left in her. I remember I used to laugh at Mrs. Fagg for saying Patty was always acting, but she was right; still, if Patty had kept to her own station, I think she would have been happier; she must always be uncomfortable."

Nuna had forgotten all about the sharp twinge of remorse roused by Patty's question. She had spent the evening in remembering Paul's intense love for all that was simple and natural; her poor, thirsting heart taking large refreshing draughts as she reflected on the studied graces and manner of Mrs. Downes.

And now Paul had come in and looked downright angry as she told him her adventures.

"I did not think you could be so foolish," he said.

She had felt nervous in telling him,

but that was because of their last talk about Mrs. Downes; it had been such an effort to go to Park Lane, that Nuna felt as if she deserved praise for having accomplished Roger's wishes. She looked surprised and frightened at her husband's reproof.

"What could I do? Oh, Paul! I should have liked to ask you, but Roger insisted"

Roger! what claim has Roger on you which can lead you into doing what you must know I should dislike?"

"How could I know it?" Nuna's colour was rising; there was something so hard, so tyrannical in Paul's manner, that her spirit was rising too.

"You might have been sure of it!" and his look told her he considered she had deceived him. "If I had wanted you and Mrs. Downes to be acquainted, I should have taken you to see her. You have plenty of sense, Nuna, and you must have guessed I wished to keep you apart."

Nuna's jealousy flamed up in an instant; if it had not made her blind and deaf to everything but itself, she might have known that her husband would have been less open in speech if he had any special friendship for Patty.

She drew herself up proudly; Paul started at the coldness with which she spoke.

"You give me so little of your time that it did not occur to me you ever thought about me; and really, I hardly see what harm I have done in taking an old servant's message to his daughter."

There was pride in her look and in her voice, ah and in her meaning too, though she strove against it; and Paul misunderstood it: it wounded him to the heart; it was the first time Nuna had ever let him see that she was aware of being well-born.

"All that is such folly, such childish nonsense," he said: "Mrs. Downes's position is very superior to ours, and there's an end of it. I don't want to hear anything more about her."

He turned away, deeply, terribly mortified. Perhaps, if Patty had asked him, he would have consented to take Nuna to Park Lane, but then she would have had all fitting attendance ;-she would have had his protection. He was not specially weak with regard to the opinion of others, but he did not choose that the woman he had loved, and who had so wantonly rejected him, should even guess at a flaw in the trust and love of his wife. It seemed to Paul that jealousy had taken Nuna to Patty.

"Nuna is no more the woman I pictured her to myself than she is an angel," he said, and then he wondered at the folly of that night's meditatious at Harwich, the night when he had caught a glimmer of the depth of his wife's love, and of his own neglect,only a short while ago in time; in thought, in feeling, it seemed so far away!

Nuna kept silence. She felt so proud, so indignant, that it seemed to her she should say something which Paul could not forgive. He did not love her,—she felt reckless of any doubt about that; but the idea of open disagreement, of prolonged anger between husband and wife, shocked her and kept her silent.

"But it is dreadful to be like this," she said, as Love struggled for power in her soul. "Surely if I go and ask him not to be vexed with me, that must make things better." When thoughts like these come, it is wise to act on them headlong; they are among the rare opportunities of life: wait, it may be, for a moment, and the chance as it seemed, or the angel's whisper, has gone from us, useless.

In came the maid with a letter for Nuna with "immediate " on it, in her father's quaint, crabbed handwriting.

She glanced at Paul. He had taken a book and was reading at the window. Nuna opened her letter.

"Oh, Paul!" She had quite forgotten their quarrel. "She is so ill, perhaps dying; oh, will you read, please? I may go, mayn't I? Could I to-night?"

Paul took the letter unwillingly; he had none of Nuna's elastic power of forgetting annoyance.

"Who's ill?" he said coldly.

"Elizabeth,-Mrs. Beaufort; it does seem so very sad; and I've had such hard thoughts of her, and all this time she has been sorry." Nuna clasped her hands.

