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diff --git a/41793-8.txt b/41793-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7df841e..0000000 --- a/41793-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6897 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Strand Magazine, Volume XVII, February -1899, No. 98., by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Strand Magazine, Volume XVII, February 1899, No. 98. - -Author: Various - -Release Date: January 6, 2013 [EBook #41793] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRAND MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 1899 *** - - - - -Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Anna Hall and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - -[Illustration: "'JOHN,' SHE CRIED, PASSIONATELY, 'I WILL NEVER ABANDON -YOU!'" (_See page 133._)] - - - - - THE STRAND MAGAZINE. - - Vol. xvii. FEBRUARY, 1899. No. 98. - - - - -_Round the Fire._ - -IX.--THE STORY OF THE JEW'S BREAST-PLATE. - -By A. Conan Doyle. - - -My particular friend Ward Mortimer was one of the best men of his day at -everything connected with Oriental archæology. He had written largely -upon the subject, he had lived two years in a tomb at Thebes, while he -had excavated in the Valley of the Kings, and finally he had created a -considerable sensation by his exhumation of the alleged mummy of -Cleopatra in the inner room of the Temple of Horus, at Philæ. With such -a record at the age of thirty-one, it was felt that a considerable -career lay before him, and no one was surprised when he was elected to -the curatorship of the Belmore Street Museum, which carries with it the -lectureship at the Oriental College, and an income which has sunk with -the fall in land, but which still remains at that ideal sum which is -large enough to encourage an investigator, and not so large as to -enervate him. - -There was only one reason which made Ward Mortimer's position a little -difficult at the Belmore Street Museum, and that was the extreme -eminence of the man whom he had to succeed. Professor Andreas was a -profound scholar and a man of European reputation. His lectures were -frequented by students from every part of the world, and his admirable -management of the collection intrusted to his care was a common-place in -all learned societies. There was, therefore, considerable surprise when, -at the age of fifty-five, he suddenly resigned his position and retired -from those duties which had been both his livelihood and his pleasure. -He and his daughter left the comfortable suite of rooms which had formed -his official residence in connection with the museum, and my friend, -Mortimer, who was a bachelor, took up his quarters there. - -On hearing of Mortimer's appointment Professor Andreas had written him a -very kindly and flattering congratulatory letter, but I was actually -present at their first meeting, and I went with Mortimer round the -museum when the Professor showed us the admirable collection which he -had cherished so long. The Professor's beautiful daughter and a young -man, Captain Wilson, who was, as I understood, soon to be her husband, -accompanied us in our inspection. There were fifteen rooms in all, but -the Babylonian, the Syrian, and the central hall, which contained the -Jewish and Egyptian collection, were the finest of all. Professor -Andreas was a quiet, dry, elderly man, with a clean-shaven face and an -impassive manner, but his dark eyes sparkled and his features quickened -into enthusiastic life as he pointed out to us the rarity and the beauty -of some of his specimens. His hand lingered so fondly over them, that -one could read his pride in them and the grief in his heart now that -they were passing from his care into that of another. - -He had shown us in turn his mummies, his papyri, his rare scarabs, his -inscriptions, his Jewish relics, and his duplication of the famous -seven-branched candlestick of the Temple, which was brought to Rome by -Titus, and which is supposed by some to be lying at this instant in the -bed of the Tiber. Then he approached a case which stood in the very -centre of the hall, and he looked down through the glass with reverence -in his attitude and manner. - -"This is no novelty to an expert like yourself, Mr. Mortimer," said he; -"but I daresay that your friend, Mr. Jackson, will be interested to see -it." - -Leaning over the case I saw an object, some five inches square, which -consisted of twelve precious stones in a framework of gold, with golden -hooks at two of the corners. The stones were all varying in sort and -colour, but they were of the same size. Their shapes, arrangement, and -gradation of tint made me think of a box of water-colour paints. Each -stone had some hieroglyphic scratched upon its surface. - -"You have heard, Mr. Jackson, of the urim and thummim?" - -I had heard the term, but my idea of its meaning was exceedingly vague. - -"The urim and thummim was a name given to the jewelled plate which lay -upon the breast of the high priest of the Jews. They had a very special -feeling of reverence for it--something of the feeling which an ancient -Roman might have for the Sibylline books in the Capitol. There are, as -you see, twelve magnificent stones, inscribed with mystical characters. -Counting from the left-hand top corner, the stones are carnelian, -peridot, emerald, ruby, lapis lazuli, onyx, sapphire, agate, amethyst, -topaz, beryl, and jasper." - -I was amazed at the variety and beauty of the stones. - -"Has the breast-plate any particular history?" I asked. - -[Illustration: "'IT IS OF GREAT AGE AND OF IMMENSE VALUE,' SAID -PROFESSOR ANDREAS."] - -"It is of great age and of immense value," said Professor Andreas. -"Without being able to make an absolute assertion, we have many reasons -to think that it is possible that it may be the original urim and -thummim of Solomon's Temple. There is certainly nothing so fine in any -collection in Europe. My friend, Captain Wilson here, is a practical -authority upon precious stones, and he would tell you how pure these -are." - -Captain Wilson, a man with a dark, hard, incisive face, was standing -beside his _fiancée_ at the other side of the case. - -"Yes," said he, curtly, "I have never seen finer stones." - -"And the gold-work is also worthy of attention. The ancients excelled -in----"--he was apparently about to indicate the setting of the stones, -when Captain Wilson interrupted him. - -"You will see a finer example of their gold-work in this candlestick," -said he, turning to another table, and we all joined him in his -admiration of its embossed stem and delicately ornamented branches. -Altogether it was an interesting and a novel experience to have objects -of such rarity explained by so great an expert; and when, finally, -Professor Andreas finished our inspection by formally handing over the -precious collection to the care of my friend, I could not help pitying -him and envying his successor whose life was to pass in so pleasant a -duty. Within a week, Ward Mortimer was duly installed in his new set of -rooms, and had become the autocrat of the Belmore Street Museum. - -About a fortnight afterwards my friend gave a small dinner to -half-a-dozen bachelor friends to celebrate his promotion. When his -guests were departing he pulled my sleeve and signalled to me that he -wished me to remain. - -"You have only a few hundred yards to go," said he--I was living in -chambers in the Albany. "You may as well stay and have a quiet cigar -with me. I very much want your advice." - -I relapsed into an arm-chair and lit one of his excellent Matronas. When -he had returned from seeing the last of his guests out, he drew a letter -from his dress-jacket and sat down opposite to me. - -"This is an anonymous letter which I received this morning," said he. "I -want to read it to you and to have your advice." - -"You are very welcome to it for what it is worth." - -"This is how the note runs: 'Sir,--I should strongly advise you to keep -a very careful watch over the many valuable things which are committed -to your charge. I do not think that the present system of a single -watchman is sufficient. Be upon your guard, or an irreparable misfortune -may occur.'" - -"Is that all?" - -"Yes, that is all." - -"Well," said I, "it is at least obvious that it was written by one of -the limited number of people who are aware that you have only one -watchman at night." - -Ward Mortimer handed me the note, with a curious smile. "Have you an eye -for handwriting?" said he. "Now, look at this!" He put another letter in -front of me. "Look at the _c_ in 'congratulate' and the _c_ in -'committed.' Look at the capital _I_. Look at the trick of putting in a -dash instead of a stop!" - -"They are undoubtedly from the same hand--with some attempt at disguise -in the case of this first one." - -"The second," said Ward Mortimer, "is the letter of congratulation which -was written to me by Professor Andreas upon my obtaining my -appointment." - -I stared at him in amazement. Then I turned over the letter in my hand, -and there, sure enough, was "Martin Andreas" signed upon the other side. -There could be no doubt, in the mind of anyone who had the slightest -knowledge of the science of graphology, that the Professor had written -an anonymous letter, warning his successor against thieves. It was -inexplicable, but it was certain. - -"Why should he do it?" I asked. - -"Precisely what I should wish to ask you. If he had any such misgivings, -why could he not come and tell me direct?" - -"Will you speak to him about it?" - -"There again I am in doubt. He might choose to deny that he wrote it." - -"At any rate," said I, "this warning is meant in a friendly spirit, and -I should certainly act upon it. Are the present precautions enough to -insure you against robbery?" - -"I should have thought so. The public are only admitted from ten till -five, and there is a guardian to every two rooms. He stands at the door -between them, and so commands them both." - -"But at night?" - -[Illustration: "THIS WARNING IS MEANT IN A FRIENDLY SPIRIT."] - -"When the public are gone, we at once put up the great iron shutters, -which are absolutely burglar-proof. The watchman is a capable fellow. He -sits in the lodge, but he walks round every three hours. We keep one -electric light burning in each room all night." - -"It is difficult to suggest anything more--short of keeping your day -watchers all night." - -"We could not afford that." - -"At least, I should communicate with the police, and have a special -constable put on outside in Belmore Street," said I. "As to the letter, -if the writer wishes to be anonymous, I think he has a right to remain -so. We must trust to the future to show some reason for the curious -course which he has adopted." - -So we dismissed the subject, but all that night after my return to my -chambers I was puzzling my brain as to what possible motive Professor -Andreas could have for writing an anonymous warning letter to his -successor--for that the writing was his was as certain to me as if I had -seen him actually doing it. He foresaw some danger to the collection. -Was it because he foresaw it that he abandoned his charge of it? But if -so, why should he hesitate to warn Mortimer in his own name? I puzzled -and puzzled until at last I fell into a troubled sleep, which carried me -beyond my usual hour of rising. - -I was aroused in a singular and effective method, for about nine o'clock -my friend Mortimer rushed into my room with an expression of -consternation upon his face. He was usually one of the most tidy men of -my acquaintance, but now his collar was undone at one end, his tie was -flying, and his hat at the back of his head. I read his whole story in -his frantic eyes. - -"The museum has been robbed!" I cried, springing up in bed. - -"I fear so! Those jewels! The jewels of the urim and thummim!" he -gasped, for he was out of breath with running. "I'm going on to the -police-station. Come to the museum as soon as you can, Jackson! -Good-bye!" He rushed distractedly out of the room, and I heard him -clatter down the stairs. - -I was not long in following his directions, but I found when I arrived -that he had already returned with a police inspector, and another -elderly gentleman, who proved to be Mr. Purvis, one of the partners of -Morson and Company, the well-known diamond merchants. As an expert in -stones he was always prepared to advise the police. They were grouped -round the case in which the breast-plate of the Jewish priest had been -exposed. The plate had been taken out and laid upon the glass top of the -case, and the three heads were bent over it. - -"It is obvious that it has been tampered with," said Mortimer. "It -caught my eye the moment that I passed through the room this morning. I -examined it yesterday evening, so that it is certain that this has -happened during the night." - -It was, as he had said, obvious that someone had been at work upon it. -The settings of the uppermost row of four stones--the carnelian, -peridot, emerald, and ruby--were rough and jagged as if someone had -scraped all round them. The stones were in their places, but the -beautiful gold work which we had admired only a few days before had been -very clumsily pulled about. - -"It looks to me," said the police inspector, "as if someone had been -trying to take out the stones." - -"My fear is," said Mortimer, "that he not only tried, but succeeded. I -believe these four stones to be skilful imitations which have been put -in the place of the originals." - -The same suspicion had evidently been in the mind of the expert, for he -had been carefully examining the four stones with the aid of a lens. He -now submitted them to several tests, and finally turned cheerfully to -Mortimer. - -"I congratulate you, sir," said he, heartily. "I will pledge my -reputation that all four of these stones are genuine, and of a most -unusual degree of purity." - -The colour began to come back to my poor friend's frightened face, and -he drew a long breath of relief. - -"Thank God!" he cried, "Then what in the world did the thief want?" - -"Probably he meant to take the stones, but was interrupted." - -"In that case one would expect him to take them out one at a time, but -the setting of each of these has been loosened, and yet the stones are -all here." - -"It is certainly most extraordinary," said the inspector. "I never -remember a case like it. Let us see the watchman." - -The commissionaire was called--a soldierly, honest-faced man, who seemed -as concerned as Ward Mortimer at the incident. - -"No, sir, I never heard a sound," he answered, in reply to the questions -of the inspector. "I made my rounds four times, as usual, but I saw -nothing suspicious. I've been in my position ten years, but nothing of -the kind has ever occurred before." - -"No thief could have come through the windows?" - -"Impossible, sir." - -"Or passed you at the door?" - -"No, sir; I never left my post except when I walked my rounds." - -"What other openings are there into the museum?" - -"There is the door into Mr. Ward Mortimer's private rooms." - -"That is locked at night," my friend explained, "and in order to reach -it anyone from the street would have to open the outside door as well." - -"Your servants?" - -"Their quarters are entirely separate." - -"Well, well," said the inspector, "this is certainly very obscure. -However, there has been no harm done, according to Mr. Purvis." - -"I will swear that those stones are genuine." - -[Illustration: "I WILL SWEAR THAT THOSE STONES ARE GENUINE."] - -"So that the case appears to be merely one of malicious damage. But none -the less, I should be very glad to go carefully round the premises, and -to see if we can find any trace to show us who your visitor may have -been." - -His investigation, which lasted all the morning, was careful and -intelligent, but it led in the end to nothing. He pointed out to us that -there were two possible entrances to the museum which we had not -considered. The one was from the cellars by a trap-door opening in the -passage. The other through a skylight from the lumber-room, overlooking -that very chamber to which the intruder had penetrated. As neither the -cellar nor the lumber-room could be entered unless the thief was already -within the locked doors, the matter was not of any practical importance, -and the dust of cellar and attic assured us that no one had used either -one or the other. Finally, we ended as we began, without the slightest -clue as to how, why, or by whom the setting of these four jewels had -been tampered with. - -There remained one course for Mortimer to take, and he took it. Leaving -the police to continue their fruitless researches, he asked me to -accompany him that afternoon in a visit to Professor Andreas. He took -with him the two letters, and it was his intention to openly tax his -predecessor with having written the anonymous warning, and to ask him to -explain the fact that he should have anticipated so exactly that which -had actually occurred. The Professor was living in a small villa in -Upper Norwood, but we were informed by the servant that he was away from -home. Seeing our disappointment, she asked us if we should like to see -Miss Andreas, and showed us into the modest drawing-room. - -I have mentioned incidentally that the Professor's daughter was a very -beautiful girl. She was a blonde, tall and graceful, with a skin of that -delicate tint which the French call "mat," the colour of old ivory or of -the lighter petals of the sulphur rose. I was shocked, however, as she -entered the room to see how much she had changed in the last fortnight. -Her young face was haggard and her bright eyes heavy with trouble. - -"Father has gone to Scotland," she said. "He seems to be tired, and has -had a good deal to worry him. He only left us yesterday." - -"You look a little tired yourself, Miss Andreas," said my friend. - -"I have been so anxious about father." - -"Can you give me his Scotch address?" - -"Yes, he is with his brother, the Rev. David Andreas, 1, Arran Villas, -Ardrossan." - -Ward Mortimer made a note of the address, and we left without saying -anything as to the object of our visit. We found ourselves in Belmore -Street in the evening in exactly the same position in which we had been -in the morning. Our only clue was the Professor's letter, and my friend -had made up his mind to start for Ardrossan next day, and to get to the -bottom of the anonymous letter, when a new development came to alter our -plans. - -Very early upon the following morning I was aroused from my sleep by a -tap upon my bedroom door. It was a messenger with a note from Mortimer. - -"Do come round," it said; "the matter is becoming more and more -extraordinary." - -When I obeyed his summons I found him pacing excitedly up and down the -central room, while the old soldier who guarded the premises stood with -military stiffness in a corner. - -"My dear Jackson," he cried, "I am so delighted that you have come, for -this is a most inexplicable business." - -"What has happened, then?" - -He waved his hand towards the case which contained the breast-plate. - -"Look at it," said he. - -I did so, and could not restrain a cry of surprise. The setting of the -middle row of precious stones had been profaned in the same manner as -the upper ones. Of the twelve jewels, eight had been now tampered with -in this singular fashion. The setting of the lower four was still neat -and smooth. The others jagged and irregular. - -"Have the stones been altered?" I asked. - -"No, I am certain that these upper four are the same which the expert -pronounced to be genuine, for I observed yesterday that little -discoloration on the edge of the emerald. Since they have not extracted -the upper stones, there is no reason to think that the lower have been -transposed. You say that you heard nothing, Simpson?" - -"No, sir," the commissionaire answered. "But when I made my round after -daylight I had a special look at these stones, and I saw at once that -someone had been meddling with them. Then I called you, sir, and told -you. I was backwards and forwards all the night, and I never saw a soul -or heard a sound." - -"Come up and have some breakfast with me," said Mortimer, and he took me -into his own chambers. - -"Now, what _do_ you think of this, Jackson?" he asked. - -"It is the most objectless, futile, idiotic business that ever I heard -of. It can only be the work of a monomaniac." - -"Can you put forward any theory?" - -[Illustration: "I NEVER SAW A SOUL OR HEARD A SOUND."] - -A curious idea came into my head. "This object is a Jewish relic of -great antiquity and sanctity," said I. "How about the anti-Semitic -movement? Could one conceive that a fanatic of that way of thinking -might desecrate----" - -"No, no, no!" cried Mortimer. "That will never do! Such a man might push -his lunacy to the length of destroying a Jewish relic, but why on earth -should he nibble round every stone so carefully that he can only do four -stones in a night? We must have a better solution than that, and we must -find it for ourselves, for I do not think that our inspector is likely -to help us. First of all, what do you think of Simpson, the porter?" - -"Have you any reason to suspect him?" - -"Only that he is the one person on the premises." - -"But why should he indulge in such wanton destruction? Nothing has been -taken away. He has no motive." - -"Mania?" - -"No, I will swear to his sanity." - -"Have you any other theory?" - -"Well, yourself, for example. You are not a somnambulist, by any -chance?" - -"Nothing of the sort, I assure you." - -"Then I give it up." - -"But I don't--and I have a plan by which we will make it all clear." - -"To visit Professor Andreas?" - -"No, we shall find our solution nearer than Scotland. I will tell you -what we shall do. You know that skylight which overlooks the central -hall? We will leave the electric lights in the hall, and we will keep -watch in the lumber-room, you and I, and solve the mystery for -ourselves. If our mysterious visitor is doing four stones at a time, he -has four still to do, and there is every reason to think that he will -return to-night and complete the job." - -"Excellent!" I cried. - -"We shall keep our own secret, and say nothing either to the police or -to Simpson. Will you join me?" - -"With the utmost pleasure," said I, and so it was agreed. - -It was ten o'clock that night when I returned to the Belmore Street -Museum. Mortimer was, as I could see, in a state of suppressed nervous -excitement, but it was still too early to begin our vigil, so we -remained for an hour or so in his chambers, discussing all the -possibilities of the singular business which we had met to solve. At -last the roaring stream of hansom cabs and the rush of hurrying feet -became lower and more intermittent as the pleasure-seekers passed on -their way to their stations or their homes. It was nearly twelve when -Mortimer led the way to the lumber-room which overlooked the central -hall of the museum. - -He had visited it during the day, and had spread some sacking so that we -could lie at our ease, and look straight down into the museum. The -skylight was of unfrosted glass, but was so covered with dust that it -would be impossible for anyone looking up from below to detect that he -was overlooked. We cleared a small piece at each corner, which gave us a -complete view of the room beneath us. In the cold, white light of the -electric lamps everything stood out hard and clear, and I could see the -smallest detail of the contents of the various cases. - -Such a vigil is an excellent lesson, since one has no choice but to look -hard at those objects which we usually pass with such half-hearted -interest. Through my little peep-hole I employed the hours in studying -every specimen, from the huge mummy-case which leaned against the wall -to those very jewels which had brought us there, which gleamed and -sparkled in their glass case immediately beneath us. There was much -precious gold-work and many valuable stones scattered through the -numerous cases, but those wonderful twelve which made up the urim and -thummim glowed and burned with a radiance which far eclipsed the others. -I studied in turn the tomb-pictures of Sicara, the friezes from Karnak, -the statues of Memphis, and the inscriptions of Thebes, but my eyes -would always come back to that wonderful Jewish relic, and my mind to -the singular mystery which surrounded it. I was lost in the thought of -it when my companion suddenly drew his breath sharply in, and seized my -arm in a convulsive grip. At the same instant I saw what it was which -had excited him. - -I have said that against the wall--on the right-hand side of the doorway -(the right-hand side as we looked at it, but the left as one -entered)--there stood a large mummy-case. To our unutterable amazement -it was slowly opening. Gradually, gradually, the lid was swinging back, -and the black slit which marked the opening was becoming wider and -wider. So gently and carefully was it done that the movement was quite -imperceptible. Then, as we breathlessly watched it, a white, thin hand -appeared at the opening, pushing back the painted lid, then another -hand, and finally a face--a face which was familiar to us both, that of -Professor Andreas. Stealthily he slunk out of the mummy-case, like a fox -stealing from its burrow, his head turning incessantly to left and to -right, stepping, then pausing, then stepping again, the very image of -craft and of caution. Once some sound in the street struck him -motionless, and he stood listening, with his ear turned, ready to dart -back to the shelter behind him. Then he crept onwards again upon tiptoe, -very, very softly and slowly, until he had reached the case in the -centre of the room. Then he took a bunch of keys from his pocket, -unlocked the case, took out the Jewish breast-plate, and, laying it upon -the glass in front of him, began to work upon it with some sort of -small, glistening tool. He was so directly underneath us that his bent -head covered his work, but we could guess from the movement of his hand -that he was engaged in finishing the strange disfigurement which he had -begun. - -[Illustration: "THIS HE OPENED SOFTLY WITH HIS KEY."] - -I could realize from the heavy breathing of my companion, and the -twitchings of the hand which still clutched my wrist, the furious -indignation which filled his heart as he saw this vandalism in the very -quarter of all others where he could least have expected it. He, the -very man who a fortnight before had reverently bent over this unique -relic, and who had impressed its antiquity and its sanctity upon us, was -now engaged in this outrageous profanation. It was impossible, -unthinkable--and yet there, in the white glare of the electric light -beneath us, was that dark figure with the bent, grey head, and the -twitching elbow. What inhuman hypocrisy, what hateful depth of malice -against his successor must underlie these sinister nocturnal labours. It -was painful to think of and dreadful to watch. Even I, who had none of -the acute feelings of a virtuoso, could not bear to look on and see this -deliberate mutilation of so ancient a relic. It was a relief to me when -my companion tugged at my sleeve as a signal that I was to follow him as -he softly crept out of the room. It was not until we were within his own -quarters that he opened his lips, and then I saw by his agitated face -how deep was his consternation. - -"The abominable Goth!" he cried. "Could you have believed it?" - -"It is amazing." - -"He is a villain or a lunatic--one or the other. We shall very soon see -which. Come with me, Jackson, and we shall get to the bottom of this -black business." - -A door opened out of the passage which was the private entrance from his -rooms into the museum. This he opened softly with his key, having first -kicked off his shoes, an example which I followed. We crept together -through room after room, until the large hall lay before us, with that -dark figure still stooping and working at the central case. With an -advance as cautious as his own we closed in upon him, but softly as we -went we could not take him entirely unawares. We were still a dozen -yards from him when he looked round with a start, and uttering a husky -cry of terror, ran frantically down the museum. - -"Simpson! Simpson!" roared Mortimer, and far away down the vista of -electric-lighted doors we saw the stiff figure of the old soldier -suddenly appear. Professor Andreas saw him also, and stopped running, -with a gesture of despair. At the same instant we each laid a hand upon -his shoulder. - -"Yes, yes, gentlemen," he panted, "I will come with you. To your room, -Mr. Ward Mortimer, if you please! I feel that I owe you an explanation." - -My companion's indignation was so great that I could see that he dared -not trust himself to reply. We walked on each side of the old Professor, -the astonished commissionaire bringing up the rear. When we reached the -violated case, Mortimer stopped and examined the breast-plate. Already -one of the stones of the lower row had had its setting turned back in -the same manner as the others. My friend held it up and glanced -furiously at his prisoner. - -"How could you!" he cried. "How could you!" - -"It is horrible--horrible!" said the Professor. "I don't wonder at your -feelings. Take me to your room." - -"But this shall not be left exposed!" cried Mortimer. He picked the -breast-plate up and carried it tenderly in his hand, while I walked -beside the Professor, like a policeman with a malefactor. We passed into -Mortimer's chambers, leaving the amazed old soldier to understand -matters as best he could. The Professor sat down in Mortimer's -arm-chair, and turned so ghastly a colour that, for the instant, all our -resentment was changed to concern. A stiff glass of brandy brought the -life back to him once more. - -"There, I am better now!" said he. "These last few days have been too -much for me. I am convinced that I could not stand it any longer. It is -a nightmare--a horrible nightmare--that I should be arrested as a -burglar in what has been for so long my own museum. And yet I cannot -blame you. You could not have done otherwise. My hope always was that I -should get it all over before I was detected. This would have been my -last night's work." - -"How did you get in?" asked Mortimer. - -"By taking a very great liberty with your private door. But the object -justified it. The object justified everything. You will not be angry -when you know everything--at least, you will not be angry with me. I had -a key to your side door and also to the museum door. I did not give them -up when I left. And so you see it was not difficult for me to let myself -into the museum. I used to come in early before the crowd had cleared -from the street. Then I hid myself in the mummy-case, and took refuge -there whenever Simpson came round. I could always hear him coming. I -used to leave in the same way as I came." - -"You ran a risk." - -"I had to." - -"But why? What on earth was your object--_you_ to do a thing like that!" -Mortimer pointed reproachfully at the plate which lay before him on the -table. - -[Illustration: "MORTIMER POINTED REPROACHFULLY AT THE PLATE."] - -"I could devise no other means. I thought and thought, but there was no -alternative except a hideous public scandal, and a private sorrow which -would have clouded our lives. I acted for the best, incredible as it may -seem to you, and I only ask your attention to enable me to prove it." - -"I will hear what you have to say before I take any further steps," said -Mortimer, grimly. - -"I am determined to hold back nothing, and to take you both completely -into my confidence. I will leave it to your own generosity how far you -will use the facts with which I supply you." - -"We have the essential facts already." - -"And yet you understand nothing. Let me go back to what passed a few -weeks ago, and I will make it all clear to you. Believe me that what I -say is the absolute and exact truth. - -"You have met the person who calls himself Captain Wilson. I say 'calls -himself' because I have reason now to believe that it is not his correct -name. It would take me too long if I were to describe all the means by -which he obtained an introduction to me and ingratiated himself into my -friendship and the affection of my daughter. He brought letters from -foreign colleagues which compelled me to show him some attention. And -then, by his own attainments, which are considerable, he succeeded in -making himself a very welcome visitor at my rooms. When I learned that -my daughter's affections had been gained by him, I may have thought it -premature, but I certainly was not surprised, for he had a charm of -manner and of conversation which would have made him conspicuous in any -society. - -"He was much interested in Oriental antiquities, and his knowledge of -the subject justified his interest. Often when he spent the evening with -us he would ask permission to go down into the museum and have an -opportunity of privately inspecting the various specimens. You can -imagine that I, as an enthusiast, was in sympathy with such a request, -and that I felt no surprise at the constancy of his visits. After his -actual engagement to Elise, there was hardly an evening which he did not -pass with us, an hour or two were generally devoted to the museum. He -had the free run of the place, and when I have been away for the evening -I had no objection to his doing whatever he wished here. This state of -things was only terminated by the fact of my resignation of my official -duties and my retirement to Norwood where I hoped to have the leisure to -write a considerable work which I had planned. - -"It was immediately after this--within a week or so--that I first -realized the true nature and character of the man whom I had so -imprudently introduced into my family. The discovery came to me through -letters from my friends abroad, which showed me that his introductions -to me had been forgeries. Aghast at the revelation, I asked myself what -motive this man could originally have had in practising this elaborate -deception upon me. I was too poor a man for any fortune-hunter to have -marked me down. Why, then, had he come? I remembered that some of the -most precious gems in Europe had been under my charge, and I remembered -also the ingenious excuses by which this man had made himself familiar -with the cases in which they were kept. He was a rascal who was planning -some gigantic robbery. How could I, without striking my own daughter, -who was infatuated about him, prevent him from carrying out any plan -which he might have formed? My device was a clumsy one, and yet I could -think of nothing more effective. If I had written a letter under my own -name, you would naturally have turned to me for details which I did not -wish to give. I resorted to an anonymous letter begging you to be upon -your guard. - -"I may tell you that my change from Belmore Street to Norwood had not -affected the visits of this man, who had, I believe, a real and -overpowering affection for my daughter. As to her, I could not have -believed that any woman could be so completely under the influence of a -man as she was. His stronger nature seemed to entirely dominate her. I -had not realized how far this was the case, or the extent of the -confidence which existed between them, until that very evening when his -true character for the first time was made clear to me. I had given -orders that when he called he should be shown into my study instead of -to the drawing-room. There I told him bluntly that I knew all about him, -that I had taken steps to defeat his designs, and that neither I nor my -daughter desired ever and to see him again. I added that I thanked God -that I had found him out before he had time to harm those precious -objects which had been the work of my life-time to protect. - -"He was certainly a man of iron nerve. He took my remarks without a sign -either of surprise or of defiance, but listened gravely and attentively -until I had finished. Then he walked across the room without a word and -struck the bell. - -"'Ask Miss Andreas to be so kind as to step this way,' said he to the -servant. - -"My daughter entered, and the man closed the door behind her. Then he -took her hand in his. - -"'Elise,' said he, 'your father has just discovered that I am a villain. -He knows now what you knew before.' - -"She stood in silence, listening. - -"'He says that we are to part for ever,' said he. - -"She did not withdraw her hand. - -"'Will you be true to me, or will you remove the last good influence -which is ever likely to come into my life?' - -"'John,' she cried, passionately, 'I will never abandon you! Never, -never, not if the whole world were against you.' - -"In vain I argued and pleaded with her. It was absolutely useless. Her -whole life was bound up in this man before me. My daughter, gentlemen, -is all that I have left to love, and it filled me with agony when I saw -how powerless I was to save her from her ruin. My helplessness seemed to -touch this man who was the cause of my trouble. - -"'It may not be as bad as you think, sir,' said he, in his quiet, -inflexible way. 'I love Elise with a love which is strong enough to -rescue even one who has such a record as I have. It was but yesterday -that I promised her that never again in my whole life would I do a thing -of which she should be ashamed. I have made up my mind to it, and never -yet did I make up my mind to a thing which I did not do.' - -"He spoke with an air which carried conviction with it. As he concluded -he put his hand into his pocket and he drew out a small cardboard box. - -"'I am about to give you a proof of my determination,' said he. 'This, -Elise, shall be the first-fruits of your redeeming influence over me. -You are right, sir, in thinking that I had designs upon the jewels in -your possession. Such ventures have had a charm for me, which depended -as much upon the risk run as upon the value of the prize. Those famous -and antique stones of the Jewish priest were a challenge to my daring -and my ingenuity. I determined to get them.' - -"'I guessed as much.' - -"'There was only one thing that you did not guess.' - -"'And what is that?' - -[Illustration: "HE TILTED OUT THE CONTENTS."] - -"'That I got them. They are in this box.' - -"He opened the box, and tilted out the contents upon the corner of my -desk. My hair rose and my flesh grew cold as I looked. There were twelve -magnificent square stones engraved with mystical characters. There could -be no doubt that they were the jewels of the urim and thummim. - -"'Good God!' I cried. 'How have you escaped discovery?' - -"'By the substitution of twelve others, made especially to my order, in -which the originals are so carefully imitated that I defy the eye to -detect the difference.' - -"'Then the present stones are false?' I cried. - -"'They have been for some weeks.' - -"We all stood in silence, my daughter white with emotion, but still -holding this man by the hand. - -"'You see what I am capable of, Elise,' said he. - -"'I see that you are capable of repentance and restitution,' she -answered. - -"'Yes, thanks to your influence! I leave the stones in your hands, sir. -Do what you like about it. But remember that whatever you do against me, -is done against the future husband of your only daughter. You will hear -from me soon again, Elise. It is the last time that I will ever cause -pain to your tender heart,' and with these words he left both the room -and the house. - -"My position was a dreadful one. Here I was with these precious relics -in my possession, and how could I return them without a scandal and an -exposure? I knew the depth of my daughter's nature too well to suppose -that I would ever be able to detach her from this man now that she had -entirely given him her heart. I was not even sure how far it was right -to detach her if she had such an ameliorating influence over him. How -could I expose him without injuring her--and how far was I justified in -exposing him when he had voluntarily put himself into my power? I -thought and thought, until at last I formed a resolution which may seem -to you to be a foolish one, and yet, if I had to do it again, I believe -it would be the best course open to me. - -"My idea was to return the stones without anyone being the wiser. With -my keys I could get into the museum at any time, and I was confident -that I could avoid Simpson, whose hours and methods were familiar to me. -I determined to take no one into my confidence--not even my -daughter--whom I told that I was about to visit my brother in Scotland. -I wanted a free hand for a few nights, without inquiry as to my comings -and goings. To this end I took a room in Harding Street that very night, -with an intimation that I was a Pressman, and that I should keep very -late hours. - -"That night I made my way into the museum, and I replaced four of the -stones. It was hard work, and took me all night. When Simpson came round -I always heard his footsteps, and concealed myself in the mummy-case. I -had some knowledge of gold-work, but was far less skilful than the thief -had been. He had replaced the setting so exactly that I defy anyone to -see the difference. My work was rude and clumsy. However, I hoped that -the plate might not be carefully examined, or the roughness of the -setting observed, until my task was done. Next night I replaced four -more stones. And to-night I should have finished my task had it not been -for the unfortunate circumstance which has caused me to reveal so much -which I should have wished to keep concealed. I appeal to you, -gentlemen, to your sense of honour and of compassion, whether what I -have told you should go any farther or not. My own happiness, my -daughter's future, the hopes of this man's regeneration, all depend upon -your decision." - -"Which is," said my friend, "that all is well that ends well, and that -the whole matter ends here and at once. To-morrow the loose settings -shall be tightened by an expert goldsmith, and so passes the greatest -danger to which, since the destruction of the Temple, the urim and -thummim have been exposed. Here is my hand, Professor Andreas, and I can -only hope that under such difficult circumstances I should have carried -myself as unselfishly and as well." - -Just one footnote to this narrative. Within a month Elise Andreas was -married to a man whose name, had I the indiscretion to mention it, would -appeal to my readers as one who is now widely and deservedly honoured. -But if the truth were known, that honour is due not to him but to the -gentle girl who plucked him back when he had gone so far down that dark -road along which few return. - - - - -[Illustration: _From a_] THE NEEDLE LYING AS IT FELL AT ALEXANDRIA. -[_Photo._] - -_The Story of Cleopatra's Needle._ - -FROM SYRENE TO LONDON. - -By Susie Esplen. - - -In London, on the embankment of the Thames, standing majestic in its -great height and solidity, is that wonderful column of red granite known -to all as Cleopatra's Needle. What a history is attached to the obelisk, -a history which is as wonderful and strange as the Needle itself is -antique, for its age dates back as far as 1,500 years before the -Christian Era. We are told that "the child Moses may have played around -the foot of this pillar; the Israelites looking citywards from the -brickfields saw the sunlight glittering on its tapering point; the -plague of darkness clothed it as with a garment; the plague of frogs -croaked and squatted on its pediment; the plague of locusts dashed -themselves in flights against it, and unto its likeness the heart of -Pharaoh was hardened. The sight of it takes us back to a time when the -Pisgah--sight of Canaan--was but a promise with a desert and forty years -between." Connecting the history of the pillar with such ancient -Biblical facts as these, we realize how really aged the Needle is; but -we have still to remember that it had been witness to events which took -place many hundreds of years even before the days of Moses. - -When Thothmes III., called Egypt's greatest King, was in power he gave -command for another pair of obelisks to be cut out of the quarries at -Syrene and erected by the side of those already standing, which Rameses -had set up before one of the many temples of the Sun which were in -Heliopolis. - -Gazing thoughtlessly at the column one is prone to overlook the fact -that this tremendous pillar is unlike other equally high columns in our -land, as this one was not built up to its present height by stone being -laid upon stone or block being placed upon block, until the desired -height and form were attained, but from the first this was hewn out of -its place in the quarry in one enormous mass. We can, therefore, -understand the difficult undertaking it would be to remove such a weight -of granite from one place to the other in the days when steam was not in -use. The quarries of Syrene were seven hundred miles from Heliopolis. In -an interesting book on this subject written by the Rev. James King (and -to him I am indebted for much of this information), we have an account -of how in those early times the task of cutting out and removing this -column was effected. - -He tells us that in an old quarry at Syrene there is to be seen an -obelisk upon which the workmen were busy, when for some reason they were -obliged to leave it only partially cut out. From this it appears that -when the quarrymen wished to abstract a huge mass, such as the Needle -would be, they marked out the form by cutting a deep groove, in which, -at intervals, they made oblong holes. Into these holes they firmly -wedged blocks of timber, and then, filling the grooves with water, the -wood in time swelled and thus the granite cracked along the outline from -wedge to wedge. Next came the difficulty of taking the Needle on its -first journey, seven hundred miles up the river to the City of -Heliopolis. When it lay ready for removal in the quarry, rollers made of -palm trees were laid so that the column could be placed on them, and by -this means it could be pushed down to the edge of the river, and there a -raft was built round it. When the Nile overflowed its banks, this raft -and its burden floated, and the stone was conveyed to the nearest and -most suitable point from which it could again be conveyed on rollers as -before to the pedestal which was prepared for it to stand upon, and by -the help of ropes and levers made from the date palm it was placed in -position. So faultless was the work done by those men of old that, when -the column was erected on the pedestal, both had been so accurately -levelled, where the one fitted on the other, that the Needle when -standing was perfectly true in the perpendicular. - -Mr. King continues to inform us that in a grotto at El-Bershch is a -representation showing the removal of a gigantic figure. The statue is -placed on a sledge, and men are represented going before it pouring oil -in grooves, along which the sledge slides, and by means of ropes four -rows of men drag the figure along. And from this we learn the method of -the column's first removal. Once erected in Heliopolis before one of the -many temples of the Sun, the Needle was allowed to remain there with its -companion one for fourteen centuries. - -Twenty-three years before Christ, Augustus Cæsar ordered the removal of -them from Heliopolis to Alexandria, and so the Needle came to be taken -on its second journey. In Alexandria was a gorgeous palace of the -Cæsars, and before the palace the columns were set up. They are called -Cleopatra's Needles, but in reality Cleopatra had no connection with -their history. She may have helped to design the magnificent building -the front of which these obelisks adorned, and her devoted subjects -wishing to give honour to the memory of their much-loved Queen gave the -pillars her name. - -For fifteen centuries they were left to stand in this last-named -position, which was close to the Port of Alexandria; and many years -after the grand building of the Cæsars had fallen in ruins, these two -columns still stood. With years the sea had advanced to the base of the -one in which we are more especially interested, and with the -ever-advancing and receding waters the foundation of the Needle became -so worn that three hundred years ago it fell to the ground unbroken and -unharmed. - -[Illustration: _From a_] PRISING UP THE NEEDLE, IN ORDER TO BUILD THE -FRAMEWORK UNDER IT. [_Photo._] - -In 1801 the French and English fought, and the latter, under Sir Ralph -Abercrombie, were victorious. The battle having taken place within -sight of the Needle, the English soldiers conceived the desire to -possess and take to England the fallen obelisk as a trophy of their -success. So anxious were they to have this idea carried out, that they -willingly gave up some of their payment, and collected £7,000 towards -the expense of its removal. - -[Illustration: _From a_] BEGINNING THE FRAMEWORK. [_Photo._] - -The plan they adopted for its conveyance to England on this occasion was -to build a pier seaward, and then, taking the Needle to the end of it, -proposed putting it through the stern of an old French frigate which had -been raised for the purpose. When the pier was partially built a great -storm washed it away, and very soon after that the soldiers were ordered -to leave Egypt, and the idea could not be carried out. However, the -Needle was removed a few feet, and a brass tablet was inserted bearing a -record of the British victory. From this time the mind of the people -appeared to be in a state of unrest concerning the Needle--an unrest -which was not quieted until the column was brought to England and -erected where it now stands. - -When George IV. was reigning in England, Mehemet Ali was ruling in -Egypt, and he offered as a gift to the King this obelisk. George IV. for -some reason did not accept the gift. When William IV. came to the throne -it was again offered, with an additional favour, for he also promised to -pay the cost for its transportation. King William, like his predecessor, -King George, thought it best to excuse himself from accepting the -obelisk, so he also refused it. - -[Illustration: _From a_] PUTTING ON THE CASING. [_Photo._] - -In 1849 the question was brought before the House of Commons, that the -offer made by Mehemet Ali should be re-considered and the obelisk -brought to England, but an opposition party opposed the suggestion, -considering that the Needle would have become so defaced as to be not -worth the risk and expense of removing it. - -[Illustration: _From a_] COMPLETING THE CASING. [_Photo._] - -Many years after, when the great Hyde Park Demonstration was being held, -it was again suggested that the obelisk should be transported, in honour -of the Prince Consort, for his anxiety in trying to make the exhibition -a success, but the idea again fell through. When the Sydenham Palace -Company were planning their great pavilion they wished to have the -Needle to place in the Egyptian department of the building, of course -intending to pay for its transit. But it was against order to give a -private company any gift which really belonged