After the vote, a somewhat remarkable Parliamentary incident occurred. Sir
William Harcourt remarked in a stage aside that "that dirty trick had failed," a remark of which Sir Michael Hicks-Beach was so foolish as to take notice. He had no sooner called attention to it, than the whole Liberal party present cheered tumultuously for some minutes, during which Sir Michael Hicks-Beach grew whiter and whiter in the heat of his wrath. Of course, the remark was un-Parliamentary, and of course Sir William Harcourt expressed his regret that a private comment of his own should have given pain to those for whose ears it was not intended, but Sir Michael Hicks-Beach would have done much better to take no notice of it. When Party leaders decide to sail so very near the wind as the Tory leaders did on this occasion, they should stop their ears rather carefully against the intrusion of casual criticisms which are pretty sure not to be complimentary ; but even if they can- not avoid hearing them, they might have more savoir-faire than to publish them to the world at large, by way of extorting an apology which is certain to be worthless.
