degenerate into a kind of small Forster species of Sorehead. I note what you say about our papers. Like Brer Rabbit we ought to "lay low" just now. Small wonder if Gladstone should be intimidated into minimising coercion. The Heathen rage very furiously against him. I mistrust Grosvenor's influence on Hawarden. If the old man was ten years younger, I'd be for keeping in the Tories till we got County Boards out of them in order to chasten your party in the cold winds of opposition. Our people won't have any fraud of a Bill made for the Whigs to swallow. We shall be reasonable, but so must your party. We can wait, for we are used to it. Your party leaders represent personal ambition, and are in more of a hurry.--Faithfully yours, T. M. HEALY. _Mr. T. M. Healy to Mr. Labouchere_ DUBLIN, Dec. 31, 1885. MY DEAR L.,--I return H. Gladstone's letter which I regard as most important. I am very glad to think Gladstone is not being intimidated out of his position by the pitiless storm beating {303} upon him. I agree that nothing satisfactory can be done until the House meets, and we shall then have a week before the Address is read, and our party will have met, and we shall know its mind, while personal communications will have become possible amongst the Liberal leaders also. I think Chamberlain is ruining himself. If Gladstone sticks to his text he can easily form a Cabinet without him or the Mugwumps, and then where will they be? Trevelyan's speech to-day is very bad too, but they are all ciphers until Gladstone puts his one before their noughts. I have your letters safely and will return all your former enclosures to-night. I am not writing this from my house or I'd send them with this. I have kept copies of nothing and burn your letters, as the police could always find a pretext here to walk in on you and read your billets-doux.--Faithfully yours, T. M. HEALY. [1] The present Strangers' Dining-room. [2] Sir Henry Lucy, _Sixty Years in the Wilderness_, vol. ii. [3] Morley, _Life of Gladstone_, vol. iii. [4] Barry O'Brien, _Life of Parnell_. [5] Mr. Healy wrote an attack on Mr. Chamberlain's article, as soon as it appeared, in _United Ireland_, under the title of "Queen's Bench Home Rule." [6] Barry O'Brien, _Life of Parnell_. [7] The enclosure was letter from Mr. Herbert Gladstone dated October 18. [8] The proposal was contained in a letter from Mr. Herbert Gladstone to Mr. Labouchere, which Mr. Labouchere quoted in full for Mr. Chamberlain's information. It enumerated six conditions as the basis of a settlement of the Irish Government question. [9] The election ran from Nov. 23 to Dec. 19. The result was that 333 Liberals were returned, 251 Conservatives, and 86 Parnellites.