to the nation. - -[Illustration: _From a_] THE CASING FINISHED. [_Photo._] - -The Needle all these years was still lying where the British Army left -it, on the shore of the Bay of Alexandria. The ground on which it lay -was sold, and a Greek merchant who had bought the land was anxious to -have the column taken away. The Khedive advised the English to remove it -if they really valued its possession, otherwise they ran the risk of -losing it altogether. In 1867 Sir James E. Alexander was attracted by -the beauty of the column which was also presented by Mehemet Ali to the -French, and stands now in La Place de la Concorde. Remembering that the -one belonging to the English was lying unheeded on the shores of -Alexandria, he desired to have it brought over to England, and -accordingly went to Egypt, gained an interview with the Khedive, and -with him discussed its possession and removal. For ten years he was -unwearying in his watch over the monument, arranging from time to time -with the owner of the land to allow it to remain where it was, hoping -meanwhile to be able to make some arrangements concerning it so that it -might be preserved for the English. - -[Illustration: _From a_] PREPARING TO LAUNCH. [_Photo._] - -He came to the opinion that if ever the obelisk was to be brought to -England it would not be at the expense of the nation's purse, but would -need to be paid for by private donations. With one or two friends, -anxious like himself for the protection of the Needle, he intended to -try and raise funds in the City. However, first meeting his friend, -Professor Erasmus Wilson, and explaining all to him, the Professor -generously offered to pay the sum of £10,000, which was deemed -sufficient for the purpose. - -In July of 1877 workmen were once more busy in connection with this -column which already had experienced such a history. The sand was -removed from about it, and to the delight of those most interested it -was found to be in an excellent state of preservation. Next came the -anxious task of removing it, something more being necessary than the -raft, as of old, for the long sea voyage which lay before it. - -[Illustration: _From a_] THE FIRST ATTEMPT AT LAUNCHING. [_Photo._] - -A paper might be written on the different methods and numerous plans -invented and suggested for the transportation of the Needle. Sir James -Alexander had made the acquaintance of Mr. John Dixon, a civil engineer, -and he, too, was interested in the monolith. Professor Erasmus Wilson -and Mr. Dixon were introduced and discussed the subject together, with -the result that Mr. Dixon undertook the responsibility of the conveyance -of the column to England, Professor Wilson arranging to pay the £10,000 -on its erection in London. A construction was therefore carefully -designed in England for encasing the Needle, so that it would be a sea -craft of itself, and this was sent out to Egypt in pieces. - -[Illustration: _From a_] THE TUGS IN ACTION. [_Photo._] - -One of the principal considerations when making their designs was that -the Needle when encased required to be launched by being rolled into the -water, instead of being sent off in the usual way. Another of the chief -difficulties to contend with in the removal of the obelisk was that the -bay near which it was lying was unsafe for ships to anchor in, as it was -exposed to severe gales and the ground was covered with shoals. The -Needle was raised some feet above the ground, the smaller end swung -round to be parallel with the sea, and when in this position the work of -encasing it was done. - -When in this act of turning it, the ground appeared to be giving way -under it, and, on examination being made, it was found to be resting on -a small vault, which was 6ft. long by 3ft. wide and 4ft. high. It was -evidently an ancient tomb, for two human skeletons and some small jars -were found in the cavity. The skulls were preserved and put on board the -pontoon, when ready for sea, but after the storm in the bay they were -never seen again, and the sailors, being foreign, are supposed to have -thrown them overboard, through superstition. - -The Needle whilst raised and ready for encasing had the plates riveted -in place round it, the inside was packed with elastic timber cushions to -preserve the stone when being rolled into the water, or in case of any -deflection in the vessel's length, which might occur through the waves. -The casing was made water-tight, and the greatest care had to be taken -to have the column quite in the centre of the cylinder, where it was -fastened in position. - -[Illustration: _From a_] AT THE BRINK. [_Photo._] - -For the purpose of getting it into the water, large wooden wheels, -16-1/2ft. in diameter, were put on either end, and planks were laid for -it to roll down. From heavy lighters lying in the bay, wire ropes were -taken and wrapped many times round the cylinder. Also from the land side -ropes were secured to it, in case, when set in motion, it went off at -too great a speed, and thus the ropes could check that fault. On August -28th, 1877, all was ready for the launch. Unfortunately, the morning -commenced with a thick fog, which only cleared away as the day wore on. - -[Illustration: _From a_] REPAIRING THE HOLE MADE BY THE ROCK. [_Photo._] - -A great crowd of people gathered to witness the interesting event. All -being in readiness, the winches on board the lighters worked the ropes -connected with the encased Needle, and it commenced to gradually move -towards the water, but the movement was so slow that it could scarcely -be detected. After some hours it had only made one complete turn on its -wheels. It was then proved that the vessels from which the wire ropes -were worked were not able to hold their ground against the strain, but -were dragging their anchors. Two tugs which had been standing by in -readiness to give help if required were called into service, and being -connected with the cylinder towed it until she moved a little farther -into the water, but although the tugs steamed at full power they could -not move the heavy weight at any great speed. The planking ended by an -incline into the water, and divers had been previously employed in -removing shoals from the intended course to prevent any mishap. When the -cylinder was brought to the edge of the railway, so to call it, the idea -was that it would roll down the incline and slip off easily into the -water. - -[Illustration: _From a_] LAUNCHED. [_Photo._] - -[Illustration: _From a_] PUTTING ON THE TOP-FITTINGS IN DOCK. [_Photo._] - -All the first day was employed in bringing it to the foot of the -incline, and at night it was left in no greater depth of water than 3ft. -Next morning the tugs again were at work trying to move it into deep -water, but after making one full revolution it stuck, and although the -tugs continued to tow all day it remained immovable. - -[Illustration: _From a_] FAREWELL TO ALEXANDRIA. [_Photo._] - -On the third day divers discovered that a hidden stone weighing half a -ton had pierced the plates, and making a hole had allowed the water to -rush in and fill the cylinder. It took some days to repair the damage -made by the rock, but after that was done it was successfully floated -and towed round to the harbour, where final arrangements were made for -the sea voyage. A cabin house and rail were fixed on top, two bilge -keels 40ft. long were riveted one on either side, a mast and rudder -placed, and twenty tons of iron ballast were put in her. It was manned -by a crew of five Maltese and an English captain. The time occupied -from beginning to encase it until the completion was about three and a -half months. - -A suitable steamer of sufficient size and power was found in the ss. -_Olga_, belonging to Messrs. Wm. Johnson and Co., of Liverpool. The -craft, which was named the _Cleopatra_, was now ready for sea. It was -designed not to travel faster than five or six knots an hour, as greater -speed might be disastrous. The _Olga_, towing the _Cleopatra_, set sail -from Alexandria on the 21st September, 1877. - -For the first twenty days all was prosperous and uneventful, but on the -morning of Sunday, the 14th October, when in the Bay of Biscay, a squall -arose, which towards noon developed into a gale. The _Cleopatra_, -however, stood the gale well, not shipping enough water to do any -serious harm until about six o'clock on the evening of the same day, -when a big sea caught her, turning her completely on her beam ends and -carrying away her mast. - -[Illustration: ON THE THAMES EMBANKMENT. - -_From a Photo. kindly lent by C. H. Mabey, Esq., Sculptor of Sphinxes -and Pedestal._] - -A desperate effort was made to right her, but without success; a small -boat was lowered, but to no purpose, and the captain of the _Olga_ at -this point, seeing the danger all were in, thought it wisest to -disconnect the two vessels, and so the cylinder was cut adrift. A little -later, the wind having fallen, the _Cleopatra_ signalled for assistance, -and the crew of the _Olga_, pitying the distress of their -fellow-sailors, volunteered to put off in a boat and go to their rescue. -The captain, thinking it would be a fruitless effort, advised them -against it, saying: "A boat could not live in such a sea." The second -officer, who had all along taken a keen interest in the welfare of the -_Cleopatra_, replied: "We can't leave the poor fellows to drown; and -now, lads, who will go with me?" He found five fine able-bodied men, in -the prime of life, were willing to share the risk, and a boat was -launched and put off; but before they could render any assistance a -great wave washed them away, and they were thus drowned in endeavouring -to save others. - -After a time a line was thrown from the _Olga_ over the _Cleopatra_, and -by means of it a boat was hauled from the one vessel to the other, and -the sailors on the Needle were saved. After spending some hours in -searching for signs of the lost boat and the _Cleopatra_, the captain of -the _Olga_ set sail for Falmouth, with the sad news of the enforced -abandonment in the Bay and the supposed loss of the Needle and men. - -When the news was heard in England, Mr. Dixon was of opinion that the -Needle would not sink when cast off, but would float, the only danger -being that she might be destroyed on rocks. His surmising was correct in -reference to it floating, for a telegram was received sixty days after -the news of its loss saying that the ss. _Fitzmaurice_, bound for -Valencia from Middlesbrough, had found and captured it ninety miles -north of Ferrol, and had towed it into Vigo in Spain, and it remained in -that harbour about three months. - -Sir James Ashbury, M.P., kindly offered the loan of his yacht, the -_Eothen_, to tow it home, but arrangements were finally made for the -_Anglia_ to do the work, and she arrived in England with the obelisk in -tow on the 20th January, 1878. - - - - -_Ivanka the Wolf-Slayer._ - -By Mark Eastwood. - - -The Prince threw the reins to his servant and sprang from the sledge. - -"Where is he?" demanded he. - -The Muzhik in the doorway of the hut stood bowing to the ground. He did -not presume to lift his eyes to the High Noble, but they had flashed up -like signal-fires at the words. Yet he affected not to understand. - -[Illustration: "IVANKA, MY LITTLE ONE, SLEW THE WOLF."] - -"Is it the old man, Ivan Ivanovitch, the High Noble would honour with -his commands?" he began. "His servant is full of regret----" - -"Bother Ivan Ivanovitch!" interrupted the Prince, impatiently. "What do -I want with your father? It is Ivanka, your son, I come to see--the -little one who slew the wolf. At least," he added quickly, with a shrug, -"so they say, but I do not believe it. Why, it is impossible! A child--a -mere puppy!" - -The Muzhik had thrown out his hands. He could contain himself no longer. -"The High Noble does not believe?" he cried, wildly. Then he rushed into -the house to return in a moment brandishing in one hand a knife, and in -the other holding aloft a shaggy hide. - -"The Noble Prince does not believe?" he repeated, and his eyes seemed to -emit sparks. "Let him behold the proofs. Ivanka, my little one, slew the -wolf, in very truth! Alone--alone he slew it!" - -As though a flash of electric fire had flown from the man's lips direct -to the hearts of his listeners, the faces of both flamed up. The man in -the sledge lifted his cap and crossed himself with fervent mutterings. -He passed the cuff of his coat across his wet, shining eyes. - -The Prince took the knife in his hand. Such a thing it was! You can buy -the like for twenty copeks (about sixpence) at any Russian fair. One of -the sort used by the Russian peasant to cut forage, having a crooked -blade and horn handle. It was stained, both blade and hilt, with blood. - -"I have bought another for use," observed the peasant. - -"It is wonderful," murmured the Prince, as he turned the knife about in -his hands. - -At this juncture a pair of excited black eyes, surmounted by a huge -_baranka_, peered round the corner of the hut, and as quickly vanished. - -Presently the Prince looked up. "But the boy!" he cried. "Let us see -this wonderful child and hear the story from his own lips." - -The peasant looked sharply round. - -"He was here even when the High Noble drew up. There is the hatchet and -the wood he was chopping. Ivanka! Ivanka! He has hidden himself, the -rascal." - -The Prince laughed. - -"Ivanka Ivanka!" almost shrieked the peasant. "I will teach you to run -and hide when the High Nobility come from far and near to see you! By -all the saints, if you do not instantly come forth from your hiding-hole -and relate the whole occurrence to the Noble Prince, I will break every -bone in your body!" - -Then it was that a coat of sheep's skin that just cleared the ground -emerged from behind the hut and moved slowly over the trodden snow to -within a few paces of the Prince. You could only tell by the shining -eyes and the tip of a small red nose that peeped between the high -stand-up collar that inside of it was a small boy. - -Where he stood the blood-red sun bathed him in heroic glory. Yet, in -spite of all, Ivanka the Wolf-Slayer had the mien of a fruit-stealing -culprit before the _Chinovnik_. The Prince regarded him with mock -severity. - -"What is this I hear of you, Ivanka?" he began. "They say that you have -slain a wolf!" - -Ivanka would have hung his head but that his collar prevented it. So he -dropped his eyes in guilty silence. The peasant, behind the Prince's -back, rubbed his hands and chuckled. - -"Come here," commanded the Prince, his moustached lip twitching with a -whimsical smile. - -The coat moved to the Prince's feet. Then the small boy inside it felt -himself caught up in strong arms and borne into the hut. - -Now, though it was a ruddy winter sunset outside, in the hut it was -quite gloomy. The window was very small. A dull yellow glow, like a big -bull's-eye, came from the open door of the stove, and a glimmer like a -glow-worm from the tiny lamp that burned before the Holy Image. The dim -outline of a woman with a child in her arms could be discerned by the -stove. She came forward as the Prince entered, and bending low raised -the hem of his fur mantle to her lips and silently returned to her seat. - -The Prince sat by the window, and Ivanka stood between his knees where -he had been placed. He trembled inside his sheep's skin. Yet it was a -gentle hand that lifted the _baranka_ from his curly head and raised his -chin. - -"How old are you, Ivanka?" inquired the Prince. - -"Ten years, Noble Prince," faltered the boy. But his eyes meeting those -of the Prince at that moment he ceased to tremble. And the longer he -looked the more comfortable he felt. - -"And you have slain a wolf?" continued the Prince. - -"Yes, Noble Prince." - -"And what had the wolf done to you, Ivanka, that you should have taken -his life?" - -"He had seized our little Minka and would have eaten her up." Ivanka -drew a sharp breath. - -"How terrible!" exclaimed the Prince. "But you--midge! How did you dare -to tackle such a foe? It is incredible! Come, tell me all about it. -Begin at the beginning, Ivanka." - -Ivanka gazed at the ground in silence. He twisted one leg round the -other, cracked all his knuckles in succession, but the words would not -come. - -"Speak, Ivanka, do," came a woman's coaxing voice from the gloom. "Tell -his High Nobility how it happened." - -Another pause, and at length in a shy, hesitating voice, Ivanka began:-- - -"Mother had gone to the town in the sledge, and father lay asleep on the -top of the stove. It was afternoon. I was minding Minka, and we played -at having a shop with the bits of pot from the mug Minka broke. Then I -remembered it was time to cut the fodder and feed the beasts, which I -can do as well as father now. So I took the fodder knife and stole out. -I left the door open a bit--not enough to let the cold in on father, but -enough to hear Minka if she cried. I had fed the cows in the byre and -had got to the corner of the house coming back, when I heard Minka -scream." - -As Ivanka uttered the last word his breath came fast. He tossed back his -locks with a sudden jerk of the head. Like a gladiator preparing for -combat, he threw out his chest, setting his teeth, whilst his small, -muscular fingers contracted, doubling in like the claws of a falcon. -Forgotten was the princely presence with that piteous appeal smiting his -ears. - -[Illustration: "I SPRANG FORWARD."] - -"I sprang forward," he continued, "and saw Minka. She was on the ground -just outside the door. And over her hung a monster, grim and terrible. -His wicked eyes gleamed red, and his cruel teeth were long and sharp. I -saw them as he lifted his bristling lip to seize her in his jowl." - -A dry sob rose in Ivanka's throat and made him pause. He coughed it -impatiently away. - -"It seemed to me then--just for a moment of horror--as though my limbs -were bound and I could not move, until the beast began to drag Minka -away. At the sight strength came to me, and with a yell I threw myself -upon him." - -"You were not afraid?" put in the Prince, who had never taken his eyes -off the boy since he began to speak. - -"I did not think of fear," replied Ivanka, "I thought of my poor little -Minka, and oh, how fiercely I hated the monster. Hate kills fear," he -added, reflectively. - -"And then?" inquired the Prince. - -"Oh, then he dropped Minka, and over and over we rolled in the snow, he -snarling and worrying my sheep's skin. He would soon have made an end of -me but for my sheep's skin." And the boy patted his breast and looked -himself over complacently. - -"And after?" the Prince again recalled him. - -"After that he shook me until my bones rattled in my skin. Then I was -under him and my mouth was full of his hair, and I was so spent that I -would have let him finish me. But Minka cried, 'Ivanka! Ivanka!' and it -seemed too hard to leave her. It was that moment I remembered that I -still grasped the knife. - -"How I struggled round between his mighty paws until my arm was free to -plunge the weapon in his throat I know not, but I felt the blood gush -out over my face. And then--and then, Minka's voice went farther and -farther away and I seemed to be falling as a star falls through the -air." - -As Ivanka ceased speaking, a half-stifled sob was heard from the -interior of the room. The Prince had covered his eyes with his hand as -though dazzled. Yet the sun had gone down and the place was more gloomy -than ever. The peasant stepped forward out of the shadows and stood -before the Prince in the dim light of the window. He took up the tale. - -[Illustration: "I STRUGGLED ROUND UNTIL MY ARM WAS FREE."] - -"It was the screams of the little one that awoke me, your High Nobility, -and I ran out. Ah, never shall I forget the sight that met my eyes! -There lay my little son, dabbled in blood, and beside him the wolf on -its back, kicking in death convulsions. When I picked up my Ivanka I -thought him dead, and my heart would have broken had he not at once -opened his eyes. - -"'Minka,' he whispered, 'is she hurt?' - -"'My darling, no,' I answered. 'She screams too lustily to be hurt.' - -"'And the wolf?' He raised his head from my shoulder and looked wildly -around. - -"'He is dead. You have slain him, my hero,' I assured him. - -"Then he shut his eyes with a great sigh. - -"'Let me sleep, father,' he murmured. 'I am so tired.'" - -The peasant chuckled. "He was played out, my little wolf-slayer. The -Noble Prince should have seen how he lay like a sack, and slept and -slept!" - -Meanwhile Ivanka had grown shy again and gazed wistfully towards the -door. But the Prince still held him between his knees. Even when he rose -to go, the High Noble detained the boy with a hand on his head. - -"Give him to me," he said to the peasant. "Let me take him with me when -I go to Petersburg. I will make a great man of him. He shall be a -soldier and fight for the Czar." - -There was dead silence. The peasant's face had gone crimson. His eyes -flew to his son and held him in jealous regard. - -"Will you go with me, Ivanka, you wolf-slayer, to help keep the human -wolves from invading the dominions of the Czar? You shall be taught with -the sons of the highest in the land, and shall wear the uniform of an -Imperial cadet." - -Ivanka raised solemn eyes to the face that was bent towards him. It was -a noble face, handsome and benign, and imposing against the swelling -sable of the high collar. - -"He is great and good and beautiful, like my patron saint, Ivan," he -thought. Something stirred in the gloom of the hut, and quickly Ivanka -turned to where his mother sat with the sleeping Minka in her lap. His -lip began to quiver. - -The peasant found his tongue. "Give him time, Noble Prince," he -faltered, huskily, and he too looked towards the crouching figure by the -stove. "It is a great thing the High Noble offers, but the boy is very -young." - -"Take your time," replied the Prince. "In the spring I shall return. -Then, since you are sensible people, he will be ready to go." - -[Illustration: "THE GREAT MAN PRESSED A ROLL OF NOTES INTO HIS HAND."] - -With these words the great man stooped and kissed Ivanka, pressing a -roll of notes into his hand. From the door Ivanka watched the Prince -depart. He gazed after the fine sledge with its prancing horses as they -sped, swift as the wind, towards the wonderful, mysterious city of the -Great Czar. When it had disappeared and the merry jingle of the silver -bells no longer reached his ear it was to him as though a bright -noontide sun had suddenly dropped from the heavens. And there and then a -feeling of longing after greater things crept into his valiant little -heart. - -"You shall decide for yourself, my son," said the peasant. And the -mother hid her grief because she wished Ivanka to be a great man. - -Thus it was that when the spring came to stir the sap in the trees and -release the ice-bound brooks, at the return of the Prince, Ivanka was -ready to go. - - - - -_In Nature's Workshop._ - -II.--FALSE PRETENCES. - -By Grant Allen. - - -Human life and especially human warfare are rich in deceptions, wiles, -and stratagems. We dig pitfalls for wild beasts, carefully concealed by -grass and branches; we take in the unsuspecting fish with artificial -flies, or catch them with worms which conceal a hook treacherously -barbed for their surer destruction. The savage paints his face and -sticks feathers in his hair so that he may look more terrifying to his -expected enemy; civilized men mask their batteries, and sometimes even -paint muzzles of imaginary guns in the spaces between the gaping mouths -of the real ones. _Chevaux de frise_ block the way to points liable to -attack; real troops lie in ambush and dart out unexpectedly in the rear -of the assailants. Trade in like manner is full of shams--a fact which I -need hardly impress by means of special examples. But Nature we are -usually accustomed to consider as innocent and truthful. Alas, too -trustfully: for Nature too is a gay deceiver. There is hardly a device -invented by man which she has not anticipated: hardly a trick or ruse in -his stock of wiles which she did not find out for herself long before he -showed her. - -I propose in this paper to examine a few cases of such natural -deceptions--not indeed the most striking or typical, but such as occur -among fairly well-known English plants and animals. And I shall begin -with our familiar and unsavoury old friend, the Devil's Coach-horse. - -[Illustration: 1.