Tuesday, June 19th.—­Mr. BALFOUR received a warm welcome from all sections of the House on making his first appearance after his return from America.  Even the ranks of Tuscany, on the Irish benches, could not forbear to cheer their old opponent.  Besides securing American gold for his country, he has transferred some American bronze to his own complexion, and has, if anything, sharpened his faculty for skilful evasion and polite repartee by his encounters with Transatlantic journalists.

In the course of the daily catechism on the subject of air-raids Mr. MACMASTER inquired, “Why is it that Paris appears to be practically immune, while London is not?” The answer came, not from the Front Bench, but from the Chair, and was delivered in a tone so low that even the Official Reporter failed to catch it.  That is a pity, because it furnishes a useful hint for Ministers.  In future, when posed with futile or embarrassing questions about the War, let them follow the SPEAKER’S example, and simply say, “You must ask the KAISER!”

[Illustration:  THE BETTER PART OF VALOUR.

Sir Frederick Smith. “WHAT’S THE GOOD OF STRUGGLING?”]

[Illustration:  Literary Dame (at bookstall).  “HAVE YOU ANY BOOKS BY THAT RISING YOUNG NOVELIST, LORD HUGH CECIL?".]

In a perfectly free division, in which Ministers and ex-Ministers were mixed up together in both Lobbies, woman’s right to be registered as a Parliamentary elector was affirmed by 385 votes to 55.  Some capital speeches were made on both sides, but if any of them turned a vote it was probably the cynical admission of the ATTORNEY-GENERAL that he was as much opposed to female suffrage as ever, but meant to vote for it because it was bound to come.  This probably had an even greater effect upon the average Member, who is not an idealist, than the nutshell novelette in which Lord HUGH CECIL lightly outlined the possible future of the female politician.

Wednesday, June 20th.—­Military metaphors come naturally to the Duke of MARLBOROUGH.  Yet I cannot think he was happily inspired when, in reminding the farmers of their duty to put more land under the plough, he compared the compulsory powers of the Board of Agriculture to a sword in its scabbard, and hoped there would be no necessity to rattle it.  Everybody knows that the sword in question is a converted ploughshare, and that it rests with the War Office to turn it back again.

Last night fifty-five Members resisted Votes for Women.  By this afternoon twenty-five of them had so far changed their minds as to protest against the limitation of the privilege to women over thirty.  Major ROWLAND HUNT, convinced that women would soon vote themselves into the House, expressed a naive preference for “young ’uns.”