mass raised a tremendous shout this was not only done in token of their presence but as a signal to those on whom the task that it was time to take possession of the of both houses and of the various avenues of approach and of the gallery stairs to the last named place and still with their pupil between them rushed straightway having given his flag into the hands of one of their own party who kept them at the outer door their followers pressing on behind they were borne as on a great wave to the very doors of the gallery whence it was impossible to retreat even if they had been so inclined by reason of the throng which choked up the passages it is a familiar expression in describing a great crowd that a person might have walked upon the people s heads in this case it was actually done for a boy who had by some means got among the and was in imminent danger of climbed to the shoulders of a man beside him and walked upon the people s hats and heads into the open street in his passage the whole length of two and a long gallery nor was the swarm without less dense for a basket which had been tossed into the crowd was jerked from head to head and shoulder to shoulder and went spinning and whirling on above them it was lost to view without ever once falling in among them or coming near the ground through this vast throng sprinkled doubtless here and there with honest but composed for the most part of the very and refuse of london whose was by bad criminal laws bad prison and the worst conceivable police such of the members of both houses of parliament as had not taken the precaution to be already at their posts were compelled to fight and force their way their carriages were stopped and broken the wheels off the glasses shivered to the beaten in drivers and masters pulled from their seats and rolled in the mud lords and reverend with of person or party were and pinched and passed from hand to hand through various stages of ill usage and sent to their at last with their clothes hanging in about them their torn off speechless and breathless and their persons covered with the powder which had been and beaten out of their hair one lord was so long in the hands of the that the as a body resolved to sally forth and rescue him and were in the act of doing so when he happily appeared among them covered with dirt and and hardly to be recognised by those who knew him best the noise and uproar were on the increase every moment the air was filled with and the mob raged and roared hke a mad monster as it was and each new outrage served to swell its fury within doors matters were even yet more threatening lord george � preceded by a man who carried the immense petition on a porter s knot through the to the door of the house of where it was received by two of the house who it up to the table ready for � had taken his seat at an early hour before the speaker went to prayers his followers pouring in at the same time the and all the avenues were immediately filled as we have seen thus the members were not only attached in their passage through the streets but were set upon within the very walls of parliament while the tumult both within and without was so great that those who attempted to speak could scarcely hear own voices far less consult upon the course it would be wise to take in such extremity or each other to dignified and firm resistance so sure � u any member just arrived with dress disordered and hair came struggling through the crowd in the it and screamed in triumph and when the door of the house partially and cautiously opened by those within for his admission gave them a momentary of the they grew more wild and savage lie beasts at the sight of prey and made a rush against the which strained its locks and in their and shook ihe very beams the strangers gallery which was immediately above the door of the house had been ordered to be closed on the first rumour of disturbance and was empty that now and then lord george took his seat there for the convenience of coming to the head of the stairs which led to it and repeating to the people what had passed within it was on these stairs that and were posted there were two flights short steep and narrow running parallel to each other and leading to two little doors communicating with a low passage which opened on the gallery between them was a kind of weu or for the admission of and air into the which might be some eighteen or twenty feet below upon one of these little � not that at the head of which lord george appeared from time to time but the other � stood with his elbow on the and his cheek resting on his hand with his usual aspect whenever he varied this attitude in the slightest degree � so much as by the motion of his arm � the uproar was certain to increase not merely there but in the below from which place no doubt some man who acted as to the rest was constantly looking up and watching him order cried in a voice which made itself heard even above the roar and tumult as lord george appeared at the top of the staircase news news from my lord the noise continued notwithstanding his appearance looked round there was silence immediately � even among the people in the passages without and on 