--A BATTLE ROYAL: SCORPION V. SPIDER: THE SCORPION -STRIKING.] - -In order fully to understand his mode of procedure, however, I must -first call your attention to another animal which really _is_ what the -Devil's Coach-horse mendaciously pretends to be: and that is the common -scorpion. His mode of fighting is well known to most of us. In -illustration No. 1 Mr. Enock has given us a delineation of a frantic -death-struggle between such a scorpion and a large and powerful southern -spider. The venomous creature with the stinging tail is on the left; the -spider is on the right. As far as mere size goes, the antagonists are -fairly well matched: but the scorpion is the best armed, both with -offensive and defensive armour. His lobster-like or crab-like claws -enable him to hold his enemy's limbs in his grip as in a vice: then, at -the critical moment, he bends over his tail, in the extremity of which -his sting is situated, and plunges it with force through the -comparatively slight skin of the spider's body or thorax, injecting at -the same moment a pungent drop of his deadly poison. This characteristic -action of the scorpion in curving its tail over its body and raising its -sting in a menacing attitude is well known to birds and other enemies -of the species: often the mere threat of a thrust is a sufficient -deterrent: the dangerous beast just elevates its poisonous appendage or -assumes an angry mien, and the inquisitive intruder is frightened away -immediately. It is the same with ourselves. The bare sight of that -uplifted sting suffices to repel us. Even a child who saw a scorpion -once arch its back and prepare to strike with its reversed tail would -instinctively understand that there was danger ahead, and would withdraw -its hand before the venomous creature had time to pounce upon it. - -Owing to these unamiable personal traits of the scorpion race, it is not -popular among other animals. But to be feared is to be respected; and -scorpions for the most part are left severely alone, under the stones -where they love to lurk, by the various denizens of the districts they -inhabit. Now, it is a fact in nature as in human life that to be -successful is to have many imitators. Thus a number of harmless flies -dress up like wasps in black and yellow bands, and so escape the too -pressing attentions of insect-eating birds and other enemies. They have -no stings, to be sure, but they look so like the wasps, and flaunt about -so fearlessly in their borrowed uniform, that they are universally taken -for the insects they mimic; even the cautious entomologist himself -stares at them twice and makes quite sure of his specimen before he -ventures to lay hands on any such doubtful masquerader. I hope in a -future article to give some further account (with illustrations) of -these facts of _mimicry_, as it is called: for the present we will stick -close to our text, the Devil's Coach-horse. For this familiar English -beetle is an imitator of the scorpion, and obtains immunity from the -attack of enemies to a great extent by pretending to powers which are -not his in reality. - -[Illustration: 2.--THE DEVIL'S COACH-HORSE IN HIS HOURS OF EASE.] - -In No. 2 we have a portrait of the Coach-horse in his hours of ease, -seen from above, engaged in doing nothing in particular. He does not -_look_ like a flying insect, but he is. He has a long pair of wings -tucked away in folds under his horny wing-cases, and he can use them -with great effect, for he is one of our swiftest and strongest -fliers--the long-distance champion, I almost fancy, among the beetles of -England, unless indeed the tiger-beetle be pitted against him. But when -crawling on the ground, and attacked or menaced, he does not take to -flight or show the white feather: being a pugnacious and spirited little -beast, he bridles up at once, and endeavours incontinently to terrify -his assailant. In No. 2 you see him from above when he is merely engaged -in crawling along the ground, looking as mild as milk, and as gentle as -any sucking dove: you would hardly suppose he could show fight or raise -his hand--I mean his antennæ--to injure anyone. But in No. 3 he is -represented in his favourite act of attacking a caterpillar: for he is -really a very voracious and courageous carnivore. In the autumn, when -Devil's Coach-horses are usually most abundant, you can easily catch -them by putting a piece of meat or a dead frog under an empty -flower-pot, and then tilting the edge up with a stone, so that the -beetles can crawl in and get at the food thus temptingly laid out for -them. - -[Illustration: 3.--THE DEVIL'S COACH-HORSE SAMPLING A CATERPILLAR.] - -If you disturb the Coach-horse, however, while he is engaged in eating -his quiet meal, or even when he is walking at leisure along a country -road, he puts himself at once into his "terrifying" attitude, and -imitates the scorpion. No. 4 exhibits him in this military character, -cocking up his tail and pretending he can sting--which is only his brag: -he just does it to frighten you. But the attitude is so exactly like -that of the scorpion, that it almost always produces an immediate -effect: hardly anybody likes to molest a Devil's Coach-horse. If you put -down your hand to touch him, and he rears in response, ten to one you -will withdraw it in alarm at sight of him. In England these beetles -often enough find their way into larders or cellars, seeking whom or -what they may devour; and when the servants light upon them, they almost -invariably decline to touch them: there is a general opinion about that -the ugly and threatening black beasts are uncanny and poisonous, or else -why should they turn up their tails at you in such an insulting fashion? - -[Illustration: 4.--THE DEVIL'S COACH-HORSE PRETENDS TO BE A SCORPION.] - -"But," you may object, "there are no scorpions in England: how then can -the Devil's Coach-horse be benefited by imitating an animal which he has -never seen, and of whose very existence he has not been able to read in -pretty picture books?" Your objection has some force--though not so much -as you imagine. It is quite true that there are no scorpions in England; -but then, there are Devil's Coach-horses in many other countries, and -the habit of tail-cocking need not necessarily have been acquired in -these islands of Britain. That is not all, however: it suffices the -beetle if the tactics it adopts happen to frighten and repel its -enemies, no matter why. Now, in the first place, many of our migratory -birds go in winter to Southern Europe and Africa--especially the -insect-eaters, which can find no food in frozen weather. The hard-billed -seed-eaters and fruit-eaters remain with us, but the soft-billed kinds -retire to warmer climates, where food is plentiful. Of course, however, -it is just these insect-eating birds that the Devil's Coach-horse has -most to fear from. The birds must be quite familiar with the habits and -manners of scorpions in their southern homes; and they are not likely to -inquire closely whether the dangerous beast they know on the -Mediterranean has, or has not been scheduled in Britain. We all of us -dislike and distrust any insect that resembles a bee or wasp, and that -buzzes or hums in a hostile manner: we give all such creatures a wide -berth, wherever found, on the bare off-chance that they may turn out to -be venomous--be hornets or so forth. Just in the same way, a bird, when -it sees an unknown black beastie cock up its tail and assume a -threatening attitude, is not likely to inquire too curiously whether or -not it is really a scorpion: the bare suspicion of a sting is quite -enough to warn it off from interfering with any doubtful customer. -Moreover, in the second place, even those birds or men who have never -seen a scorpion at all are yet sure to be alarmed when an insect sticks -up its forked tail menacingly, and shows fight, instead of skulking or -flying away. As a general rule, if any animal makes signs of resistance, -we take it for granted he has adequate arms or weapons to resist with: -and so this mere dumb-show of being a sort of scorpion proves quite -sufficient to protect the Devil's Coach-horse from the majority of his -enemies. - -I ought to add that while our beetle thus frightens larger enemies, he -is actively and offensively objectionable to small ones. The main use of -his tail, indeed, is for folding away his wings, much as the earwig -folds hers by aid of her pincers. But the Devil's Coach-horse makes it -serve a double purpose. For he has a couple of yellow scent-glands in -his tail, which secrete an unpleasant and acrid aromatic substance. -These scent-glands are protruded in No. 4: you can just see them at the -tip of the tail; and if the annoyance to which the beetle is subjected -seems to call for their intervention, a drop of the volatile body they -distil is set free, and is at once discharged in the face of the enemy. -Such a manoeuvre is in essence like that of the skunk: it is defence by -means of a nasty odour, and it occurs not only in the Coach-horse's -case, but also among a number of beetles and other insects. - -The odd little creatures known as Bombardier Beetles are still quainter -in their habits: they carry the last-mentioned mode of defence to an -even greater pitch of perfection. For, like miniature artillery-men, -they actually fire off a regular volley of explosive gas in the faces of -their pursuers. The gas is secreted as a liquid; but it is very -volatile, and it vaporizes at once on contact with the air, so as to -form a small, white cloud of pungent smoke, resembling in its effects -nitric acid. Our native English species of Bombardier roams about in -large flocks or regiments: and when one member of a clan is disturbed, -all the other beetles of the company let off their artillery at once, so -that the scattered volley has something the appearance of platoon -firing. The chief enemy of the Bombardiers is a much larger and very -handsome carnivorous beetle known as Calosoma. When this insect tiger -hunts down a single Bombardier, and has almost caught him, the fugitive -waits till his pursuer is quite close, and then salutes him with a -discharge of fire-arms: the pungent gas gets into the Calosoma's eyes -and mouth and distracts him for a moment; and the Bombardier escapes in -the midst of the confusion thus caused, under cover of the cloud he -himself has exploded. That is the most highly evolved mode of defence of -which I know among the British insects. - -There are few creatures, again, which one would so little suspect of any -attempt to bully and bluff others as the soft-bodied caterpillars. They -are as a rule so plump and squashy and defenceless: a mere peck from a -bird's beak is enough to kill them, for when once their tight, thin skin -is broken, were it but with a pin-prick, all the flabby contents burst -out at once in the messiest fashion. Yet even caterpillars, strange to -say, have their tricks of terrifying. They pretend to be dangerous -characters. I will set out with some of the simplest and least developed -cases, and then pass on to a more complex and wily class of deceivers. - -To begin with, I must premise that two sets of caterpillars have two -different ways of evading the unpleasant notice of birds and other -insect-eaters. One way is that adopted by the common "woolly-bear," a -great hairy caterpillar, frequent in gardens, and covered from head to -tail with long needles or bristles. These prickly points make the -creature into a sort of insect hedgehog; birds refuse to touch him, -because the serried spikes, which to us are mere hairs, seem to them -perfect spines or thorns, sticking into their tongues and throats, or -clogging their gizzards. Protected caterpillars like the woolly-bears -live quite openly, exposed on the leaves and branches of their -food-plant; they are not afraid of being seen: nay, they rather court -observation than shun it, because they know nobody will attack them. The -porcupine has no need to run away like the rabbit. Similar tactics are -also adopted by many nasty-tasting caterpillars, in whose bodies natural -selection has developed bitter or unpleasant juices. These caterpillars -are rejected by birds and lizards--the great enemies of the race--and -therefore they find it worth while to clothe themselves in gaudy and -conspicuous red or yellow bands, so as to advertise all comers of their -inedible qualities. Whenever you see such brilliantly-attired grubs -(like those of the Magpie Moth, so common on gooseberry-bushes--a -striking creature tricked out in belts of black and orange), you may be -sure of two things: first, they live openly and undisguisedly on the -leaves of their food-plant, without any attempt at mean concealment; and -second, they are nasty to the taste, and therefore rejected as food by -insect-eating animals. Now and then a young and inexperienced bird may -eat one, to be sure; but it never tries twice, and the solitary martyr -is sacrificed for the good of the race. Their bright colours and gaudy -bands are just advertisements, as it were, of their inedible qualities. -For, of course, nasty taste would do a caterpillar no good if the bird -had always to sample it before rejecting it; the broken skin alone would -be enough to kill it. Hence almost all uneatable caterpillars have -acquired bright colours by natural selection--that is to say, by the -less bright being continuously devoured or killed; and birds on their -side have learned to know (after one trial, or, perhaps, even before it -by inherited instinct) that red or yellow bands and belts in -caterpillars are the outward and visible sign of uneatableness. - -The second group or set of caterpillars is edible and tasty: it, -therefore, governs itself accordingly, and has recourse to the exactly -opposite tactics. Caterpillars of this class are smooth and naked: they -never have the brilliant "warning colours" of the nasty-tasted kinds: -and they show a marked absence of the beautiful metallic sheen, the -strange melting iridescent hues and spots which add beauty to the charms -of so many among the uneatable species. Such fat and smooth-skinned -edible caterpillars are, of course, very tempting juicy morsels to birds -and other insect-eating animals. Their motions, like those of all grubs, -are slow; and if they lived exposed on their food-plants, after the -fashion of the protected hairy and bitter kinds, they would all he eaten -up before they had time to turn into moths or butterflies. Here, -therefore, natural selection has produced the contrary result from that -which it produces among protected kinds. Caterpillars of this edible -type which showed themselves too openly and imprudently have got picked -off by birds, like sentries and pickets who make themselves too -conspicuous to the enemy's sharpshooters. Only the most prudent, modest, -and retiring grubs have survived to become moths or butterflies, and so -be the parents of future generations, to whom they hand on their own -peculiarities. In this way the edible caterpillars have acquired at last -a fixed hereditary instinct of lurking under leaves, or in dark spots, -and never showing themselves openly. The larvæ of the butterfly group as -a whole thus fall into two great classes (as far as regards habits -alone, I mean): the _protected_, which are either hairy or nasty, and -which flaunt themselves openly; and the _unprotected_, which lurk and -skulk, endeavouring to escape notice as sedulously as their rivals the -protected endeavour to attract it. - -Nor is that all. It would clearly be useless for a bright red or yellow -caterpillar to hide under a green leaf, and then suppose by that simple -device he was going to escape observation. Birds are always looking out -for insects under leaves. The consequence is that skulking or lurking -caterpillars are soon found out by sharp-eyed and hungry enemies, unless -they closely resemble the foliage or stems upon which they lie. From -generation to generation, accordingly, the less imitative insects get -eaten, and the more imitative spared: so that nowadays, most unarmed -caterpillars are green like the leaves or grey like the stems, and are -even provided with markings of light and shade upon their skins which -mimic the distribution of light and shade among the ribs and veins of -the surrounding foliage. Such deceptive leaf-like caterpillars are -always very difficult to find: so that careless observers as a rule know -only those of the other type, the great hairy "woolly-bears" and the -brilliant red and yellow-banded bitter kinds; they never observe the -unobtrusive green and brown sorts, which harmonize so admirably with -their native tree in colour and markings. - -[Illustration: 5.--CATERPILLAR OF THE BROAD-BORDERED BEE-HAWK TRYING TO -LOOK ALARMING.] - -Many greenish caterpillars, however, when discovered and disturbed, fall -back on their second line of defence: they endeavour to frighten their -enemies by devices closely similar to those of the Devil's Coach-horse. -The caterpillar of the Broad-bordered Bee-hawk, for example, forms a -good instance of a very simple stage in the development of such -brazen-faced "terrifying" tactics. This warlike grub is shown in No. 5, -trying on its simple little attempt to make itself alarming. Though by -no means an uncanny-looking or appalling insect, it will rear itself up -on its haunches (so to speak) when attacked, raising the fore part of -its body erect with a sudden jerk, and holding its head high, as if it -meant to bite or sting, so as to give itself as formidable an aspect as -possible. The mild ruse succeeds, too; for birds will eye the harmless -creature askance when it attempts this evolution, putting their heads on -one side, and ruffling their crests in evident terror. The attitude is -all a simple piece of bluff, to be sure, but _it pays_; indeed, bluff -in warfare is often more than half the battle. If you put on a bold face -in a row, and seem able to take care of yourself, people are apt to -think you have a knife up your sleeve, and therefore to refrain from -unnecessarily annoying you. - -The cunning caterpillar which finally develops into the Privet Hawk-moth -has a slightly more evolved mode of purely theatrical frightening. You -see him in No. 6, a full-fed specimen, just ready to turn at once into a -chrysalis. This grub feeds usually on the vivid leaves of the privet; he -is therefore protectively coloured a bright green, like that of the -foliage about him. "But why those great purple stripes on his sides?" -you will ask. "Surely they must make him an easy mark for birds?" Not at -all: please notice that they run obliquely. There is method in that -obliquity. When the caterpillar is smaller, he lurks unseen on the -under-side of the leaves, and this pattern of oblique purplish lines -exactly imitates the general effect of the shadows cast by the ribs--so -much so, that if you look for him on a privet-tree in spring, I doubt -whether you will find him till I point him out to you. Even when he -waxes fat and full fed, the purple stripes still aid him more or less by -breaking up the large green surface into smaller areas, as Professor -Poulton has well noticed. He harmonizes better so with the broken masses -of the leaves about him. Then again, when the time arrives for him to -turn into a chrysalis, he descends to the ground, which, under a -thickly-leaved privet bush, is most often brown. So, just as he is -coming of age and reaching the proper moment for migration, his back all -at once begins to turn brown, in order that he may be less observed as -he walks about on the stem; while by the time he is quite ready to take -to the earth he has grown brown all over, thus matching the soil in -which he has next to bury himself. You could hardly have a better -example of the sort of colour-change which often accompanies altered -habits of living. - -[Illustration: 6.--FULL-GROWN CATERPILLAR OF THE PRIVET HAWK-MOTH, -SIMILARLY OCCUPIED.] - -In the illustration, however, you see this really harmless and -undefended grub in the act of trying to pretend he is poisonous. He is -now mature, and the stripes on his sides stand out conspicuously as he -walks on the stem. A sparrow threatens him. He retorts by showing -fight--fallaciously and deceptively, for he has nothing to fight with. -He lifts his head with an aggressive air, and throws himself about from -side to side, as if he knew he could bite, and meant to do it. He also -lashes his tail in pretended anger--"I would have you to know, Sir Bird, -I am not to be trifled with!" The empty demonstration usually succeeds: -the sparrow gets alarmed and believes he means it. This policy is, in -essence, that commonly known as "spirited": it consists in trying to -frighten your enemy instead of fighting him. - -The oddly-marked caterpillar of the Puss Moth carries the same plan of -campaign to a much more artistic pitch. This very quaint insect is -common on willows and poplars in England, and is on the whole -protectively coloured. Black at first, it looks like a mere speck or -spot on the leaf; as it grows, it becomes gradually greener, relieved -with broad purple patches on the back, which produce the effect of lines -and shadows. When quite full-grown, as seen in No. 7, the adult -caterpillar generally rests at ease on the twigs of the willow-tree. Our -illustration shows it in this final stage of its larval life, just -taking alarm and humping its back at the approach of some bird or other -enemy. If the alarm continues, it goes through a most curious series of -evolutions, admirably shown by Mr. Enock in No. 8. Here, the little -beast is altogether on the defensive: it withdraws its head into the -first ring of the body, and inflates the margin, which is bright red in -colour. Two black spots, which are not really eyes, but which look -absurdly eye-like, now give it a grotesque and terrifying appearance. In -fact, the inflated ring resembles a hideous grinning mask, and gives the -impression of a face with eyes, nose, and mouth, like that of some -uncanny creeping creature. But the apparent face is not a face at all: -it is artfully made up of lines and spots on the skin of the body. At -the same time that the caterpillar thus assumes its mask, it stands on -its eight hind legs as erect as it can, and whips out two pink bristles -or tentacles from the forked prongs at the end of its tail--you can see -them in the picture. It then bends forward the tail, and brandishes or -waves about these pink bristles over its false head, so as to present -altogether a most gruesome aspect. Indeed, even Mr. Enock's vigorous -sketch of the little brute in its tragic moments does not quite convey -the full effect of its acting in the absence of colour: for the bright -red margin and the swishing pink switches add not a little to the -telling smirk and black goggle-eyes of the mask-like face thus produced -_in terrorem_. - -[Illustration: 7.--CATERPILLAR OF THE PUSS MOTH PREPARING FOR ACTION.] - -That is not all, either. The Puss Moth caterpillar has a rapid trick of -facing about abruptly in the direction of the enemy as if it meant to -bite: and this trick is always most disconcerting. If ever so lightly -touched, it instantly assumes the terrifying attitude, and presents its -pretended face to the astonished aggressor. From a harmless caterpillar -it becomes all at once a raging bulldog. Touch it on the other side, and -it faces round like lightning in the opposite direction. Professor -Poulton tried the effect of its grimace on a marmoset, and found the -marmoset was afraid to touch the mysterious creature. We are not -marmosets, but I notice that most human beings recoil instinctively from -a Puss Moth caterpillar when it assumes its mask. Even if you _know_ it -is harmless, there is something very alarming in its rapid twists and -turns, and in the persistent way in which it grins and spits at you. - -[Illustration: 8.--THE SAME CATERPILLAR TERRIFYING AN ENEMY.] - -Really spits, too; for the insect has a gland in its head which ejects, -at need, an irritating fluid. If this fluid gets into your eyes, they -smart most unpleasantly. It contains formic acid, and is strong enough -to be exceedingly stinging and painful. The discharge repels lizards, -and probably also birds, who are among the chief enemies of this as of -other caterpillars. - -The deadliest foe of the Puss Moth larva, however, is the ichneumon-fly, -a parasitic creature, which lays its eggs in living caterpillars, and -lets its grubs hatch out inside them, so as to devour the host from -within in the most ruthless fashion. There are many kinds of -ichneumon-fly, some of them very minute: the one which attacks the Puss -Moth in its larval stage is a comparatively big one. The fly lays its -eggs behind the caterpillar's head, where the victim is powerless to -dislodge them. In all probability the defensive attitude and the shower -of formic acid are chiefly of use against these parasitic foes: for when -an ichneumon-fly appears, the caterpillar assumes his "terrifying" -attitude the moment it touches him, and faces full round to the foe with -his false mask inflated. A very small quantity of the formic acid -Professor Poulton found sufficient to kill an ichneumon: and there can -be little doubt that this is its main object. - -[Illustration: 9.