session on Colonial Defences, took the doubting side of the argument more decisively; he thought it might be safely inferred that Mr. Baxter contemplated by his amendment a much wider question than was opened by Mr. Mills. But the House was getting noisily Impatient, and evidently wished the Colonial economists at the antipodes. Mr. Adderley, however, with his bundle of papers beside him, was sitting in a fidgetty enough condition on the front Opposition bench, which he had all to himself; even the never-inattentive Disraeli had gone to get his chop and half-pint of port; and the Conservative plalanx at the rear consisted of Sam Slick and two other heavy-looking old gentlemen. At length Ferguson sat down, and Hallburton jumped up! Of course I was all ears to learn what the author of "Sam Slick," with his Nova Scotian instincts, had to say on the subject; and he said just nothing to the purpose, and that nothing in as uninteresting a way as any other old gentleman with a portly figure and well-used countenance could well adopt As I had nothing better to do, and as the task was an easy one, I "counted the House" while Mr. Hallburton was speaking, and the number of
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