Mr. Gladstone has written a letter in which he denies
that he ever offered Mr. Parnell a seat in any future Cabinet of his, and also denies that he ever suggested Mr. Parnell's retiring "for the present." As to the first point, Mr. Morley has ex- plained that he did sound Mr. Parnell as to whether he would accept the Irish Secretaryship in any Government formed by Mr. Gladstone ; and Mr. Gladstone probably means that an inquiry is not an offer. The true answer to this was given by Sir Henry James. If a young man asks a young woman whether she would object to become his wife, that is usually taken as an offer to make her his wife if she is willing. And we take it that Mr. Morley's inquiry was an inquiry of the same kind. On the second point, Mr. Gladstone says of Mr. Parnell's retirement : " His retirement, of which I spoke to Mr. Morley, was not retirement for the present. but retirement now." The word "now" was not used in Mr. Gladstone's letter. The words actually used did not suggest permanent, but rather temporary retirement. The retirement of which Mr. Gladstone wrote to Mr. Morley, was retirement " at the present moment." Twice the expression occurs that " the continuance at the present moment of Mr. Parnell's leader- ship" would be inconsistent with Mr. Gladstone's own leader- ship of the Opposition. Doubtless, however, Mr. Gladstone did suggest retirement as an atonement to public opinion for the offences of which the Divorce Court had found Mr. Parnell guilty. And without any sign of this disposition to make atonement, Mr. Gladstone may well feel that a temporary retirement such as Mr. O'Brien is now supposed to be urging on Mr. Parnell, would be wholly inadequate.
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