--CATERPILLARS OF THE LOBSTER MOTH DEMONSTRATING IN -FORCE BEFORE THE HOSTILE BATTALIONS.] - -The last of these "bluffing" caterpillars with which I shall deal here -is that of the Lobster Moth. In No. 9 you see a couple of these quaint -and unwieldy creatures "demonstrating" before an enemy, as if he were -the Sultan. The Lobster Moth in its larval stage frequents beech-trees, -and you will see in the illustration that the two represented are on a -twig of beech. When at rest, the caterpillar resembles a curled and -withered beech-leaf, and by this unconscious mimicry escapes detection. -But when discovered and roused to battle, oh, then he imitates the -action of the spider. He holds up his short front legs in a menacing -attitude, so as to suggest a pair of frightful gaping jaws: the four -long legs behind these he keeps wide apart and makes them quiver with -rage in the most alarming pantomimic indignation. His tail he turns -topsy-turvy over his head like a scorpion; while the forked appendages -at its end seem like frightful stings, with which he is just about to -inflict condign punishment on whoever has dared to disturb his quiet. -But it is all mere brag, though the whole effect is extremely -terrifying. The performance does not, indeed, mimic any particular -venomous beast, but it suggests most appalling and paralyzing -possibilities. Many of these queer attitudes, indeed, owe their -impressiveness just to their grotesque simulation of one knows not quite -what: they are not definite and special, they are worse than that; they -appeal to the imagination. And if only you reflect how afraid we often -feel of the most harmless insects, merely because they _look_ frightful, -you will readily understand that such vague appeals to the imagination -may be far more effectual than any real sting could ever be. We dread -the unknown even more than the painful. - -The funniest of all these false pretences, however, is one which Hermann -Müller, I believe, was the first to point out in this same Lobster Moth -caterpillar. When very much bothered by ichneumon-flies (to whose -attacks it is particularly exposed), this bristling beast displays, for -the first time, two black patches on its side, till then concealed by a -triangular flap. Now, these patches closely resemble the sort of wound -made by the ichneumon when it deposits its eggs, so it is probable that -they serve to take in the assailant, who is thus led to think that -another fly of her own kind has been before her, and, therefore, that it -is no use laying her eggs where a previous parasite is already in -possession. There would not be enough Lobster Moth to feed _two_ hungry -ichneumon families. In fact, the caterpillar first begins by bluffing, -and says, "If you touch me, I bite!" then, finding the bluff -unsuccessful, it further pretends to throw up the sponge, and cries out -with a bounce: "Oh, if egg-laying is your game, _that's_ no good: I'm -already occupied!" For a combination of wiles, this crafty double game -probably "licks creation." - -If the defenders are so cunning, however, the attackers can sometimes -turn the tables upon them. Animals that hunt often disguise themselves, -in order to avoid the notice of the prey, and so steal unobserved upon -their victims. Such tactics are like those of the Kaffirs, who cut bits -of bush, and then creep up slowly, slowly behind them, under cover of -the branches, upon the gnus or antelopes which they wish to slaughter. -In No. 10 we have one example of this method of hunting or stalking, as -pursued by the intelligent English grass-spider. All spiders, of course, -have eight legs, four on each side; but in most of the class, the -various pairs of legs are evenly distributed, so as to lie about the -body in a rough circle or something like it. The grass-spider, however, -has his own views on this important matter. His form and attitude are -quite peculiar. He lies in wait for his prey on the open, crouched -against a stem of grass, with his two front pairs of legs extended -before him, and his back pair behind, in an arrangement which is rather -linear than circular. This position makes him almost invisible--much -more invisible in real life, indeed, than you see him in the drawing; -for if he were represented as inconspicuous as he looks you would say -there was no spider there at all, only a naked grass-stem. The delusion -is heightened by his lines and colours: he is mostly green or greenish, -with narrow black or brown stripes which run more or less up and down -his body, instead of cross-wise as usual, so that they harmonize -beautifully with the up-and-down lines of the blades and stem in the -tuft which he inhabits. When he is pressed close against a bent of -grass, on the look-out for flies, it is almost impossible for the -quickest eye to distinguish him. Flies come near, never suspecting the -presence of their hereditary foe; as soon as they are close to him, the -grass-spider rushes out with a dash and secures them. His jaws are among -the most terrible in all his terrible race: they are large and -wide-spreading, with two rows of teeth on either side, and a pair of -long fangs of truly formidable proportions. - -[Illustration: 10.--GRASS-SPIDER, IN AMBUSH FOR FLIES.] - -In other ways, also, this particular spider is a clever fellow, for he -lives near water; but when the rains are heavy and there is likely to be -a flood, he shifts his quarters higher up the ground, and so escapes -impending inundation. - -Deceptions and false pretences of this sort are somewhat less common -among plants than among animals; but still, they occur, and that not -infrequently. "What? Plants deceive?" you cry. "The innocent little -flowers? How can they do it? Surely that is impossible!" By no means. I -have watched plant life pretty closely for a good many years now, and -every year the conviction is forced upon me more and more profoundly -that whatever animals do, plants do almost equally. There is no vile -trick or ruse or stratagem that they cannot imitate: no base deception -that they will not practise. They lie and steal with the worst; they -hold out false baits for deluded insects, and hide real fly-traps with -honeyed words and sweet secretions. - -As a good illustration among English plants, look at the Grass of -Parnassus, that beautiful, dishonest bog-herb, with glossy-green leaves -and pure white blossoms, which is considered the especial guerdon of -poets. I found a whole nest of it once in a swamp near Cromer, and -carried off a bunch of the lovely flowers as an appropriate offering to -Mr. Swinburne who was stopping at Sidestrand. Yet this poet's flower, -dainty and delicate as it is--you see in No. 11 its counterfeit -presentment--is not ashamed to deceive the poor bees and flies in a way -which the Heathen Chinee would have considered unsportsmanlike. It is a -sham, a commercial sham of the worst type. It lives for the most part on -wet moors among mountains, or else in the boggy hollows between blown -sand-hills by the sea: and when its milk-white flowers star the ground -in such spots, it forms one of the loveliest ornaments of our English -flora. But trust it not, oh butterfly: it is fooling thee! From a -distance, it looks as if it were full of honey; it advertises well: but -at close quarters 'tis a wooden nutmeg; it turns out to be nothing -better than an arrant humbug. - -[Illustration: 11.--GRASS OF PARNASSUS, DISPLAYING AND ADVERTISING ITS -IMITATION HONEY.] - -The deception is managed in this disgraceful fashion. Inside each petal -lies a curious ten or twelve-fingered organ, which is in reality an -abortive stamen. No. 12 shows you one such petal removed, with the false -honey-glands drawn on a larger scale than in the other illustration. The -ten-fingered stamen bears at its tip a number of translucent yellow -drops, which look like pure nectar. But they are nothing of the kind; I -regret to say, they are solid--solid--a commercial falsehood. They -glisten like drops: but they are mere glassy imitations; and they are -put there with intent to deceive, in order to attract flies and other -insects, which come to quaff the supposed nectar, and so unwittingly -fertilize the seeds, while they are muddling about perplexed among the -pretended honey-glands, without getting paid one sip for their toil and -trouble. This is, of course, a flagrant case of obtaining services under -false pretences; it deserves fourteen days' without the option of a -fine. As a rule, in similar cases, the flies are rewarded for their kind -offices as carriers by the merited wage of a drop of honey. But the -Grass of Parnassus, mendacious herb, pretends to be purveying a -specially fine quantity and quality of nectar, while in reality it -offers only a hard, glassy knob with nothing in it. This pays the plant, -of course, because the blossoms do not have to go on producing honey -fresh and fresh; a mere inexpensive show does just as well as the real -article: "Our customers like it!" but the language of the flies when -they discover the fraud is something just awful. - -[Illustration 12.--A SINGLE PETAL, TO SHOW THE CHARACTER OF THE SHAM -HONEY.] - -Nor is this by any means a solitary example of plant depravity. The -whole group of pitcher-plants, for instance, cruelly manure themselves -by means of living insects in the most treacherous fashion. These lovely -and wicked plants live, without exception, in wet and boggy soil, where -they cannot get enough animal matter for manure in the ordinary way by -the roots: so they lay themselves out instead to capture and absorb the -tissues of insects. For this horrid purpose, they twist their leaves -into deep pitchers which catch and hold the rain water, and so form -reservoirs to drown their prey. Then they entice insects by bright -colours to their traps, and allure them to enter by secreting honey at -the top of the pitcher. Hairs point downward inside; these allow the -flies to walk on to their fate, bribed as they go by lines of nectar: -but if they try to return, ah, then they find their mistake: the hairs -prevent them, after the fashion of a lobster-pot. Thus they walk on and -on till they reach the water, when they are swamped and clotted in a -decaying mass, from which the treacherous plant draws manure at last for -its own purposes. The pitchers are thus at once traps to catch animals, -and stomachs to digest them. - -Another and still odder case of deceptiveness in plants is shown by a -curious group of South African flowers, the Hydaoras and Stapelias. -These queer and malodorous herbs have very large and rather handsome but -fleshy blossoms, an inch or two across, dappled and spotted just like -decaying meat. They live in the dry and almost desert region, where -carrion-flies abound. Such flies lay their eggs and hatch out their -grubs for the most part in half-eaten carcasses of antelopes or smaller -animals killed and in part devoured by lions and other beasts of prey. -So the flowers have taken to imitating dead meat. They are a lurid red -in colour, with livid livery patches, and they have a strong and -unpleasant smell of decaying animal matter. The flies, deceived by the -scent, flock to them to lay their eggs, and in so doing carry out the -real object of the plant by fertilizing the blossoms. But, of course, -the whole thing is a vile sham; for when the maggots hatch out, the -flower has died, and there is no food for them, so they perish of -starvation. Dr. Blackmore, of Salisbury, once gave me some of these -curious plants and flowers: I noticed that in the sunlight, where they -smelt just like decomposing meat, they attracted dozens of bluebottle -flies and other carrion insects. - -Protective resemblance also occurs among plants: for in the same dry -South African region, where every green thing gets nibbled down in the -rainless season, certain ice-plants and milk-weeds have acquired the -trick of forming tubers or stems exactly like the pebbles among which -they grow: so that when the leaves die down in the dry weather, the -tuber is not distinguishable from the stones all round it. Such tubers -are really reservoirs of living material destined to carry the life of -the plant over the dead season: as soon as rain comes again, they put -forth fresh green leaves at once, and grow on after their sleep as if -nothing had happened. Even terrifying attitudes are not unknown in the -vegetable world: for one of the uses of the movements in the Sensitive -Plant is almost certainly to frighten animals. Browsing creatures that -come near the bushes in their native woods see the leaves shrink back -and curl up when touched, and are afraid to eat a tree that has so -evidently a spirit in it. The Squirting Cucumber of the Mediterranean, -again, alarms goats and cattle by discharging its ripe fruits -explosively in their faces the moment the stem is touched. In this case -the primary object is no doubt the dispersal of the seeds, which squirt -out elastically as the fruit jumps off; but to frighten browsing enemies -is a secondary advantage. There can be no question as to the reality of -the plant's hostile intention, because the fruits also contain a pungent -juice, which discharges itself at the same instant into the eyes of the -assailant. As I have received a volley of this irritating liquid more -than once in my own face (in the pursuit of science) I can testify -personally on the best of evidence that it is distinctly painful. The -tactics of the Squirting Cucumber in first frightening you, and then -injecting acrid juice into your eyes, are thus exactly similar to the -plan of action pursued by the angry larva of the Puss Moth. - - - - -_From Behind the Speaker's Chair._ - -XLVIII. - -(VIEWED BY HENRY W. LUCY.) - - -THE SEARCH FOR GUY FAWKES. - -[Illustration: A BEEF-EATER TEMP. HENRY VIII.] - -The proceedings at the opening of the forthcoming Session, the fifth in -the fourteenth Parliament of Queen Victoria, will be fully reported in -the morning papers. There is a proceeding preliminary to the Speaker's -taking the Chair which, from its history and character, is of necessity -conducted in secret. It is the search through the underground chambers -and passages of the House with design to frustrate any schemes in the -direction of a dissolution of Parliament that descendants or disciples -of Guy Fawkes may have in hand. The present generation has seen, more -especially when a Conservative Government have been in power, some -revolutionary changes in Parliamentary procedure. The solemn search -underneath the Houses of Parliament, preceding the opening of the -revolving Sessions ever since Gunpowder Plot, is still observed with all -the pomp and circumstance attached to it three hundred years ago. - -The investigation is conducted under the personal direction of the Lord -Great Chamberlain, who is answerable with his head for any miscarriage. -When a peer comes newly to the office he makes a point of personally -accompanying the expedition. But, though picturesque, and essential to -the working of the British Constitution, it palls in time, and the Lord -Great Chamberlain, relying upon the discretion, presence of mind, and -resource of his Secretary, usually leaves it to him. Oddly enough, the -House of Commons is not officially represented at the performance, the -avowed object of which is not, primarily, to secure the safety of the -Lords and Commons, but to avert the conclusion aimed at by Guy -Fawkes--namely, to blow up the Sovereign. It is as the personal -representative of the Queen that the Lord Great Chamberlain takes the -business in hand. - -To this day the result of the inquiry is directly communicated to Her -Majesty. Up to a period dating back less than fifty years, as soon as -the search was over, the Lord Great Chamberlain dispatched a messenger -on horseback to the Sovereign, informing him (or her) that all was well, -and that Majesty might safely repair to Westminster to open the new -Session. To-day the telegraph wires carry the assurance to the Queen -wherever she may chance to be in residence on the day before the opening -of Parliament. - - -THE SEARCH PARTY. - -Whilst the Commons take no official part in the performance, the peers -are represented either by Black Rod or by his deputy, the Yeoman Usher, -who is accompanied by half-a-dozen stalwart doorkeepers and messengers, -handy in case of a fray. The Board of Works are represented by the Chief -Surveyor of the London District, accompanied by the Clerk of Works to -the Houses of Parliament. The Chief Engineer of the House of Commons, -who is responsible for all the underground workings of the building, -leads the party, the Chief Inspector of Police boldly marching on his -left hand. - -These are details prosaic enough. The nineteenth century has engrafted -them on the sixteenth. The picturesqueness of the scene comes in with -the appearance of the armed contingent. This is made up of some fourteen -or sixteen of the Yeomen of the Guard, who arrive at the place of -rendezvous armed with halberds and swords. The halberds look well, but -this search is, above all, a business undertaking. It is recognised that -for close combat in the vaults and narrow passages of the building -halberds would be a little unwieldy. They are accordingly stacked in the -Prince's Chamber, the Yeomen fearlessly marching on armed with nothing -but their swords. Clad in their fifteenth century costume, they are -commanded by an officer who wears a scarlet swallow-tailed coat, cocked -hat, and feathers, gilt spurs shining at his martial heel. The spurs are -not likely to be needed. But the British officer knows how to prepare -for any emergency. - -Following the Yeomen of the Guard stride half-a-dozen martial men in -costumes dating from the early part of the present century. They wear -swallow-tail coats, truncated cone caps, with the base of the cone -uppermost. They are armed with short, serviceable cutlasses and bâtons, -such as undertakers' men carry, suggesting that they have come to bury -Guy Fawkes, not to catch him. - -[Illustration: INSPECTOR HORSLEY.] - -Most of the underground chambers and passages of the Houses of -Parliament are lit by electricity. Failing that, they are flooded with -gas. When search for Guy Fawkes was first ordered, the uses of gas had -not been discovered, much less the possibilities of electricity. -Lanterns were the only thing, so lanterns are still used. As the -dauntless company of men-at-arms tramp along the subterranean passages, -it is pretty to see the tallow dips in the swinging lanterns shamed by -the wanton light that beats from the electric lamps. - - -PARLIAMENTARY CAVES. - -Her Majesty's Ministers meeting Parliament at the opening of their fifth -Session remain happy in the reflection that their position is not -endangered by any mines dug within the limits of their own escarpment. -It is different in the opposite camp. The first thing good Liberals do -as soon as their own party comes into power is to commence a series of -manoeuvres designed to thrust it forth. Sometimes they are called -"caves," occasionally "tearoom cabals." But, as Mr. Gladstone learned in -the 1868-74 Parliament, in that of 1880-85, and, with tragic force, in -the Parliament which made an end of what Mr. Chamberlain called "The -Stop-Gap Government," they all mean the same thing. Lord Rosebery when -he came to the Premiership found the habit was not eradicated. - -[Illustration: A CAVE-MAN.] - -The condition of men and things in the House of Commons when Parliament -met after the General Election in July, 1895, was rarely favourable to -the formation of "caves" on the Ministerial side. To begin with, the -Government had such an overwhelming majority that the game of playing at -being independent was so safe that its enjoyment was not forbidden to -the most loyal Unionist. Given that condition, there were existent -personal circumstances that supplied abundant material for cave-making. -The necessity imposed on Lord Salisbury of finding place in his -Ministry for gentlemen outside the Conservative camp made it impossible -not only to satisfy reasonable aspirations on the part of new men of his -own party, but even to reinstate some ex-Ministers. Some, like Baron de -Worms, were shelved with a peerage. Others, overlooked, were left to -find places on back benches above or below the gangway. Of men who held -office in Lord Salisbury's former Administration, Mr. Jackson, Sir James -Fergusson, Sir W. Hart-Dyke, and Sir E. Ashmead-Bartlett were left out -in the cold. Whilst most of the leading members of the Liberal Unionist -wing, including Mr. Jesse Collings and Mr. Powell Williams, were -provided with office, Mr. Courtney's claims were ignored, and Sir John -Lubbock's were probably never considered. - -[Illustration: SHELVED WITH A PEERAGE. (BARON DE WORMS.)] - -[Illustration: "WHO KNEW NOT JEMMY."] - - -AN OLD PARLIAMENTARY HAND. - -Amongst Conservative members who had not been in office but were not -alone in their belief that they were well fitted for it were Mr. Gibson -Bowles and Mr. George Wyndham--the latter since deservedly provided for. -Moreover, to a corner seat below the gangway returned Mr. James Lowther, -thought good enough in Disraeli's time to be Under-Secretary for the -Colonies and Chief Secretary for Ireland. Since the death of Lord -Beaconsfield kings had arisen in Egypt who knew not "Jemmy," or, at -least, forgot his existence at a time when Ministerial offices were -dispensed. The member for East Thanet, first returned for York in the -summer of 1865, is not only personally popular in the House, but has -high standing as an old Parliamentary hand. If he had liked to turn -rusty, he might have done the Conservative Party at least as much harm -as Mr. Horsman when in the same mood wrought to the party with which, to -the last, he ranked himself. From time to time Mr. Lowther has -vindicated his independence of Ministerial discipline by dividing the -House on the question of the futility of reading, at the commencement of -recurring Sessions, the standing order forbidding peers to interfere -with elections. He has not gone beyond that, and whenever attempt has -been made from the Opposition side to inflict damage on the best of all -Governments, he has ranged himself on the side of Ministers. - - -OVERLOOKED. - -Sir W. Hart-Dyke, Sir James Fergusson, and the late Sir W. Forwood, -instead of openly resenting neglect, on more than one occasion went out -of their way to defend the colleagues of the Prime Minister who slighted -them. Mr. Wyndham was last Session not less generously loyal. Mr. Tommy -Bowles, it is true, has been on occasion fractious. As for Sir E. -Ashmead-Bartlett, when he recovered from the shock of realization that -Lord Salisbury had not only formed a Ministry without including him in -its membership, but looked as if he would be able to carry it on, he -showed signs of resentment. Through successive Sessions he has -sedulously endeavoured to embarrass an unappreciative Premier by -cunningly devised questions addressed to the Colonial Secretary or to -the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Curzon -alike proved able to hold their own, and the Sheffield Knight coming out -to kick has found himself fulfilling the humble function of the -football. - -[Illustration: THE HUMBLE FUNCTION OF THE FOOTBALL.] - - -MR. YERBURGH. - -A more serious defection was threatened last Session as the result of -the distrust and discontent in Ministerial circles of Lord Salisbury's -foreign policy. Mr. Yerburgh, moved by apprehension that the interests -of the British Empire in the Far East were at stake, instituted a series -of weekly dinners at the Junior Carlton, where matters were talked over. -The dinners were excellent, the wines choice, and Mr. Yerburgh has a -delicate taste in cigars. This meeting at dinner instead of at tea, as -was the fashion in the Liberal camp at the time of Mr. Gladstone's -trouble over the Irish University Bill in 1873, seemed to indicate -manlier purpose. But nothing came of it, except a distinct advancement -of Mr. Yerburgh's position in the House of Commons. He, as spokesman of -the malcontents, found opportunity to display a complete mastery of an -intricate geographical and political position, combined with capacity -for forcibly and clearly stating his case. - -Thus Lord Salisbury remained master of himself though China fell. Had -Mr. Gladstone been in his position, under precisely similar -circumstances, it would have been Her Majesty's Ministry that would have -fallen to pieces. - - -JOINED THE MAJORITY. - -As usual the recess has seen the final going over to the majority of old -members of the House of Commons. Two who have died since the prorogation -were distinct types of utterly divergent classes. There was nothing in -common between the Earl of Winchilsea and Mr. T. B. Potter, except that -they both sat in the 1880 Parliament, saw the rise of the Fourth Party, -and the crumbling away of Mr. Gladstone's magnificent majority. Mr. -Potter was by far the older member, having taken his seat for Rochdale -on the death of Mr. Cobden in 1865. Except physically, he did not fill a -large place in the House, but was much esteemed on both sides for his -honest purpose and his genial good temper. - -This last was imperturbable. It was not to be disturbed even by a double -misfortune that accompanied one of the Cobden Club's annual dining -expeditions to Greenwich. On the voyage out, passing Temple Pier, one of -the guests fell overboard. At the start on the return journey, another -guest, a distinguished Frenchman, stepping aboard as he thought, fell -into the gurgling river, and was fished out with a boat-hook. Yet Mr. -Potter, President of the Club, largely responsible for the success of -the outing, did not on either occasion intermit his beaming smile. - - -A BUFFER STATE. - -He was always ready to be of service in whatsoever unobtrusive manner. -The House cherishes tender memories of a scene in 1890. The fight in -Committee Room No. 15 had recently closed. Its memories still seared -the breasts of the Irish members. Members were never certain that at any -moment active hostilities might not commence even under the eye of the -Speaker. One night a motion by Mr. John Morley raising the Irish -question brought a large muster of the contending forces. Mr. Parnell, -who had temporarily withdrawn from the scene, put in an appearance with -the rest. He happened to seat himself on the same bench as Mr. Justin -McCarthy, whom the majority of the Irish members had elected to succeed -him in the leadership. Only a narrow space divided the twain. The most -apprehensive did not anticipate militant action on the part of Mr. -McCarthy. But, looking at Mr. Parnell's pale, stern face, knowing from -report of proceedings in Committee Room No. 15 what passion smouldered -beneath that mild exterior, timid members thought of what might happen, -supposing the two rose together diversely claiming the ear of the House -as Leader of the Irish Party. - -[Illustration: THE BUFFER STATE.] - -At this moment Mr. T. B. Potter entered and moved slowly up