That rather floored ATKINSON; brought him (so to speak) to his senses.  Told me afterwards he had never looked on matters in that light.  Great advantage having a man like HANKEY going round prepared at moment’s notice to take common-sense view of situation and depict it in terse language.  Sobering effect on ATKINSON only momentary.  Whilst SPEAKER was narrating circumstances on which he had based charge against him of frivolous and vexatious conduct, Member for Boston was bouncing about on seat like parched pea, shouting out, “Oh! oh!” “Ah! ah!” “No you don’t!” and offering other pertinent but fragmentary remarks.

[Illustration:  THE BUSY PARLIAMENTARY BEES ON THE WING.]

“Reminds me,” said Member for SARK, “of the scene in the Varden household, when Miss Miggs returns expecting to be re-instated in her old place of predominance, near the person of Dolly’s mother.  You remember how, when she finds the game is up, she turns rusty, and betrays her mistress’s ability to ’faint away stone dead whenever she had the inclinations so to do?’ ‘Of course,’ Miss Miggs continues, ’I never see sich cases with my own eyes.  Ho, no!  He, he, he!  Nor master neither!  Ho, no!  He, he, he!’”

So ATKINSON kept up a running commentary on observations of successive Members, including SQUIRE of MALWOOD and JOKIM.  JOKIM at one time, startled by “Oh! oh!” sounding in his right ear as he was making very ordinary observation, nearly fell over the folded hands he was nervously rubbing.  Situation growing embarrassing.  ATKINSON popping up with ever-increasing vivacity; his “Oh! oh’s!” and his “No! no’s!” growing in frequency and stormy intensity.  Must be got rid of somehow; but supposing he won’t go?  Must JOKIM and the Squire, as Mover and Seconder of Motion for expulsion, lead him bodily forth? or would the Sergeant-at-Arms be called on, and should we see revival of the old game, when BRADLAUGH and dear old friend GOSSET used to perform a pas de deux between the gaping doorway and the astonished Mace?  Happily ATKINSON (still like Miss Miggs, as SARK insists) suddenly collapsed.

“It is usual,” observed the SPEAKER, “at this point for an Hon. Member to withdraw.”

“Oh!  Oh!” said ATKINSON, “withdraw?  Then I withdraw.  But,” and here he dropped his voice to impressive whisper, “I will come back.” Then, gathering up his papers, he tripped lightly forth, and the Varden household—­I mean the House of Commons, dropped once more into commonplace.

[Illustration:  Nothing if not critical.]

Business done.—­ATKINSON expelled for a week.

Tuesday.—­SQUIRE of MALWOOD dropped into poetry, and was much pleased with little exercise.  Backed up JOKIM in Motion suspending Twelve o’Clock rule, so as to sit to all hours of the night, and wind up business of Session.  “We may,” he observed, “apply, with a little variation, the late Mr. MOORE’s verse:—­