Throughout the night the debate languished, though there was an excellent speech from Mr. Stuart Rendel on behalf of the Welsh party.  This was practically the only speech from that side; for perceiving that the game of the Tories was to talk against time, the Welshmen wisely declined to aid them, and sate dumb, unless when they snorted defiance at some absurd claim or fanciful exaggeration on the other side.  At ten minutes past ten, however, quite a different complexion was given to the whole debate by the rise of Lord Randolph Churchill.  He had not yet recovered his old mastery of himself or the House; but his appearance was very different from what it was a few nights earlier.  There was no longer that constant trembling of the hands which made it almost painful to look at him; the voice did not shake painfully, and there was a certain recurrence of that old self-confidence.  But still he was far from what he used to be.  The once resonant voice was somewhat muffled and hoarse, accompanied by a certain tendency to feverish exaggeration of language—­in fact, the old Fourth Party methods of almost conscious playing to the gallery.  However, it was a good fighting speech, and the Tories had been so depressed by the bad speaking on their own side, and by the solid bench opposite of cheering, snorting, defiant, but distinctly practical Welshmen, that they were delighted, and cheered admiringly.

[Sidenote:  Olympian wrath.]

The intimates of Mr. Gladstone declare that composure is perhaps the most remarkable of his many qualities.  In the midst of a Cabinet crisis he would hand you a postage-stamp as though it were the sole matter that concerned him.  But it is also said by his intimates that he has possibilities of Olympian wrath which almost frighten people.  He was certainly roused to a passion by Lord Randolph—­very much to the advantage and delight of the House of Commons; for during the earlier portion of the evening, and especially while the speech of Mr. Asquith was being delivered, there was an impression that he did not look very happy.  It is known that he is still fondly devoted to the Church, and it was suspected that though his convictions were settled on the necessity of doing away with the Establishment in Wales, it was not the kind of work to which he went with any zest.  But Lord Randolph roused the Old Lion within him, and with flashing eye, with a voice the resonance of which echoed through the House as though he were twenty years younger—­with abundance of gesticulation, and sometimes with swinging blows that were almost cruel—­he slew the young intruder and wound up the debate on the Church in a frenzy of excitement and delight among his followers.

[Sidenote:  Mr. Kenyon.]