He even copied his father in his little tricks of manner. Standing
with hands shoved under the frock-coat and one resting on each
hip as though squeezing in the waist line; when seated, resting the
elbows on the arms of the chair and nervously locking and
unclasping fingers, are tricks common to both.
He then had and still has a most embarrassing habit of asking
many questions; embarrassing, sometimes, because the questions
are so frank, and sometimes because they lay bare the wide
expanse of one's own ignorance.
At that time, although in his twenty-first year, this lad twice had
been made a question in the House of Commons.
That in itself had rendered him conspicuous. When you consider
out of Great Britain's four hundred million subjects how many live,
die, and are buried without at any age having drawn down upon
themselves the anger of the House of Commons, to have done so
twice, before one has passed his twenty-first year, seems to
promise a lurid future.
The first time Churchill disturbed the august assemblage in which
so soon he was to become a leader was when he "ragged" a brother
subaltern named Bruce and cut up his saddle and accoutrements.
The second time was when he ran away to Cuba to fight with the
Spaniards.
After this campaign, on the first night of his arrival in London, he
made his maiden speech.
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