'The honourable member,' said the Speaker, with the most good-natured voice which he could assume, 'is not perhaps as yet aware that he should not call another member by his name. He should speak of the gentleman to whom he alluded as the honourable member for Whitechapel. And in speaking he should address, not another honourable member, but the chair.'
'You should take your hat off,' said the good-natured gentleman behind.
In such a position how should any man understand so many and such complicated instructions at once, and at the same time remember the gist of the argument to be produced? He did take off his hat, and was of course made hotter and more confused by doing so. 'What he said was all wrong,' continued Melmotte; 'and I should have thought a man out of the City, like Mr Brown, ought to have known better.' Then there were repeated calls of order, and a violent ebullition of laughter from both sides of the House. The man stood for a while glaring around him, summoning his own pluck for a renewal of his attack on Mr Brown, determined that he would be appalled and put down neither by the ridicule of those around him, nor by his want of familiarity with the place; but still utterly unable to find words with which to carry on the combat. 'I ought to know something about it,' said Melmotte sitting down and hiding his indignation and his shame under his hat.
'We are sure that the honourable member for Westminster does understand the subject,' said the leader of the House, 'and we shall be very glad to hear his remarks. The House I am sure will pardon ignorance of its rules in so young a member.'
But Mr Melmotte would not rise again. He had made a great effort, and had at any rate exhibited his courage. Though they might all say that he had not displayed much eloquence, they would be driven to admit that he had not been ashamed to show himself. He kept his seat till the regular stampede was made for dinner, and then walked out with as stately a demeanour as he could assume.
'Well, that was plucky!' said Cohenlupe, taking his friend's arm in the lobby.
'I don't see any pluck in it. That old fool Brown didn't know what he was talking about, and I wanted to tell them so. They wouldn't let me do it, and there's an end of it. It seems to me to be a stupid sort of a place.'