I must confess that I could not get rid of that impression when I looked on Mr.
Gladstone on that Monday night.

A deadlier pallor than usual had settled on that face which always has all the beautiful shade, as well as the fine texture of smooth ivory.

There was a drawn, wearied look about the usually large, open, brilliant eyes--that rapt and far-off gaze which is always Mr.Gladstone's expression when his mind and heart are full.
There are two kinds of excitement and excitability.

The man who bursts into laughter, or shouts, or tears, suffers less from his overstrained nerves than he whose face is placid while within are mingled all the rage, and terror, and tumult of great thoughts, and passions, and hopes.
It struck me that Mr.Gladstone was the victim of suppressed excitement and overstrained nerves, and that it was only the splendid masculine will, the great strength of his fine physique, which kept him up so well.
[Sidenote: The sudden awakening.] Pallid, heavy-eyed, in a far-off dream--with all the world gazing upon him with painful concentration of attention and fixed stare--the Great Old Man sate, keeper still of the greatest and most momentous secret of his time, and about to make an appearance more historic, far-reaching, immortal, than any yet in his career.

So, doubtless, he would have liked to remain for a long time still; but, with a start, he woke up, put his hands to his ear, as is his wont in these latter days when his hearing is not what it used to be, looked to the Speaker, and then to Mr.John Morley, and found that, all at once, without one moment's preparation, he had been called upon by the Speaker to enter on his great and perilous task.