the House -like a Thames barge slipping down the river with the tide. He made his -way to the bench where the severed Irish Leaders sat, and planted -himself out between them, they perforce moving to right and left to make -room. Seeing him there, his white waistcoat shimmering in the evening -light like the mainsail of an East Indiaman, the House felt that all was -well. Mr. Parnell was a long-armed man; but, under whatsoever stress of -passion, he could not get at Mr. McCarthy across the broad space of the -member for Rochdale. - -[Illustration: THE LATE LORD WINCHILSEA.] - - -A PROMISING START. - -Lord Winchilsea sat in this same Parliament as Mr. Finch-Hatton. He -early made his mark by a maiden speech delivered on one of the -interminable debates on Egypt. He was content to leave it there, never, -as far as I remember, again taking part in set debate. His appearance -was striking. Many years after, when he had succeeded to the earldom, I -happened to be present when he rose from the luncheon-table at -Haverholme Priory to acknowledge the toast of his health. By accident or -design he stood under a contemporary portrait of his great ancestor, -Christopher Hatton, Queen Elizabeth's Lord Chancellor. The likeness -between the founder of the family and a scion separated by the space of -more than three hundred years was almost startling. - -Lord Winchilsea aged rapidly. When he made his maiden speech in the -House of Commons he had not advanced beyond the stage of the young -dandy. His face was a shade of ivory, the pallor made more striking by -the coal-black hair. His attitude, like his dress and everything about -him, was carefully studied. His left hand, rigidly extended, lightly -rested behind his back. His right hand, when not in action, hid his -finger-tips in the breast of a closely-buttoned frock-coat. -Occasionally, he withdrew his hand and made stiff gestures in the air as -if he were writing hieroglyphs. Occasionally, he emphasized a point by -slightly bowing to the amused audience. - -The matter of his speech was excellent, its form, occasionally, as -extravagant as his getup. The House roared with laughter when Mr. -Finch-Hatton, pointing stiff finger-tips at Mr. Gladstone smiling on the -Treasury Bench, invited members to visit the Premier on his uneasy couch -and watch him moaning and tossing as the long procession of his pallid -victims passed before him. This reminiscence of a scene from "Richard -III." was a great success, though not quite in the manner Mr. Hatton, -working it out in his study, had forecast. - -A man of great natural capacity, wide culture, and, as was shown in his -later connection with agriculture, of indomitable industry, he would, -having lived down his extravagancies, have made a career in the Commons. -Called thence by early doom he went to the Lords, and was promptly and -finally extinguished. - - -MUSTERED AT J. J. COLMAN'S. - -Another old member of the House who died in the recess is Mr. Colman. -The great mustard manufacturer, whose name was carried on tin boxes to -the uttermost ends of the earth, never made his mark in the House of -Commons. I doubt whether he ever got so far as to work off his maiden -speech. A quiet, kindly, shrewd man of business, he was content to look -on whilst others fought and talked. He came too late to the House to be -ever thoroughly at one with it, and took an early opportunity of -retiring. - -Mr. Gladstone had a high respect for him, and occasionally visited his -beautiful home in Norfolk. One of these occasions became historic by -reason of Mr. Gladstone unwittingly making a little joke. Coming down to -breakfast one morning, and finding the house-party already gathered in -the room, Mr. Gladstone cheerily remarked, "What, are we all mustered?" - -He never knew why this innocent observation had such remarkable success -with Mr. J. J. Colman's guests. - - -MR. GLADSTONE'S TABLE-TALK. - -A few more recollections of Mr. Gladstone whilst still in harness. I -remember meeting him at a well-known house during the Midlothian -campaign of 1885. He came in to luncheon half an hour late, and was -rallied by the host upon his unpunctuality. "You know," he said, "only -the other day you lectured us upon the grace of punctuality at -luncheon-time." - -Mr. Gladstone took up this charge with energy familiar at the time in -the House of Commons when repelling one of Lord Randolph Churchill's -random attacks. Finally, he drew from the host humble confession that he -had been in error, that so far from recommending punctuality at -luncheon-time he had urged the desirability of absence of formality at -the meal. "Anyone," he said, "should drop in at luncheon when they -please and sit where they please." - -Through the meal he was in the liveliest humour, talking in his rich, -musical voice. After luncheon we adjourned to the library, a room full -of old furniture and precious memorials, chiefly belonging to the Stuart -times. On the shelves were a multitude of rare books. Mr. Gladstone -picked up one, and sitting on a broad window seat, began reading and -discoursing about it. Setting out for a walk, he was got up in a most -extraordinary style. He wore a narrow-skirted square-cut tail-coat, -made, I should say, in the same year as the Reform Bill. Over his -shoulders hung an inadequate cape, of rough hairy cloth, once in vogue -but now little seen. On his head was a white soft felt hat. The back -view as he trudged off at four-mile-an-hour pace was irresistible. - -Mrs. Gladstone watched over him like a hen with its first chicken. She -was always pulling up his collar, fastening a button, or putting him to -sit in some particular chair out of a draught. These little attentions -Mr. Gladstone accepted without remark, with much the placid air a small -and good-tempered babe wears when it is being tucked in its cot. - - -AN OLD LONDON HOUSE. - -In the Session of 1890, Mr. Gladstone rented a house in St. James's -Square, a big, roomy, gloomy mansion, built when George I. was King. On -the pillars of the porch stand in admirable preservation two of the -wrought iron extinguishers, in which in those days the link-boys used to -thrust their torches when they had brought master or mistress home, or -convoyed a dinner guest. Inside hideous light-absorbing flock -wall-papers prevailed. One gained an idea, opportunity rare in these -days, of the murkiness amid which our grandfathers dwelt. - -Dining there one night, I found the host made up for all household -shortcomings. He talked with unbroken flow of spirits, always having -more to say on any subject that turned up, and saying it better, than -any expert present. His memory was as amazing as his opportunities of -acquiring knowledge had been unique. - -[Illustration: AT A FOUR-MILE-AN-HOUR PACE.] - - -MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD. - -As we sat at table he, in his eighty-first year, recalled, as if it had -happened the day before, an incident that befell when he was eighteen -months old. Prowling about the nursery on all-fours, there suddenly -flashed upon him consciousness of the existence of his nurse, as she -towered above him. He remembered her voice and the very pattern of the -frock she wore. This was his earliest recollection, his first clear -consciousness of existence. His memory of Canning when he stood for -Liverpool in 1812 was perfectly clear; indeed, he was then nearly three -years old, and took an intelligent interest in public affairs. - -Of later date was his recollection of Parliamentary Elections, and the -strange processes by which in the good old days they were accomplished. -The poll at Liverpool was kept open sometimes for weeks, and the custom -was for voters to be shut up in pens ten at a time. At the proper moment -they were led out of these inclosures and conducted to the -polling-booths, where they recorded their votes. These musters were -called "tallies," and the reckoning up of them was a matter watched with -breathless interest in the constituency. - - -DOCTORING A TALLY. - -It was a point of keen competition which side should first land a -"tally" at the polling-booth. Mr. Gladstone told with great gusto of an -accident that befell one in the first quarter of the century. The poll -opened at eight o'clock in the morning. The Liberals, determined to make -a favourable start, marshalled ten voters, and as early as four in the -morning filled the pen by the polling-booth. To all appearances the -Conservatives were beaten in this first move. But their defeat was only -apparent. Shortly after seven o'clock a barrel of beer, conveniently -tapped, with mugs handy, was rolled up within hand-reach of the pen, -where time hung heavy on the hands of the expectant voters. They -naturally regarded this as a delicate attention on the part of their -friends, and did full justice to their hospitable forethought. After a -while, consternation fell upon them. Man after man hastily withdrew till -the pen was empty, and ten Conservatives, waiting in reserve, rushed in -and took possession of the place. - -"The beer," said Mr. Gladstone, laughing till the tears came into his -eyes, "had been heavily jalaped." - - - - -DRAWING A BADGER - -By EDMUND MITCHELL - -[Illustration] - - -It was a sleepy little town, far from the busy world, almost hidden away -in the backwoods. During the long summer days, small boys--and sometimes -grown-up folks as well--hardly knew what to do to pass the time. It was -an event of some importance, therefore, when one afternoon Grizzly Jim, -the trapper, brought to the only hostelry the settlement could boast a -live badger. He carried it in a big bag, and shook it out over the -half-door into the empty stable, that the hotel-keeper and his friends -might have a look at the shy and rarely-seen animal. At that hour there -were not many people about, so when the other half of the stable door -was drawn to, and the captive left alone, the news of its arrival was as -yet known only to a few. - -[Illustration: "HE SHOOK IT OUT OVER THE HALF-DOOR."] - -Among these few, however, was the hotel-keeper's son Dick, a youngster -about twelve years old, who had inspected the badger with keenest -interest and a critical eye. He had also listened to every word of the -conversation between Grizzly Jim and his father, and had gathered that -they were going to pack up the beast in a box and send it off next day -by the railroad to a city, some hundreds of miles distant, where all -manner of strange creatures were kept in cages in a Zoo. So the badger -would be lodged in the hotel for one night only, and Dick reflected that -if any fun was to be got out of "the comical cuss," as he called it, -there was no time to be lost. - -After a quarter of an hour's solid thinking, Dick went out into the -stable yard and dragged forth an old dog-kennel, which for a long time -had lain disused in the wood-shed. He rubbed it up a bit, plentifully -littered it with fresh straw, and then set it down right in the middle -of the yard. To the big chain he attached an old rusted iron kettle, -which he pushed back into the kennel among the straw as far as his arms -could reach. These preparations completed, Dick thrust his hands into -his trouser pockets, and set off down the main street, whistling a -tune. - -At a little distance he met his most intimate chum, Billy Green, the -wheelwright's son. - -"Say, Billy," said Dick, "heard the noos?" - -"What noos?" - -"Grizzly Jim's bin an' trapped a badger." - -"Wal, that don't count for much. Ain't anythink very 'xtrord'n'ry in his -trappin' a badger, is there? Comes reg'lar in his day's work, I reckon. -Now, if it'd bin an elephant or a gi-raffe"--the speaker paused to give -full effect to his grin of sarcasm. - -"Oh! bother yer elephants and yer gi-raffes," interrupted Dick, with -impatience; "I tell ye it's a real live badger." - -"A live one?" asked Billy, his interest slightly stimulated. - -"Yes, a live one. I see'd it shaken out of a bag. And it's up now this -very minute at father's." - -"Jee-whizz!" cried Billy, all on the hop now with excitement. "Then I -s'pose they're goin' to have a badger fight?" - -"A badger fight! Who're ye gettin' at?" retorted Dick, ironically. - -"Why, ther'll be a badger fight with dogs, of course. Don't ye know, -Dick, that a badger, when his dander's fairly riz, can fight like a -whole sackful of wild cats? It's rare sport, badger-baitin', I can tell -ye, an' jest the real thing to try the stuff young dogs is made of." - -"Better'n rats?" asked Dick, in turn growing excited at the vista of -unexpected possibilities opening out before him. - -"Rats ain't in it with badgers," replied Billy, disdainfully. - -"Then I 'spect Grizzly Jim's gone down town to hunt up some dogs," -suggested Dick. - -"Certain sure." - -"Wal, hadn't you best come to our place right now, an' have a good look -at the critter 'fore the crowd begins to roll up?" - -"I guess there's some sense in that. Let's skoot along, Dick." - -So the two boys set off at a quick pace towards the hotel. And as they -walked Dick described the badger's points. - -"He's got short stumpy legs, Billy, but terrible claws. Rip a dog open -like winkin'." - -"And pooty sharp teeth too, I reckon?" - -"I should jest say. Wouldn't like 'm try 'em in my leg." - -"See you've got 'm in the old dog-kennel," remarked Billy, as they came -in sight of the stable yard. - -"It's a strong chain that, you know," replied Dick, evasively. "Bruno, -the old boarhound that died, couldn't break it." - -"Guess the chain'll hold the badger all right. But I can't see nothink -of 'm in that there dog-hutch. I'll want ter have 'm out, Dick, in the -open." - -"You'd best take care, Billy," cried Dick, as his companion laid hold of -the chain. "Remember his claws." - -"Oh! I'm not 'feard, you bet," replied Billy, loftily. "It needs -somethin' more'n a badger to skeer me. Besides, he can't scratch or bite -much through my leggin's." - -"Mind, Billy," continued Dick, with an intensely anxious look on his -face. "I've warned ye. Don't ye come a hollerin' an' a blamin' me, if he -takes a bit out of yer leg." - -"Poof! You keep back if ye'r fright'ned. Let me alone. I'll soon yank 'm -inter daylight." And Billy made ready to haul at the chain. "Come out o' -that, ye brute," he cried. "Yo! ho! out ye come!" And he pulled with all -his might. - -There was a fine old clatter as the iron kettle came -clinkety-clink-clank on to the cobble stones; and Dick just lay down on -the ground, fairly doubled up with laughing. - -"Look out, Billy," he yelled amidst his convulsions of glee, "look out. -That badger'll bite ye through yer leggin's." - -For a minute Billy was speechless. He felt so sick and faint-hearted -that ordinary common-place language would have been an insult to his -feelings. "You tarnation fraud!" he at last managed to gasp, as he -glanced from the battered kettle at his feet towards his spluttering -friend. - -But merriment is infectious, and the supreme ridiculousness of his -position appealed to Billy's sense of humour. So the flushed, angry look -passed by imperceptible degrees into a sickly smile, and the smile at -last became transformed into a broad grin. Then Billy sat down on the -kettle, and laughed till the tears ran down his cheeks. - -All of a sudden Dick recovered his gravity. "Quick, Billy," he cried, -"shove the kettle back. Here's the schoolmaster comin' 'long the -street." - -With a more rapid flash of understanding than he had ever shown for a -new rule in arithmetic, Billy grasped the situation, and pushed the -kettle into the kennel out of sight. The boys stood together, just as -smug and quiet as if they were setting out for Sunday-school. - -"Billy," said Dick, wishful to put matters right now that the victim of -his joke had become his confederate for future operations, "I didn't -tell a lie. There's a live badger in the stable as true as I'm standin' -here. But I never said 'twas in the kennel." - -Billy, however, was intent only on the business in hand. The prospect of -sport caused the personal humiliation of a minute ago to be forgotten. -There was no need, nor time, for explanations. - -"Whish! Stow all that," he whispered, eagerly. "Let's meet 'm at the -gate." - -The two conspirators sauntered towards the entrance to the yard, as the -schoolmaster, an elderly, grave-faced man, drew near to the stable -buildings. - -"Good day, sir," said Billy, as both youngsters jerked their hands -towards their caps awkwardly, but none the less deferentially. - -"Ah! how do you do, boys?" responded the teacher, coming to a halt and -bestowing a pleasant nod of recognition on his pupils. "I hope you are -enjoying your holidays?" - -[Illustration: "I HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR HOLIDAYS?"] - -"Yes, sir, first class," replied Dick. Then Billy boldly opened the -campaign. "Please, Mr. Brown, do you know the difference between a -mountain badger and a prairie badger?" - -"I fancy I do, my lad. The one's darker than the other." - -"Well, sir, Dick's father's had a live badger brought to him by Grizzly -Jim, and we don't know which kind it is." Billy skated very cleverly on -the thin ice of truth. - -"Just let me have a sight of the animal," said the schoolmaster. At the -same moment he followed the direction of Dick's look, and there and then -fell unsuspectingly into the trap prepared for him. "Ah! I see you've -got him chained up in the kennel," he remarked, as he stepped into the -stable yard. - -"Do badgers bite?" asked Dick, evading the issue with splendidly assumed -innocence. - -"Oh! they don't show their teeth much, unless they're badgered," replied -Mr. Brown, with a laugh, thoroughly pleased with himself at having been -able to perpetrate a little joke. "Let's have him out, boys. I'll soon -tell whether he's a mountain badger or a prairie badger." - -Dick and Billy hung back, apparently fearful of approaching too near to -the kennel. - -"Don't be afraid, my lads," continued the master, in an encouraging way. -"He's all safe at the end of a chain. See: I'll pull him out for you. -Ya! hoop! Out you come, my fine fellow." - -And the schoolmaster lugged at the chain; and clinkety-clink-clank came -the iron kettle on to the cobble stones. - -No respect for either age or authority could restrain the boys from -going off into a fit of laughter. Their teacher's face was a study; its -look of blank amazement would have made a wooden totem-pole hilarious. -But they were relieved in mind, all the same, when a smile, even though -a grim one, stole over the stern, pallid features of the man who had it -in his power to make the lives of wayward boys utterly miserable. - -"It's lucky for you young rascals that this is holiday time," remarked -the schoolmaster, drily. "I've got a tawse in my desk that can bite a -good deal sharper than this badger." Then, in spite of a momentary -feeling of resentment, he joined in the laugh against himself. - -"Please, sir," explained Dick, partly in a spirit of penitence, but -mainly with a view to mitigate the offence, "the live badger that -Grizzly Jim brought father is in the stable right enough. It was you -yourself that went straight for the kennel." - -"That's so," replied the schoolmaster, stroking his beard meditatively. -"I should have remembered the maxim of the copybooks, 'Think before you -leap.' Well, we're all liable to make mistakes, I suppose--even -parsons," he added, after a pause, and sinking his voice almost to a -whisper. He was gazing now down the street, with a far-away look in his -countenance. - -The boys shot a quick glance in the same direction. A stout, -pompous-looking little man, with black coat and white collar, was in -sight. - -"The parson's an erudite Doctor of Divinity," continued the -schoolmaster, speaking low, and in an absent-minded fashion. "He's had -all the advantages of a college education--a fact which he knows, and -takes care to let other people know. A man of learning is the parson, -and a great authority on natural history." - -The boys did not hear, nor exactly understand, every word spoken; but -the last sentence fell clearly on their ears, and the looks they -exchanged indicated the dawning of intelligence. - -"Yes; I wonder," murmured the pedagogue, reflectively, "I really wonder, -now, whether the parson could tell the difference between a mountain -badger and a prairie badger." - -"By golly!" screamed Billy, in frantic excitement at the full flash of -comprehension. "Jam the kettle back into the kennel, Dick. Don't say a -word, Mr. Brown; please don't. Leave him to us." - -The schoolmaster, chuckling to himself, began to examine a rose-bush -growing against the wall. Soon the parson was at the gate. - -"Good evening, Mr. Brown," he called out. - -"Good evening," mumbled the teacher, hardly daring to look up from the -roses. - -"What have we here?" continued the clergyman, observing the unwonted -position of the kennel, and also noticing the flurried look on the boys' -faces. "What have we here?" he repeated, coming forward into the yard. - -"Please, sir," began Dick, a dig in the ribs from Billy having warned -him that it was his turn to open fire. "Grizzly Jim's brought father a -real live badger." - -"A badger, and a live one! Well?" - -"And schoolmaster don't seem to be able to tell whether it's a mountain -badger or a prairie badger," added Dick, with a grin, adroitly bringing -the third confederate into the field of action. - -"Didn't you examine the teeth, Mr. Brown?" asked the parson. "The colour -of the fur is no real test, you know." - -"I can't say I've looked at its teeth," replied the teacher, with a -somewhat ghastly smile. He had not bargained for being anything more -than a passive witness of the parson's discomfiture, but here he was -now, by Dick's act of unblushing treachery, thrust into the position of -an active accomplice. - -"Well, we must ascertain the animal's dentition. You see, in a mountain -badger, which is more carnivorous than the prairie variety, the canine -teeth are more fully developed." As the schoolmaster had said, the -parson was assuredly a learned man, and an authority on natural history, -to have all this information so readily at his command. - -"But how are you going to look at his teeth?" asked Billy, practically. -"I reckon badgers bite." - -"I'll soon show you, my boy," replied the parson, with a patronizing -smile. "He's in this kennel, is he?" - -Billy's only response was a smile of satisfaction like that worn by the -cat when he spied that the door of the canary's cage had been left open. -But the clergyman did not wait for an answer, for, turning directly to -Dick, he asked the boy whether he could find him some such thing as a -piece of sacking. - -"I guess I can," responded Dick, darting off like a shot towards the -stables. Within the minute he was back with an old corn-bag. The parson -was in the act of turning up his coat-sleeves, and was still discoursing -learnedly upon the carnivorous and frugivorous tastes of the different -species of the plantigrade family. The schoolmaster was listening -attentively, speaking not one word: his attitude was a deferential one, -or a guilty one, according to the observer's point of view. - -"That will do first class, my boy," said the minister, taking the sack -from Dick's hands. "Now, you two lads, pull the chain gently, and I'll -get this round the badger as he emerges from the kennel. We must look -out for his claws, you know, as well as for his teeth; because the -badger, being a burrowing animal, is armed with long sharp claws, which -he also adapts to purposes of self-defence, using them with great -courage and effect when attacked. Slowly now, boys; cautious does it. -Here he comes! There you are! I have him all safe!" - -And the parson, as a heap of accumulating straw began to appear at the -mouth of the kennel, pushed in the sack, and wrapped it tightly round -the black object beyond. - -"Pull now again, boys; gently. That's right. Now he's out." - -Then the parson paused, and looked a bit puzzled. "This badger must have -been injured, surely. He doesn't show much fight." Saying these words, -he proceeded to cautiously raise one corner of the sacking. "Whoa! now; -steady. No snapping, you brute," continued the parson, in a purring, -conciliatory voice, as he slowly lifted the bag. - -The spout of the iron kettle met his dumfoundered foundered gaze! - -Dick and Billy were by this time hiding behind the water-barrel, -stuffing handkerchiefs into their mouths. The schoolmaster looked down -with a gleeful grin it was impossible to repress. - -"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Brown?" sputtered the parson, rising -to his feet. The flush on his face was due less to resentment than to -wounded pride. - -"It just means, Mr. Blinkers, that these young scamps first fooled me, -and for the life of me I can't deny but I've enjoyed their passing the -joke on to you." - -The schoolmaster laughed outright, but the parson still looked painfully -self-conscious. - -"The miserable little prevaricators!" he muttered. - -"No," said the teacher, "you can't call them that. The boys haven't -spoken a word that's untrue, because the badger, I believe, is actually -in the stable over there. In taking it for granted that the beast was in -this kennel, we rushed to conclusions, and have had to pay the penalty." - -The mortified expression on the parson's face became somewhat softened. -He gazed in a half-rueful, half-amused way at the old iron kettle, still -partially covered by the sacking. - -"To think that I was led into talking about the dentition of -that--that--infernal thing," he sighed. "Oh! it would need a layman to -express my feelings," he