第82章 THE FOURTH(9)

Isabel was still in my mind, I suppose."I shall go to Westminster," I began.I sought for some compelling phrase and could not find one."To do my share," I went on, "in building up a great and splendid civilisation."I paused, and there was a weak gust of cheering, and then a renewal of booing.

"This election," I said, " has been the end and the beginning of much.New ideas are abroad--""Chinese labour," yelled a voice, and across the square swept a wildfire of booting and bawling.

It is one of the few occasions when I quite lost my hold on a speech.I glanced sideways and saw the Mayor of Kinghamstead speaking behind his hand to Parvill.By a happy chance Parvill caught my eye.

"What do they want?" I asked.

"Eh?"

"What do they want?"

"Say something about general fairness--the other side," prompted Parvill, flattered but a little surprised by my appeal.I pulled myself hastily into a more popular strain with a gross eulogy of my opponent's good taste.

"Chinese labour!" cried the voice again.

"You've given that notice to quit," I answered.

The Market-place roared delight, but whether that delight expressed hostility to Chinamen or hostility to their practical enslavement no student of the General Election of 1906 has ever been able to determine.Certainly one of the most effective posters on our side displayed a hideous yellow face, just that and nothing more.There was not even a legend to it.How it impressed the electorate we did not know, but that it impressed the electorate profoundly there can be no disputing.

6

Kinghamstead was one of the earliest constituencies fought, and we came back--it must have been Saturday--triumphant but very tired, to our house in Radnor Square.In the train we read the first intimations that the victory of our party was likely to be a sweeping one.

Then came a period when one was going about receiving and giving congratulations and watching the other men arrive, very like a boy who has returned to school with the first batch after the holidays.

The London world reeked with the General Election; it had invaded the nurseries.All the children of one's friends had got big maps of England cut up into squares to represent constituencies and were busy sticking gummed blue labels over the conquered red of Unionism that had hitherto submerged the country.And there were also orange labels, if I remember rightly, to represent the new Labour party, and green for the Irish.I engaged myself to speak at one or two London meetings, and lunched at the Reform, which was fairly tepid, and dined and spent one or two tumultuous evenings at the National Liberal Club, which was in active eruption.The National Liberal became feverishly congested towards midnight as the results of the counting came dropping in.A big green-baize screen had been fixed up at one end of the large smoking-room with the names of the constituencies that were voting that day, and directly the figures came to hand, up they went, amidst cheers that at last lost their energy through sheer repetition, whenever there was record of a Liberal gain.I don't remember what happened when there was a Liberal loss; I don't think that any were announced while I was there.

How packed and noisy the place was, and what a reek of tobacco and whisky fumes we made! Everybody was excited and talking, making waves of harsh confused sound that beat upon one's ears, and every now and then hoarse voices would shout for someone to speak.Our little set was much in evidence.Both the Cramptons were in, Lewis, Bunting Harblow.We gave brief addresses attuned to this excitement and the late hour, amidst much enthusiasm.

Now we can DO things!" I said amidst a rapture of applause.Men Idid not know from Adam held up glasses and nodded to me in solemn fuddled approval as I came down past them into the crowd again.

Men were betting whether the Unionists would lose more or less than two hundred seats.

"I wonder just what we shall do with it all," I heard one sceptic speculating....

After these orgies I would get home very tired and excited, and find it difficult to get to sleep.I would lie and speculate about what it was we WERE going to do.One hadn't anticipated quite such a tremendous accession to power for one's party.Liberalism was swirling in like a flood....

I found the next few weeks very unsatisfactory and distressing.Idon't clearly remember what it was I had expected; I suppose the fuss and strain of the General Election had built up a feeling that my return would in some way put power into my hands, and instead Ifound myself a mere undistinguished unit in a vast but rather vague majority.There were moments when I felt very distinctly that a majority could be too big a crowd altogether.I had all my work still before me, I had achieved nothing as yet but opportunity, and a very crowded opportunity it was at that.Everyone about me was chatting Parliament and appointments; one breathed distracting and irritating speculations as to what would be done and who would be asked to do it.I was chiefly impressed by what was unlikely to be done and by the absence of any general plan of legislation to hold us all together.I found the talk about Parliamentary procedure and etiquette particularly trying.We dined with the elder Cramptons one evening, and old Sir Edward was lengthily sage about what the House liked, what it didn't like, what made a good impression and what a bad one."A man shouldn't speak more than twice in his first session, and not at first on too contentious a topic," said Sir Edward."No.""Very much depends on manner.The House hates a lecturer.There's a sort of airy earnestness--"He waved his cigar to eke out his words.