London at the End of the Century:A Book of Gossip
a Beckett, Arthur William
1900
AFTER PRAYERS
The clerks in their wigs and gowns take their places at the table, from which the huge tomes have been removed. The Speaker mounts his throne, and the Serjeant-at-Arms places the mace in postion, opposite the clerks, and divided fromthem by works of reference and a three-minutes' hour-glass. The clock under the Strangers' Gallery marks a quarter past three, and the is disposed of. At this moment the House seems to be, so to speak, in its dressing-gown or morning-slippers. Certainly, Mr. Speaker is as dignified as ever, but the front bench | |
49 | on his right, reserved later for Ministers, is occupied by all sorts and conditions of non-official members. The Government is not particularly interested in "private business," as a rule, and courtesy takes the place of opposition. About half an hour is devoted to this kind of work, and then comes the formula of presenting petitions. The representation of a constituency briefly describes the purport of the appealing document with which he has been entrusted, and then walks to either side of the table and drops it into an open carpet bag of truly pantomimic dimensions. The petition is taken as read. |