[Sidenote:  “I used it on purpose.”]

And I can call a very potent and trustworthy witness as to this being the proper view of the incident; for I understand that, almost immediately after the scene, a good-natured Liberal said to Mr. Chamberlain that he must confess that the use of the word “Herod” was calculated to produce the retort of “Judas”; and the report is that Mr. Chamberlain replied, “I used it on purpose,” or “That was my intention,” or some such phrase as that, which implied that he was neither surprised nor annoyed by the retort, but had rather invited it.  I lost sight of Joe for a good time after this—­there were other things which had to be looked after; but I am told by those who were able to watch him closely, that his face wore all through the scene which followed a look of almost beatific happiness—­the happiness of an artist who saw slowly unfolding the drama to which he had given the impetus, and which he had fashioned out in his own reveries.

[Sidenote:  Opening of the row.]

At all events, it was not either Mr. Chamberlain’s use of the word “Herod,” nor my use of the word “Judas,” which really brought about the subsequent row—­except in the most indirect and remote way.  Mr. Vicary Gibbs seemed possessed by the idea that he should call the attention of the Chairman to the use of the word “Judas”; and he singled me out—­although, of course, he knew that I was only one of many who had used the word.  I don’t complain of this—­I merely state a fact—­a fact which, laughingly, was admitted later in the evening; for here I may say in passing that such is the extraordinary volatility and such the real good-nature of the House of Commons, this terrible evening ended up in the exchange of hearty and friendly jokes between some of the fiercest combatants in the whole business.  I had not the least idea of what Mr. Gibbs was saying—­what his complaint really was I knew for the first time after the whole row was over; indeed, nobody could hear anything in the din that was almost deafening.  Mr. Mellor made several attempts to catch Mr. Gibbs’s statement; and only when, after straining his ears to the utmost, he failed to catch one single word, did Mr. Mellor resolve to take no notice of what Mr. Gibbs was trying to say.  This seemed to drive Mr. Gibbs almost beside himself—­he shouted angrily and wildly, at the top of his voice, with fierce and almost frenzied gesture; and, after a while, he rushed down with every appearance of passion to the Front Opposition Bench to renew his attempts to make his point of order.  All this time his passion had been rising higher and higher—­until, in the end, he was almost a painful sight to witness.  His own friends were foremost in trying to bring him back to composure; and Lord Randolph Churchill expressed, with the fine, full-flavoured plainness of ancient speech, his opinion of the conduct of his friends.

[Sidenote:  Keeping the seats.]