XXXVI WORK IN THE UPPER HOUSE 179 



On March 28, he writes : " Golf at Richmond, 

 with Speaker, Sir S. Ponsonby Fane and young 

 Ridley. He got in for Staleybridge by 40, and 

 attributes it to football. He kicked off in a 

 match, and got a goal. His opponent tried to 

 do the same the following Saturday, but over- 

 balanced himself and fell on his back." 



Quite enough, no doubt, to overturn the 

 balance of the votes also in a football-playing 

 constituency. 



This session he again introduced the Early 

 Closing Bill, under better auspices than before. 

 On March 7 the Archbishop of Canterbury writes 

 to him that he, the Archbishop, had heard from 

 the Home Secretary that the Government were 

 prepared to support " Avebury's Bill." The 

 significance of this last phrase is that Lord 

 Ribblesdale also had introduced a Bill having 

 the same object in view, but with rather different 

 machinery, which the Government thought would 

 not work so well. On March 12 his diary notes : 

 " Early Closing Bill in House of Lords. Ribbles- 

 dale had also brought in a Bill which came 

 before mine. The Lord Chancellor said he pre- 

 ferred ours, and moved that Ribblesdale's be 

 deferred. This was carried, after some discussion. 

 I then moved mine, which was carried without 

 a division, after several nice speeches." On the 

 24th the Bill went through the Standing Com- 

 mittee of the Lords, and on the 28th of the 

 next month he writes joyfully : " Got my Early 

 Closing Bill through the House of Lords after 

 30 years' work. Very thankful ! " And his 

 entry two days later is " Royal Academy dinner 