added, clenching his fists as if in impotent -despair, while with a feeble smile he glanced at the schoolmaster. - -"Well," laughed the latter, "strong language isn't in my line any more -than yours, Mr. Blinkers, so I'm afraid I can't oblige. I fancy, -however, that if ever again anyone asks you or me the difference between -a mountain badger and a prairie badger we'll be just a trifle shy at -answering--eh, my friend?" - -[Illustration: "'NO SNAPPING, YOU BRUTE,' CONTINUED THE PARSON."] - -The parson laughed outright: the fit of dudgeon was finally past. And -when the two men left the stable yard arm-in-arm, the mischief-makers, -who still remained discreetly invisible, could see the backs and -shoulders of both of them fairly shaking with laughter. - -Round the corner, the schoolmaster and the minister met the hotel-keeper -standing at the front door of his hostelry; and with the greatest good -humour in the world they told him the story. The joke was really too -excellent to keep; moreover, it was sure to go the round of the whole -town before the world was many hours older, so that the victims -consulted their own personal comfort best by leading off the inevitable -laugh, and so, in a measure at least, disarming ridicule. - -"The whipper-snappers!" said the burly host, hardly knowing at first -whether to condole with the dignitaries of church and school or to -indulge the merriment that was bubbling up within him. - -"Boys will be boys," remarked the parson, condescendingly. - -"And the trick was cleverly done," added the schoolmaster, -appreciatively. He was in reality too overjoyed at his own success in -having hauled the parson into the pillory alongside of him to feel any -resentment. - -"Oh! well, we do need a laugh sometimes in this dull place," replied the -hotel-keeper, allowing the broad smile hitherto repressed to suffuse his -rubicund countenance. But he kept his mirth within moderate bounds so -long as the others were in hearing. When they were gone, however, loud -and long was his laughter. - -"Dick, the little cuss!" he cried, slapping his thigh. "And Billy, that -young varmint! It'll tickle his dad to death when he hears it. To fool -the schoolmaster showed a bit of pluck. But to take down the -passon--oh, lor!" And the jolly innkeeper laughed till his sides ached. - -After a little time Grizzly Jim slouched into the bar, and the story was -retailed for his benefit. The old trapper laughed heartily, although in -the silent way his profession had taught him. - -"Blame my skin!" he exclaimed, "if it ain't the foxiest thing in the -snarin' line I've struck for a long time. But I reckon, boss, I'll take -a hand now in this 'ere game. You fix up an excuse to git the youngsters -out of the yard for ten minutes, and I reckon I'll make 'em skin their -eyes with 'mazement next time they yank out that badger." - -Jim sauntered round the front of the house, while the host went direct -to the stable yard. He found the two boys in close confabulation near -the dog-kennel; and he also quietly observed that the kettle was again -inside, so that the trap was clearly baited for the next victim that -might chance to come around. - -"Halloa, Billy!" cried the hotel-keeper, apparently unobservant of the -fact that the kennel was not in its usual place, and quite ignorant of -the game that was being played; "can you help Dick eat some apples?" - -"Can a duck swim?" asked the youngster, perkily, by way of reply. Every -urchin in the place was on terms of easy familiarity with mine host of -the inn. - -"Then round you come, the pair of you, to the orchard." And for the next -quarter of an hour the boys' game was changed--badgers were out and -apples were in. - -Meanwhile Grizzly Jim was losing no time. When he saw the coast clear, -he walked up the yard and entered the stable. There he dexterously -caught the badger by the nape of the neck; it was not a full-grown -animal, and the experienced trapper had no difficulty in handling it. He -carried it out at arm's length, the beast clawing the air vigorously but -vainly. Reaching the kennel, Jim quickly substituted the badger for the -kettle at the end of the chain. Then, when the captive had retreated to -the furthest recess of its new quarters, he carefully re-arranged the -straw litter; and, tossing the discarded kettle into the wood-shed, -sauntered away with a sardonic grin on his sun-dried countenance. He -crossed the street to the grocery store opposite, whence he could -command a view of the yard. - -A few minutes later the boys, their pockets stuffed full of apples, -returned to the scene of their exploits, followed at a little distance -by the hotel-keeper. The latter wore a look of good-humoured expectancy; -for, although he did not know precisely what the trapper's plans were, -he felt sure that there was fun in near prospect. Dick was busy munching -an apple and cogitating how it would be possible to victimize his -father, when his eye caught sight of Grizzly Jim crossing the street -from the grocery store with a big box on his shoulders. - -"I guess, dad, here's Jim a-comin' to take that badger away," remarked -the boy, indicating by means of the half-eaten apple in his hand the -lanky figure of the trapper. - -"Most likely," answered his father, with a merry twinkle in his eye. - -Billy, however, had at once seen the possibilities of this new -development, and his face lit up instantly with all the keen excitement -of a fox-terrier in the act of pouncing on a rat. "We must take a rise -out o' Grizzly Jim," he whispered eagerly to his comrade in mischief. - -As for Jim, he seemed to play right into the young rascals' hands, for -the first remark he made was this: "The schoolmaster has jest bin -sayin', boys, that you've got my badger in that 'ere dog-kennel." - -"Wal, and what if we have?" asked Billy, boldly. - -"Oh! I'm makin' no complaint. But here's his box for the railroad, and I -think we'd best put him in it right now. P'raps you'll lend me a hand, -youngsters?" - -"Right you are, Jim," cried both boys with alacrity, advancing towards -the kennel. - -"Did jevver know sich luck?" asked Billy, in a whisper, nudging his -companion with his elbow. - -"It's 'nough to make a feller die with laughin'," chuckled Dick, under -his breath. - -"Guess, then, yer not afeared o' badgers, you boys?" drawled Jim, -setting down the box. - -"Not badgers of this sort," replied Billy, with a grimace. - -"So you've found out this 'un's only a babby?" continued the trapper; -"hasn't got all his teeth yet, eh, an' couldn't scratch very hard if he -tried?" As Jim spoke he picked up the slack of the chain, to the boys' -intense delight. - -"I reckon the badger at the end o' that chain won't hurt us much," -responded Billy, airily. But Dick had to turn his face away to hide the -laughter with which he was now almost bursting. - -"Wal, boys, if I pull 'm out, you'll ketch 'm, will ye, an' shove 'm in -the box?" - -"Right you are, Jim. You jest pull, and we'll grab." - -"But p'r'aps you'd be safer to let me come an' help ye hold the -critter," added the trapper, shaking his head doubtfully. - -"Help be blowed," cried Billy. "I reckon we don't need no help to manage -this 'ere outfit, eh, Dick?" And the boys laughed in each other's faces, -as they carried the box close up to the kennel, and opened the lid in -readiness. - -"Right ye are, sonnies," replied Jim. "Have yer own way. But don't ye -forget I gave ye fair warnin'." - -[Illustration: "BOYS AND BADGER WERE MIXED UP IN A SQUIRMING HEAP."] - -"We can look after ourselves, you bet," answered Billy, impatiently. -"Jest you haul away." - -"Wal, here we go," said Jim, a faint smile showing on his thin lips. -"Grip him the moment he shows his nose. Don't be frightened at the sight -of his claws." - -The lads were stooping ready to grab at the old iron kettle the moment -it should make its appearance. Both were chuckling with glee. And the -best of the joke was that Grizzly Jim had brought the whole thing right -upon himself! - -"Hoop, la!" cried Jim, and with a pull that would have dragged a camel -off its legs, he jerked the occupant of the kennel into the open. - -In their eagerness as to who should hold aloft the spurious badger -before the astonished eyes of Grizzly Jim, the boys fairly flung -themselves upon the black object at the end of the chain. - -Then there followed, oh! such a yelling and a screeching, such a -snapping and a snarling! Dick rolled over Billy, and boys and badger -were mixed up in a squirming heap. - -"Shall I come and help ye hold the critter?" called out the trapper, -cheerfully. - -"No, but come and help us let him go," screamed Dick. - -"My sakes!" roared Billy; "he's got me by the leg." - -But at this stage Grizzly Jim came to the rescue. The young badger was -quickly caught, and popped into the box, while the disconcerted and -crestfallen urchins struggled to their feet. - -"Guess badgers are kind o' more savage beasties than ye reckoned on," -remarked the trapper, with dry sarcasm. - -"No wonder the schoolmaster and the passon were skeered," laughed the -hotel-keeper, who had enjoyed the whole scene from a little distance. - -Then it dawned upon the youngsters how neatly the tables had been turned -on them; so, in spite of torn clothes and scratched skins, they did -their best like true sportsmen to grin and look pleasant. But it will be -some time before they try to take another rise out of Grizzly Jim. - - - - -_A Common Crystal._ - -By John R. Watkins. - - -Hard to believe, but true. The locomotive shown in the illustration -below rests and runs upon a lake of salt--a surface almost as solid as -the road-bed of a great passenger system. The engine puffs to and fro -all day long on the snow-like crust, while a score of steam-ploughs make -progress with a rattling, rasping noise, dividing the lake into long and -glittering mounds of salt, which are shovelled by busy Indians on to the -waiting cars. The sun shines with almost overwhelming power, and the -dazzling carpet of salt stretches away to the horizon, where it -disappears. - -[Illustration: _From a_] LOADING A TRAIN ON A LAKE OF SALT, IN SOUTHERN -CALIFORNIA. [_Photograph._] - -The scene is in Salton, in far-off Southern California. Two months ago -we described a wonderful city of salt which for centuries has existed -below the surface of the earth. Here in Salton, striking sights may be -seen in the full light of day. One gets some little idea of them from -the photographs, but the general effect of this huge natural store-house -of commercial salt, its enormous crystal lake, and its massive pyramids -of white awaiting shipment, can be but partially conceived from our -pictures. - -To enter into a complete description of the remarkable industry which -transfers a common crystal from a lake of brine to the working-man's -table would be beyond the limits of our magazine. It would involve a -discussion of chemical symbols and formulæ which would make the printed -page a cryptograph. Better is it, briefly, to say that much of the salt -found in the domestic salt-cellar comes from the water of the sea, -which, by evaporation, is turned from liquid into snowy powder. In -Salton Lake, which lies 280ft. below the sea level; the brine rises in -the bottom of the marsh from numerous springs in the neighbouring -foot-hills, and, quickly evaporating, leaves deposits of almost pure -salt, varying from 10in. to 20in. in thickness, and thus forming a -substantial crust. The temperature ranges from 120 to 150 degrees, and -all the labour is performed by Coahuilla Indians, who work ten hours a -day, and seem not in the least to mind the enervating heat. In fact, -these Indians are so inured to the fatiguing work that they are not -affected by the dazzling sunlight, which distresses the eyes of those -unaccustomed to it, and compels the use of coloured glasses. One of -these Indians may be seen sitting on the steam-plough shown on this -page. He is one of a tribe of large and well-developed men--peaceable, -civilized, sober, and industrious, living in comfortable houses built by -the New Liverpool Salt Works, with tables, chairs, forks, spoons, and -many of the necessary articles of domestic civilization. He guides his -plough over the long stretches of salt, running lightly at first over -the surface to remove any vestiges of desert sand blown from far away, -and then setting the blade to run 6in. deep in furrows 8ft. wide. Each -plough harvests daily over 700 tons of pure salt, which is then taken to -the mill to be ground and placed in sacks. Scores of men assist in the -harvest by loading small "dump-cars," or trollies, on portable rails, -the cargo being finally dumped on the large train or else carried direct -to the manufactory. - -[Illustration: _From a_] A SALT-PLOUGH AT WORK. [_Photograph._] - -The interesting history of the salt industry in California is largely -associated with the name of Plummer Brothers, who in 1864, in the person -of the late Mr. J. A. Plummer, made the first genuine attempt to produce -a first-class domestic salt. The extensive and striking premises of this -noted firm in Centreville, California, are shown in the two -illustrations on the next page. Situated as the district is close to the -bay, the industry is dependent to a certain extent upon the tides. The -early spring tides have little effect in drawing away the impurities -which the river-floods bring into the bay; but the tides of June and -July, rising as they do to a height of 6ft. or 7ft., fill the marshes -with a water fairly pure. The salt-makers have prepared for this influx -of water by making reservoirs in large clay-bottomed tracts of marsh -land, and have cleared them of weeds and grass. The water flows in and -fills the reservoirs to a depth of from 15in. to 18in., and the gates -are then closed. - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_] TRANSPORTING SALT IN WHEEL-BARROWS. -[_Mr. C. A. Plummer._] - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_] SALT CRYSTALLIZING PONDS. [_Mr. C. A. -Plummer._] - -[Illustration: _Photo. from_] SALT-MAKING IN RAJPUTANA. [_Rev. Henry -Lansdell, D.D., Blackheath._] - -Like a large family, descending in size from father to youngest son, the -six or seven evaporating ponds of a salt works appear. The large -reservoir, being the father of this series of ponds, contains the gross -amount of brine, the last two or three being called lime-ponds, owing to -the amount of gypsum, lime, etc., precipitated at this stage of -evaporation. Not to go too deeply into chemistry, it may be said that -the brine lingers in the last of these ponds until a density of 106 -degrees is obtained. The surface of the liquid is now dotted by small -patches of white which accumulate into streaks of drift-salt. This -interesting development is shown in the illustration above, the streaks -of salt looking like patches of surf on the sands of the sea-shore. The -liquid is now run into crystallizing vats, where it remains until the -salt crystals have formed at the bottom. It sometimes takes two months -for a crop of salt to develop. In harvesting, the workman, donning -large, flat sandals of wood, enters the vat with a galvanized shovel, -and marks off on the surface of the salt a series of parallel lines. -This process enables the labourers to toss the lumps into uniform piles. -A strict examination is made of every shovelful, in order that -impurities may be eliminated. Our illustrations show these conical -mounds of salt, and the transfer of the salt by means of barrels to -large platforms, where the crystal product is thrown into huge pyramids, -sometimes 25ft. high. Here it remains, bleaching and solidifying for a -year. It is, indeed, a picturesque sight to see these ghost-like -pyramids grow in their might from day to day. - -[Illustration: _Photo. from_] - -MEASURING SALT-HEAPS IN RAJPUTANA. - -[_Rev. Henry Lansdell, D.D., Blackheath._] - -Into the processes by which these massive mounds of hardened salt are -crushed and distributed to the markets, we need not enter; nor need we -name the varieties of salt which are so distributed. We find something -more interesting in turning from California to Central India, where in -Rajputana a tremendous industry in salt is carried on, and where we may -see the same little piles of salt that we have noted in the previous -illustrations. - -In the background of the large full-page picture, which we have just -passed, may be seen colossal heaps of salt, and in the foreground scores -of men, women, and children wading in the vat of sluggish brine, from -which, by dint of constant effort, emerge the little cones of white. The -overseers stand by to direct, and the scene is one of tremendous -interest and activity, punctuated by babble of voices. We get a closer -view of these cones in our last illustration, in which we find the -coolies measuring the height of the cones. One thing we miss in these -vistas of barren whiteness--the sight of the labour-saving machinery so -noticeable in our early illustrations. Is it an object-lesson in the -differences between East and West? - - - - -_A Peep into "Punch."_ - -By J. Holt Schooling. - -[_The Proprietors of "Punch" have given special permission to reproduce -the accompanying illustrations. This is the first occasion when a -periodical has been enabled to present a selection from Mr. Punch's -famous pages._] - -Part II.--1850 to 1854. - - -Some while ago, in the pantomime "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," Ali -Baba's brother, who had found his way into the secret cave, ran about in -a most ludicrous manner eagerly picking from the floor diamonds, rubies, -and emeralds as big as ostrich-eggs: as fast as he picked up another gem -he let one fall from his already loaded arms. I laughed at Ali Baba's -brother, but did not feel sympathetic. - -[Illustration: 1.--THIS INITIAL LETTER "L" IS SIR JOHN TENNIEL'S FIRST -"PUNCH" DRAWING; NOVEMBER 30, 1850.] - -_Now_, I do not laugh, and I do feel sympathetic with A. B.'s -brother--for in choosing these pictures from _Punch_, one no sooner -picks out a gem, with an "I'll have _you_," than on the turn of a page a -better picture comes, and the other has to be dropped. It goes as much -against my grain to leave such a host of good things hidden in _Punch_ -as it went against the covetous desires of Ali Baba's wicked brother to -leave so many fine big gems behind him in the richly-stored cave. -However, Mr. Punch's whole store of riches is, after all, accessible to -anyone whose Open Sesame! is a little cheque, and so one has some -consolation for being able to show here only a very small selection from -Mr. Punch's famous gallery of wit and art which that discerning -connoisseur has been collecting during the last sixty years. - -The year 1850 was a notable one for _Punch_, for then John Tenniel -joined the famous band of Punchites. His first contribution is shown in -No. 1, the beautiful initial letter _L_ with the accompanying sketch, -which, although it is nearly fifty years old, and is here in a reduced -size, yet distinctly shows even to the non-expert eye the touch of that -same wonderful hand which in this week's _Punch_ (November 26th, 1898) -drew the cartoon showing Britannia and the United States as two -blue-jackets in jovial comradeship under the sign of the "Two Cross -Flags," with jolly old landlord _Punch_ saying to them, "Fill up, my -hearties! It looks like 'dirty weather' ahead, but you two--John and -Johnathan--will see it through--_together_!" - -[Illustration: 2.--JUSTIFIABLE HESITATION. 1850.] - -Glancing at Nos. 2 and 3--Leech's sketch in No. 3 is, by the way, a -truthfully graphic reminder to the writer of the first time _he_ -[unexpecting] heard and saw a strong Cornish cock-pheasant get up close -at his feet--we come to No. 4, which represents the British Lion (as -taxpayer) looking askance at the Prince of Wales, aged nine, on whose -behalf application had just been made for the purchase of Marlborough -House as a residence for the Prince. The portly man in the picture on -the wall is a former Prince of Wales, the Regent who became George IV. -in 1820, and who is here seen walking by the Pavilion at Brighton, built -in 1784-87 as a residence for this Prince of Wales. - -[Illustration: 3.--BY LEECH. 1850.] - -No. 5 is very funny, and it is one of the many _Punch_ jokes which are -periodically served up afresh in other periodicals. I have read this -joke somewhere quite lately, although it came out in _Punch_ nearly -fifty years ago. - -On this score, does anyone know if the following is a _Punch_ joke? It -was lately told to me as a new joke, but I was afraid to send it to Mr. -Punch:-- - -Two London street-Arabs. One is eating an apple, the other gazes -enviously, and says, "Gi'e us a bite, Bill." "Sha'n't," says the -apple-eater. "Gi'e us the core, then," entreats the non-apple-eater. -"_There ain't goin' to be no core!_" stolidly replies the other, out of -his stolidly munching jaws. - -[Illustration: 4.--THE PRINCE OF WALES AT AGE NINE. BY LEECH, 1850.] - -The very clever drawing No. 6 is by Richard Doyle; it was published in -1850, and at the close of that year Doyle left _Punch_ owing to -_Punch's_ vigorous attack on "Popery"--the Popery scare got hold of the -public mind in 1849, and for some while _Punch_ published scathing -cartoons against Roman Catholicism. Doyle being of that faith resigned -his position and a good income through purely conscientious motives. -Although Doyle left in 1850 his work was seen in _Punch_ as lately as -1864, for when he resigned some of his work was then unpublished. This -funny illustration of "A meeting to discuss the principles of Protection -and Free Trade" was an outcome of the intensely bitter feeling between -the partisans of both sides which marked the carrying-on by Lord John -Russell of the system established by Sir Robert Peel in 1846 for -throwing open our market-doors to free trade with foreign nations. - -[Illustration: 5.--A CLEAR CASE OF LIBEL. 1851.] - -[Illustration: 6.--BY RICHARD DOYLE. 1850.] - -No. 7 is one of the minor hits at "Papal Aggression" made by _Punch_ -fifty years ago, and it is irresistibly funny. - -[Illustration: 7.--THE APPARITION. 1850.] - -[Illustration: 8.--THIS IS SIR JOHN TENNIEL'S FIRST CARTOON; FEBRUARY 8, -1851.] - -Sir John Tenniel's first cartoon is shown in No. 8. It represents Lord -John Russell as David, backed by Mr. Punch and by John Bull, attacking -Cardinal Wiseman as Goliath, who is at the head of a host of Roman -Catholic archbishops and bishops. A very interesting mention is made by -Mr. Spielmann, in his "History of Punch," of the circumstances which -caused Tenniel to join _Punch_, and to become the greatest cartoonist -the world has produced:-- - - Had the Pope not "aggressed" by appointing archbishops and bishops - to English sees [This caused all the exaggerated pother and flutter - of 1849.--J. H. S.], and so raised the scare of which Lord John - Russell and Mr. Punch really seem to have been the leaders, Doyle - would not have resigned, and no opening would have been made for - Tenniel. - - Sir John, indeed, was by no means enamoured of the prospect of - being a _Punch_ artist, when Mark Lemon [the editor in 1850.--J. - H. S.] made his overtures to him. He was rather indignant than - otherwise, as his line was high art, and his severe drawing above - "fooling." "Do they suppose," he asked a friend, "that there is - anything funny about _me_?" He meant, of course, in his art, for - privately he was well recognised as a humorist; and little did he - know, in the moment of hesitation before he accepted the offer, - that he was struggling against a kindly destiny. - -Thus we may say that the "Popish Scare" of fifty years ago was a main -cause of the Tenniel cartoons in the _Punch_ of to-day. - -[Illustration: 9.--ILLUSTRATING THE CONNECTION BY ELECTRIC CABLE BETWEEN -ENGLAND AND FRANCE. BY LEECH, 1851.] - -The picture in No. 9, "The New Siamese Twins," celebrates the -successful laying of the submarine cable between Dover and Calais, -November 13, 1851: the closing prices of the Paris Bourse were known -within business hours of the same day on the London Stock Exchange. The -use by Leech of the words in the title, "Siamese Twins," refers to the -visit to this country of a Barnum-like natural monstrosity--a pair of -twins whose bodies were joined--a freak that was also the origin of a -toy sold in later years with the same title. In the year 1851 _Punch_ -secured another of its most famous artists--Charles Keene--whose first -contribution is shown in No. 10. - -[Illustration: 10.--THIS IS CHARLES KEENE'S FIRST "PUNCH" DRAWING; -DECEMBER 20, 1851.] - -[Illustration: 11.--BY LEECH. 1851.] - -[Illustration: 12.--BY LEECH. 1851.] - -[Illustration: 13.--AN INCIDENT OF THE 1851 CENSUS.] - -This sketch has little of a joke in it--the shakiness of drawing is -intentional [see the description given in No. 10], and the following -account of this poor little picture, so interesting as the first by -Keene, is given by Mr. G. S. Layard in his "Life and Letters of Charles -Samuel Keene":-- - - In 1848, Louis Napoleon had been elected to the French Presidency - ...; 1849 witnessed the commencement of those violent political - struggles which were the forerunners of internal conspiracies; and - 1851 saw this practical anarchy suddenly put a stop to by the - famous, or infamous, _coup d'état_ of December 2nd. - - Towards the end of that month a very modest wood-cut, bearing the - legend "Sketch of the Patent Street-sweeping Machines lately - introduced at Paris" appeared on p. 264 of "Mr. Punch's" journal. - It represented a couple of cannon drawn with the waviest of - outlines, and the letter "A" marked upon the ground directly in - their line of fire [see No. 10.