This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1898 edition. Excerpt: ...It was a common thing during the trial to get up bonfires to burn the green bag. The writer of this article assisted at one of these ceremonies. After this green bags silently disappeared. Indeed, it was scarcely safe for a lawyer to carry a green bag through the streets. But the Chancellor of the Exchequer ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1898 edition. Excerpt: ...It was a common thing during the trial to get up bonfires to burn the green bag. The writer of this article assisted at one of these ceremonies. After this green bags silently disappeared. Indeed, it was scarcely safe for a lawyer to carry a green bag through the streets. But the Chancellor of the Exchequer does not use a bag now. His papers are brought to the House, like those of all other Government officials, in boxes--despatch-boxes we call them. And here we may mention a funny little incident which occurred on Thursday night week. Mr. Ward Hunt was late. The ordinary preliminary business was finished off, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had not arrived. Where was he? What could have happened? The Treasury bench was agitated. The Conservative whips rushed about dis V-OL. II. 8 tractedly, anxiously inquiring everywhere, " Have you seen Hunt? Have you seen Hunt?" The members enjoyed the joke vastly. The suspense, however, did not last long. Not more than five minutes expired when the door swung open and the ponderous form of the Chancellor of the Exchequer appeared. A burst of cheering and laughter greeted him as he walked up the House. "But where's my box?" said he, as he looked at the table. Alas! there was no box. Here was, then, a dilemma. For what is a Chancellor of the Exchequer upon a Budget night without his box? especially a Chancellor of the Exchequer quite new to his work. Gladstone would have commenced without his box, and, unaided by notes, would have gone on for half an hour. Again there was agitation in the Ministerial ranks; again the whips were flying about distractedly. Inquiries were made at the door, but no box had arrived. It ought to have arrived long before. Mr. Hunt had sent it off and expected to...
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