Paul read the letter;-only a few words of deep sorrow for the writer's unkindness to Nuna, and an earnest entreaty that she would see her. believe I am dying," the letter ended: "I think you will come if you can."

"I

"Mrs. Beaufort is sorry, but she's selfish still," Paul thought, "or she would have left Nuna free about going down."

"You can go to-night if you wish it," he said, gravely, "only I am afraid I can't go with you. I have to begin a portrait of Sir Henry Wentworth tomorrow morning; and he has been so kind, and has taken such a liking to my work, that it seems a risk to break my first appointment; he can make my fortune if he chooses."

Nuna looked up fondly at her husband.

"No one need do that," she said, 'you must be famous some day;" and then she went off timidly to the subject of her journey, seeing no response in Paul's grave, fixed look.

"If she is so very ill, a few hours may be of importance. I could take Mary."

"Yes, but I wish I could go with you."

Nuna lingered a moment; but Paul got the time-tables and told her she had only an hour to spare, so she gave up her longing for a more decided peacemaking.

She summoned Mary, and began to pack what she wanted.

"I shall only be away a few days," she thought," and when I come back we will begin life afresh, and I will try to

win Paul's love. Surely, if I try, I must. I cannot believe he likes that poor artificial woman better than he likes me."

What a kiss Paul gave her just before the train started! He did love her, after all; and as she leaned back in the gathering darkness, Nuna felt that strange sickness of hope deferred, mingled with a brooding fear. Had she been wifely, wise even, to go far from her husband, without the heart-to-heart reconciliation, which should have come after these sorrowful days of estrangement?

CHAPTER LIV.

AGAIN AT ASHTON.

PAUL had telegraphed for the fly to be in readiness at Ashton station; but it was past ten o'clock before Nuna reached the Rectory.

Something in the familiar sounds of servants' voices, in the atmosphere full of almond perfume from the starry clematis on the verandah, stirred Nuna's heart strongly. She was crying as she met her father in the inner hall. He looked ill and old. She threw both arms round his neck, and sobbed on his shoulder.

Mr. Beaufort gave a little sigh ;he had been feeling like an ivy plant torn rudely from its accustomed support -it was hard to be called on to play the part of elm to the very aid he had sought.

66

There, there, my dear, come in my study and have tea; I think you had better not see Mrs. Beaufort till tomorrow; you might excite her."

Nuna tried to calm herself, but it was not easy; every step called back some half-forgotten bit of former life; and when she was fairly seated in the study, she had nearly broken down again.

Mr. Beaufort sat opposite her, but he seemed nervous. Warm as the weather was, he had a fire in the study; he stooped down and struck out a shower of sparks from the whitened logs. Nuna tossed her bonnet on to the sofa. The old, careless action

"I hardly think you are fit to nurse," and then, touched a little by her sad eyes, "I mean, you have no experience compared with cook; and Mrs. Fagg comes up every day-she is so thoroughly good a nurse.'

"Ah!" Nuna sighed, "but I hope Elizabeth will like me to be with her." In her heart she wondered why else had she been sent for.

"Yes, yes, of course." Poor Mr. Beaufort had passed several sleepless nights; he was altogether for him in a most unnatural position-he had been an invalid, the invalid of the house all his life; it was hard to be dethroned, to have this fresh anxiety thrust on him. His natural feelings had softened his anger against Nuna, but as he grew used to her presence, it returned.

"I sent you that letter because Mrs. Beaufort wished it; but in my opinion it was uncalled-for-I mean, I think, Nuna, you have quite as much to atone for as she has."

"I-towards Elizabeth!" Nuna felt in a dream.

"I hoped you would have seen it yourself." He got up and stood beside the fire, so that he need not see the eyes so earnestly fixed on his face. "You know how I shrink from any personal discussion; but surely, Nuna, you cannot call your conduct towards us dutiful, or becoming?"

He paused; but she did not speak; she was setting her father's speech beside the shock Patty's words had given her trying to see the meaning to which she could feel all this pointed; and when hearts, however ignorant, are deeply in earnest, a sudden call of this kind so bewilders the senses that there is nothing on which to found definite words.