Defeat at Cambridge and Brighton—Routing a Chimæra—Elected the Member for Brighton—The House of Commons CHAPTER XVII. A PROPHETIC QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT 162 The Blind and Silent M.P.—His First Speech—Protecting Cattle, neglecting Children—Industry earns Penury—Mill ‘out’ CHAPTER XVIII. GLADSTONE PRIME MINISTER 173 Opposition to Gladstone—‘The Most Thorough Radical Member in the House’—Growing Dissatisfaction with the Government—The Irish Universities Bill—Helping to Defeat his own Party SAVING THE PEOPLE’s PLAYGROUNDS CHAPTER XIX. THE STOLEN COMMONS 185 The Disappearance of the English Playgrounds and Commons—Fawcett’s First Protest—The Annual Enclosure Bill stopped by his Energetic Action CHAPTER XX. THE FIGHT FOR THE FOREST 194 The Commons Preservation Society—The Saving of Epping Forest—The Queen’s Rights—The Lords of the Manors’ Rights.—The People’s Rights CHAPTER XXI. FOR THE PEOPLE’S WOODS AND STREAMS 203 Saving the Forests—‘The Monstrous Notion’—Walking with Lord Morley—The Boat Race—Safeguarding the Rivers THE MEMBER FOR INDIA CHAPTER XXII. WHAT INDIA PAID 217 India Pays for English Hospitality—Royal English Generosity to India paid for by India—How to Deal with an Angry Opponent—Indian Finance and the poor Ryot—Gratitude from India—How Fawcett Prepared his Speeches CHAPTER XXIII. THE ‘ONE MAN WHO CARED FOR INDIA’ 227 Defeated at Brighton—Spectacles and the Man—Elected for Hackney CHAPTER XXIV. FAMINE, TURKS AND INDIANS 234 _Punch_ and Fawcett—The Indian Famine—Parliamentary Interest Aroused in India—Bulgarian Atrocities—Afghanistan War—Gladstone’s Faith in Fawcett—A £9,000,000 Mistake A NEW KIND OF POSTMASTER-GENERAL CHAPTER XXV. LIBERALS IN POWER 249 General Expectation that Fawcett would join the Cabinet—Importance of a Fish—Postmaster-General—Queen Victoria Interested—Post Office Problems—Scientific Business Management Anticipated—Women’s Work—A Likeness to Lincoln CHAPTER XXVI. FRESH AIR, BLUE RIBBONS AND POSTMEN 262 A Day with the Postmaster-General—How he Worked—Reform—The Parcel Post CHAPTER XXVII. THE PENNIES OF THE POOR 275 Cheap Postal Orders—Savings Bank—Life Insurance—Two Post Office Pamphlets to Help the People—Cheap Telegrams—Telephones—‘The Man for the Post’—‘Words are Silver, Silence is Gold’ A TRIUMPHANT END CHAPTER XXVIII. AT HOME AND AT COURT 287 Appreciating Opponents—Hackney Address—Proportional Representation—Justice for Women—A State Concert—Humble Friendships—Pigs—Salisbury again