The Life Of Charles Stewart Parnell Vol - I

,.272 CIIABLES STEWART PARNELL [1881
Parnell. c Then go back and read it.' Member. ' I cannot; I have already spoken/ Parnell. ' Then you can give it to someone else to read. Give it to me. Come along.1 And both walked off.
Another night while we were together an Irish newspaper reporter came to him and asked: * Will you speak to-night, Mr. Parnell ?'
Parnell. ' I really don't know/ Then, turning to an Irish member who had just joined us, ' I have lost the notes of my speech/
Irish member. ' Where do you think you left them, Mr. Parnell ? '
Parnell. 'I don't know/ Then, with a roguish twinkle : * The notes of your speech are tied up with them/
The Irish member, without asking any more questions, dashed off to the Library, and was soon back again and tearing off in other directions in search of the notes.
' I am sorry for poor F-----/ said Parnell, as he
looked in an amusing way after him; 'but it really does not matter whether the notes are lost or not/ On another occasion, when the debate had lasted for several nights, and when the House was thoroughly exasperated, an Irish Liberal who had made one of the ablest speeches against the Bill came up to Parnell and said:
' Will you allow the division to be taken to-night, Mr. Parnell?'
ParnelL 'I think not/
-Irish Liberal. ' To be quite frank, I have a personal interest in asking the question. I came up from Liverpool to vote to-night. I am obliged to be in