And the curious thing about it all was, that this uncertainty was aggravated by a little fact which had entered into nobody's calculations, and this was the highly technical rule with regard to the manner in which questions are put when the House is in committee.
[Sidenote: Technicalities.] I despair of ever being able to make this matter clear to an outsider; and, indeed, to be quite honest, I am not always sure that I understand the affair myself.

It will probably be sufficient for my purpose if I say that the chairman has to put an amendment in such a way that sometimes you find you are really precluded from voting on the direct question which you wish to challenge.

You are within the ring-fence of a technical rule, which compels you to fight your issue there and not one inch outside of it.

This often means that questions are raised in the most indirect way--that you seem to be voting for one thing while you really mean another, and that if you do not vote that way, you cannot vote any other.

So it happened on this occasion.