--J. H. S.].... - - This was the first appearance of Keene's pencil in the pages which - he was destined to adorn with increasing frequency as time went on - for nearly forty years. The sketch is unsigned. Indeed, it was - only at the urgent request of his friend, Mr. Silver, in whose - brain the notion had originated, that the drawing was made, the - artist bluntly expressing his opinion that the joke was a mighty - poor one. - -[Illustration: FIRST DESIGN.] - -[Illustration: SECOND DESIGN.] - -[Illustration: THIRD DESIGN.] - -[Illustration: FOURTH DESIGN.] - -[Illustration: FIFTH DESIGN.] - -[Illustration: SIXTH DESIGN.] - -[Illustration: 14.--MR. PUNCH'S "WARDROBE OF OLD COATS." BEING THE SIX -DESIGNS FOR THE FRONT PAGE OF THE WRAPPER OF "PUNCH" WHICH PRECEDED THE -DESIGN NOW IN USE.] - -Pictures 11 to 13 bring us to No. 14, which contains small facsimile -reproductions of the six designs on the front of the _Punch_-wrapper, -which preceded the well-known design by Richard Doyle, now used every -week. These little pictures have been made direct from the original -_Punch_-wrappers in my possession, as it was found impossible to get -satisfactory prints in so small a size as these from the much larger -blocks that Messrs. Cassell and Company very kindly lent to me, -impressions from which can be seen by readers who may like to study the -detail of these designs in Mr. Spielmann's "History of Punch," which -contains a full account of them. Incidentally, it is interesting to note -that when these designs were made it would have been impossible to -obtain from them the excellent reduced facsimiles now shown, which, by -the way, have only now been obtained after several attempts--as each of -these pretty little pictures has been reduced from the full size of the -ordinary _Punch_-page. - -[Illustration: 15.--BY LEECH. 1852.] - -The first design was made in 1841 by A. S. Henning, Mr. Punch's first -cartoonist. In the early years of _Punch_ the design for the wrapper was -changed for each half-yearly volume, and early in 1842 the second design -was adopted: this was drawn by Hablot K. Browne ("Phiz"), who worked for -_Punch_ during 1842-1844, leaving _Punch_ in 1844, because the paper -could not at that time stand the financial strain of the two big guns, -Leech and "Phiz". H. K. Browne went back to Mr. Punch in later years, -and Mr. Spielmann has recorded that this "brave worker, who would not -admit his stroke of paralysis, but called it rheumatism, could still -draw when the pencil was tied to his fingers and answered the swaying of -his body." - -The third wrapper is by William Harvey, and was used for Vol. III. of -_Punch_ in the latter part of 1842. The artist "spread consternation in -the office by sending in a charge of twelve guineas" for this third -wrapper--twelve guineas being, by the way, nearly one-half of the total -capital with which _Punch_ was started in 1841. - -The fourth wrapper was designed by Sir John Gilbert, whose work for -_Punch_, although greatly intermittent, and small in quantity, was -spread over a longer period than that of any other _Punch_ artist--save -Sir John Tenniel. This wrapper covered the first part of 1843, and it -was used until recent years as the pink cover of _Punch's_ monthly -parts. - -The fifth wrapper is by Kenny Meadows--you can just see his signature on -the lower rim of the drum--and it was used in the latter part of 1843. -Then, in January, 1844, Richard Doyle, Mr. Punch's latest recruit, was -employed to design the new wrapper--the sixth of our illustration No. -14. This design was used until January, 1849, and then Doyle made the -alterations which distinguish this sixth wrapper from the one now in use -and which has been used ever since. - -[Illustration: 16.--TO TERRIFY THE ENEMY. 1852.] - -A little boy's advice to his grandfather is illustrated by Leech in No. -15, and No. 16 suggests an added horror of war. The humorous prospectus -in No. 17 concludes with the words:-- - - Something turns up every day to justify the most sanguine - expectation that an El Dorado has really been discovered. In the - meantime, the motto of the Company is "Otium Sine Dig." [_Ease - without dignity_]. Applications for Shares to be made immediately - to the above addresses, as a preference will be shown to - respectable people. - -By the way, when Mr. Punch wrote this skit about "Gold in England," he -and his public were alike unaware that gold is really in this -country--gold ore worth £15,000 was dug up in 1894 out of this country: -1894 being the most recent year for which I have the official return of -mining. - -[Illustration: 17.--MR. PUNCH'S ACCOUNT OF A COMPANY-PROMOTING SWINDLE. -1852.] - -No. 18 depicts a moment of half-delightful, half-awe-stricken, -anticipation by the amateur clown, pantaloon, and columbine of the exact -result that will follow the application of the (real) red-hot poker to -the old gentleman's legs. - -[Illustration: 18.--BY LEECH. 1853.] - -No. 19 is Mr. Punch's tribute to the Duke of Wellington which, a week -later (October 2nd, 1852), was followed by a cartoon by Tenniel -containing in a mournful pose one of Tenniel's splendid British lions -that have intermittently during so many years been a prominent feature -of his cartoons. - -[Illustration: 19.--THE OBITUARY NOTICE IN "PUNCH" ON THE DUKE OF -WELLINGTON. SEPTEMBER 25, 1852.] - -[Illustration: 20.--THE COMING OF PHOTOGRAPHY [AND OF THE BULL] BY -"CUTHBERT BEDE," 1853.] - -No. 20 is by "Cuthbert Bede" [the Reverend Edward Bradley], the author -of "Verdant Green," and this is one of four caricature illustrations of -the then novel art of photography, which Mr. Bradley did for _Punch_ in -the year 1853. We read just now how we are indirectly indebted to a Pope -[Pius IX.] for Sir John Tenniel's cartoons, and in connection with the -Rev. Edward Bradley's picture in No. 20, it may be noted that six -clergymen, at the least, have contributed to Mr. Punch's pages. - -[Illustration: 21.--SUGGESTED BY THE MILITARY AND NAVAL REVIEWS HELD BY -THE QUEEN IN 1853.] - -[Illustration: 22.--MR. PUNCH'S HIT AT JOHN BRIGHT AND THE PEACE -SOCIETY. 1853.] - -No. 21 shows _Punch's_ "Medal for a Peace Assurance Society," a -pictorialization in 1853 of the still true old saying: "To secure peace -be prepared for war." An unhappy necessity, as some people think, but -without doubt the only practical way to assure peace, and, as usual, Mr. -Punch puts the thing in a nutshell with his two mottoes on the medal: -"Attention" and "Ready, aye Ready." Our "attention" and "readiness" of -1853 did not, however, keep us out of the Crimean War, which began in -the spring of 1854, despite the efforts of the Peace Society and of John -Bright, who are caricatured in No. 22. But modern authorities generally -believe that the Crimean War might have been prevented by a more -vigorous policy than that of Lord Aberdeen, whose Administration is -chiefly remembered by what is now thought to have been a gross blunder. -This No. 22 is also interesting as a forerunner of Mr. E. T. Reed's -remarkably witty modern designs, "Ready-made coats (-of-arms); or, -giving 'em fits." - -[Illustration: 23.--A SINISTER INVITATION. 1854.] - -"I wish the British Lion were dead outright," said John Bright, at -Edinburgh, in 1853, and Mr. Punch's comment on these words was the funny -"Improvement" of the Royal Arms depicted in No. 22. - -[Illustration: 24.--A REFERENCE TO THE CRIMEAN WAR. BY LEECH, 1854.] - -With a glance of sympathy at the belated traveller in No. 23, we pass to -No. 24, which shows the "Bursting of the Russian Bubble." This was -published in _Punch_, October 14th, 1854, after the Battle of the Alma -had been fought and badly lost by Russia and part of the Russian fleet -sunk at Sebastopol. Leech here shows very graphically the shattering of -the "irresistible power" and of the "unlimited means" which were to have -led the Emperor Nicholas I. of Russia to an easy victory over the -British and French allied forces. - -[Illustration: 25.--IN THE EARLY DAYS OF PHOTOGRAPHY; BY "CUTHBERT -BEDE," 1853.] - -No. 25 is another of the caricatures of photography in its early days by -"Cuthbert Bede," and very funny it is. - -The next picture, No. 26, is one of _Punch's_ classics. It is that -well-known joke illustrating manners in the mining districts in the -early fifties:-- - - _First Polite Native_: "Who's 'im, Bill?" - - _Second ditto_: "A stranger!" - - _First ditto_: "'Eave 'arf a brick at 'im." - -By the way, speaking of Mr. Punch's jokes which have become classic, the -one which is the best known is the following:-- - - Worthy of Attention. - - Advice to persons about to marry-- - - Don't! - -[Illustration: 26.--MINERS' MANNERS, 1854.] - -This famous _mot_ appeared in _Punch's_ Almanac for 1845, and Mr. -Spielmann states that it was "based upon the ingenious wording of an -advertisement widely put forth by Eamonson & Co., well-known house -furnishers of the day." - -[Illustration: 27.--PLEASANT FOR THE YOUTH. BY LEECH, 1853.] - -[Illustration: 28.--A SUPPOSITITIOUS RUSSIAN ACCOUNT OF OUR DISTRESS -DURING THE CRIMEAN WAR, 1854.] - -As regards the source of this famous joke, Mr. Spielmann, with -characteristic thoroughness, gives a long account of the many claims to -its paternity, and finally makes this statement:-- - - ... chance has placed in my possession the authoritative - information; and so far from any outsider, anonymous or declared, - paid or unpaid, being concerned in it at all, the line simply came - in the ordinary way from one of the Staff--from the man who, with - Landells, had conceived _Punch_ and shaped it from the beginning, - and had invented that first Almanac which had saved the paper's - life--Henry Mayhew. - -[Illustration: 29.--A STREET-ARAB OF 1854.] - -No. 27 is a very clever drawing by Leech--they are all clever of course, -but this seems specially good. The youth [on Westminster Bridge--time, -two on a foggy morning] white with fear walks on perfectly straight -without taking any notice of the rough who asks: "Did you want to buy a -good razor?"--but he _is_ taking a lot of notice though. The youth walks -exactly like one does walk when a beggar pesters as he slouches -alongside just behind one, but here the frightened youth has good cause -indeed for the shaking fear that Leech has by some magic put into these -strokes of his pencil. The "Reduced Tradesman" too is exactly good--but -let the picture speak for itself, it wants no words of mine. - -[Illustration: 30.--OUT OF THE RAIN. 1854.] - -There is an amusing "Russian" account, in No. 28, of our troubles at -home during the Crimean War; and No. 29 shows a street-Arab asking the -Queen's coachman, "I say, Coachy, are you engaged?" - -[Illustration: 31.--BY LEECH, 1854.] - -Glancing at Nos. 30 and 31, we see in No. 32 Leech's picture of the -heroic charge at the Battle of Balaclava, on October 25, 1854, with Lord -Cardigan leading his famous Light Brigade of Cavalry. Here are Mr. -Punch's lines on this gallant charge, which was subsequently -immortalized by Tennyson in his "Charge of the Light Brigade":-- - - -THE BATTLE OF BALAKLAVA. - -[_Nine verses, on the battle generally, precede the lines below, which -refer to the charge of the Light Brigade, illustrated by Leech, in No. -32.--J. H. S._] - - But who is there, with patient tongue the sorry tale to tell, - How our Light Brigade, true martyrs to the point of honour, fell! - "'Twas sublime, but 'twas not warfare," that charge of woe and wrack, - That led six hundred to the guns, and brought two hundred back! - - Enough! the order came to charge, and charge they did--like men: - While shot and shell and rifle-ball played on them down the glen. - Though thirty guns were ranged in front, not one drew bated breath, - Unfaltering, unquestioning, they rode upon their death! - - Nor by five times their number of all arms could they be stayed; - And with two lives for one of ours, e'en then, the Russians paid; - Till torn with shot and rent with shell, a spent and bleeding few,-- - Life was against those fearful odds,--from the grapple they withdrew. - - But still like wounded lions, their faces to the foe, - More conquerors than conquered, they fell back stern and slow; - With dinted arms and weary steeds--all bruised and soiled and worn-- - Is this the wreck of all that rode so bravely out this morn? - Where thirty answered muster at dawn now answer ten, - Oh, woe's me for such officers!--Oh, woe's me for such men! - - Whose was the blame? Name not his name, but rather seek to hide. - If he live, leave him to conscience--to God, if he have died: - But you, true band of heroes, you have done your duty well: - Your country asks not, to what end; it knows but how you fell! - -[Illustration: 32.--THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE. BY LEECH, NOVEMBER -25, 1854.] - - NOTE.--In Part 1. of this article, the "Portrait of the Railway - Panic," illustration No. 17, was erroneously ascribed to Doyle; the - artist was William Newman, one of Mr. Punch's first recruits. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -_Miss Cayley's Adventures._ - -XII.--THE ADVENTURE OF THE UNPROFESSIONAL DETECTIVE. - -By Grant Allen. - - -"Is Lady Georgina at home?" - -The discreet man-servant in sober black clothes eyed me suspiciously. -"No, miss," he answered. "That is to say--no, ma'am. Her ladyship is -still at Mr. Marmaduke Ashurst's--the late Mr. Marmaduke Ashurst's, I -mean--in Park Lane North. You know the number, ma'am?" - -"Yes, I know it," I replied, with a gasp; for this was indeed a triumph. -My one fear had been lest Lord Southminster should already have taken -possession--why, you will see hereafter; and it relieved me to learn -that Lady Georgina was still at hand to guard my husband's interests. -She had been living at the house, practically, since her brother's -death. I drove round with all speed, and flung myself into my dear old -lady's arms. - -[Illustration: "I'VE HELD THE FORT BY MAIN FORCE."] - -"Kiss me," I cried, flushed. "I am your niece!" But she knew it already, -for our movements had been fully reported by this time (with picturesque -additions) in the morning papers. Imagination, ill-developed in the -English race, seems to concentrate itself in the lower order of -journalists. - -She kissed me on both cheeks with unwonted tenderness. "Lois," she -cried, with tears in her eyes, "you're a brick!" It was not exactly -poetical at such a moment, but from her it meant more than much gushing -phraseology. - -"And you're here in possession!" I murmured. - -The Cantankerous Old Lady nodded. She was in her element, I must admit. -She dearly loved a row--above all, a family row; but to be in the thick -of a family row, and to feel herself in the right, with the law against -her--that was joy such as Lady Georgina had seldom before experienced. -"Yes, dear," she burst out volubly, "I'm in possession, thank Heaven. -And what's more, they won't oust me without a legal process. I've been -here, off and on, you know, ever since poor dear Marmy died, looking -after things for Harold; and I shall look after them still, till Bertie -Southminster succeeds in ejecting me, which won't be easy. Oh, I've held -the fort by main force, I can tell you; held it like a Trojan. Bertie's -in a precious great hurry to move in, I can see; but I won't allow him. -He's been down here this morning, fatuously blustering, and trying to -carry the post by storm, with a couple of policemen." - -"Policemen!" I cried. "To turn you out?" - -"Yes, my dear, policemen: but (the Lord be praised) I was too much for -him. There are legal formalities to fulfil yet; and I won't budge an -inch, Lois, not one inch, my dear, till he's fulfilled every one of -them. Mark my words, child, that boy's up to some devilry." - -"He is," I answered. - -"Yes, he wouldn't be in such a rampaging hurry to get in--being as lazy -as he's empty-headed--takes after Gwendoline in that--if he hadn't some -excellent reason for wishing to take possession: and depend upon it, the -reason is that he wants to get hold of something or other that's -Harold's. But he sha'n't if I can help it; and thank my stars, I'm a -dour woman to reckon with. If he comes, he comes over my old bones, -child. I've been overhauling everything of Marmy's, I can tell you, to -checkmate the boy if I can; but I've found nothing yet, and till I've -satisfied myself on that point, I'll hold the fort still, if I have to -barricade that pasty-faced scoundrel of a nephew of mine out by piling -the furniture against the front door--I will as sure as my name's -Georgina Fawley!" - -"I know you will, dear," I assented, kissing her, "and so I shall -venture to leave you, while I go out to institute another little -inquiry." - -"What inquiry?" - -I shook my head. "It's only a surmise," I said, hesitating, "I'll tell -you about it later. I've had time to think while I've been coming back -in the train, and I've thought of many things. Mount guard till I -return, and mind you don't let Lord Southminster have access to -anything." - -"I'll shoot him first, dear." And I believe she meant it. - -I drove on in the same cab to Harold's solicitor. There I laid my fresh -doubts at once before him. He rubbed his bony hands. "You've hit it!" he -cried, charmed. "My dear madam, you've hit it! I never did like that -will. I never did like the signatures, the witnesses, the look of it. -But what could I do? Mr. Tillington propounded it. Of course it wasn't -my business to go dead against my own client." - -"Then you doubted Harold's honour, Mr. Hayes?" I cried, flushing. - -[Illustration: "'NEVER!' HE ANSWERED. 'NEVER!'"] - -"Never!" he answered. "Never! I felt sure there must be some mistake -somewhere, but not any trickery on--your husband's part. Now, _you_ -supply the right clue. We must look into this, immediately." - -He hurried round with me at once in the same cab to the court. The -incriminated will had been "impounded," as they call it; but, under -certain restrictions, and subject to the closest surveillance, I was -allowed to examine it with my husband's solicitor, before the eyes of -the authorities. I looked at it long with the naked eye and also with a -small pocket lens. The paper, as I had noted before, was the same kind -of foolscap as that which I had been in the habit of using at my office -in Florence; and the typewriting--was it mine? The longer I looked at -it, the more I doubted it. - -After a careful examination I turned round to our solicitor. "Mr. -Hayes," I said, firmly, having arrived at my conclusion, "this is _not_ -the document I type-wrote at Florence." - -"How do you know?" he asked. "A different machine? Some small -peculiarity in the shape of the letters?" - -"No, the rogue who typed this will was too cunning for that. He didn't -allow himself to be foiled by such a scholar's mate. It is written with -a Spread Eagle, the same sort of machine precisely as my own. I know the -type perfectly. But----" I hesitated. - -"But what?" - -"Well, it is difficult to explain. There is character in typewriting, -just as there is in handwriting, only, of course, not quite so much of -it. Every operator is liable to his own peculiar tricks and blunders. If -I had some of my own typewritten manuscript here to show you, I could -soon make that evident." - -"I can easily believe it. Individuality runs through all we do, however -seemingly mechanical. But are the points of a sort that you could make -clear in court to the satisfaction of a jury?" - -"I think so. Look here, for example. Certain letters get habitually -mixed up in typewriting; _c_ and _v_ stand next one another on the -keyboard of the machine, and the person who typed this draft sometimes -strikes a _c_ instead of a _v_, or _vice versâ_. I never do that. The -letters I tend to confuse are _s_ and _w_, or else _e_ and _r_, which -also come very near one another in the arbitrary arrangement. Besides, -when I type-wrote the original of this will, I made no errors at all; I -took such very great pains about it." - -"And this person did make errors?" - -"Yes; struck the wrong letter first, and then corrected it often by -striking another rather hard on top of it. See, this was a _v_ to begin -with, and he turned it into a _c_. Besides, the hand that wrote this -will is heavier than mine: it comes down _thump, thump, thump_, while -mine glides lightly. And the hyphens are used with a space between them, -and the character of the punctuation is not exactly as I make it." - -"Still," Mr. Hayes objected, "we have nothing but your word. I'm afraid, -in such a case, we could never induce a jury to accept your unsupported -evidence." - -"I don't want them to accept it," I answered. "I am looking this up for -my own satisfaction. I want to know, first, who wrote this will. And of -one thing I am quite clear: it is _not_ the document I drew up for Mr. -Ashurst. Just look at that _x_. The _x_ alone is conclusive. My -typewriter had the upper right-hand stroke of the small _x_ badly -formed, or broken, while this one is perfect. I remember it well, -because I used always to improve all my lower-case _x_'s with a pen when -I re-read and corrected. I see their dodge clearly now. It is a most -diabolical conspiracy. Instead of forging a will in Lord Southminster's -favour, they have substituted a forgery for the real will, and then -managed to make my poor Harold prove it." - -"In that case, no doubt, they have destroyed the real one, the -original," Mr. Hayes put in. - -"I don't think so," I answered, after a moment's deliberation. "From -what I know of Mr. Ashurst, I don't believe it is likely he would have -left his will about carelessly anywhere. He was a secretive man, fond of -mysteries and mystifications. He would be sure to conceal it. Besides, -Lady Georgina and Harold have been taking care of everything in the -house ever since he died." - -"But," Mr. Hayes objected, "the forger of this document, supposing it to -be forged, must have had access to the original, since you say the terms -of the two are identical; only the signatures are forgeries. And if he -saw and copied it, why might he not also have destroyed it?" - -A light flashed across me all at once. "The forger _did_ see the -original," I cried, "but not the fair copy. I have it all now! I detect -their trick! It comes back to me vividly! When I had finished typing the -copy at Florence from my first rough draft, which I had taken down on -the machine before Mr. Ashurst's eyes, I remember now that I threw the -original into the waste-paper basket. It must have been there that -evening when Higginson called and asked for the will to take it back to -Mr. Ashurst. He called for it, no doubt, hoping to open the packet -before he delivered it and make a copy of the document for this very -purpose. But I refused to let him have it. Before he saw me, however, he -had been left by himself for ten minutes in the office; for I remember -coming out to him and finding him there alone: and during that ten -minutes, being what he is, you may be sure he fished out the rough draft -and appropriated it!" - -"That is more than likely," my solicitor nodded. "You are tracking him -to his lair. We shall have him in our power." - -[Illustration: "WE SHALL HAVE HIM IN OUR POWER."] - -I grew more and more excited as the whole cunning plot unravelled itself -mentally step by step before me. "He must then have gone to Lord -Southminster," I went on, "and told him of the legacy he expected from -Mr. Ashurst. It was five hundred pounds--a mere trifle to Higginson, who -plays for thousands. So he must have offered to arrange matters for Lord -Southminster if Southminster would consent to make good that sum and a -great deal more to him. That odious little cad told me himself on the -_Jumna_ they were engaged in pulling off 'a big _coup_' between them. He -thought then I would marry him, and that he would so secure my -connivance in his plans; but who would marry such a piece of moist clay? -Besides, I could never have taken anyone but Harold." Then another clue -came home to me. "Mr. Hayes," I cried, jumping at it, "Higginson, who -forged this will, never saw the real document itself at all; he saw only -the draft: for Mr. Ashurst altered one word _viva voce_ in the original -at the last moment, and I made a pencil note of it on my cuff at the -time: and see, it isn't here, though I inserted it in the final clean -copy of the will--the word 'especially.' It grows upon me more and more -each minute that the real instrument is hidden somewhere in Mr. -Ashurst's house--Harold's house--our house; and that _because_ it is -there, Lord Southminster is so indecently anxious to oust his aunt and -take instant possession." - -"In that case," Mr. Hayes remarked, "we had better go back to Lady -Georgina without one minute's delay, and, while she still holds the -house, institute a thorough search for it." - -No sooner said than done. We jumped again into our cab and started. As -we drove back, Mr. Hayes asked me where I thought we were most likely to -find it. - -"In a secret drawer in Mr. Ashurst's desk," I answered, by a flash of -instinct, without a second's hesitation. - -"How do you know there's a secret drawer?" - -"I don't know it. I infer it from my general knowledge of Mr. Ashurst's -character. He loved secret drawers, ciphers, cryptograms, -mystery-mongering." - -"But it was in that desk that your husband found the forged document," -the lawyer objected. - -Once more I had a flash of inspiration or intuition. "Because White, Mr. -Ashurst's valet, had it in readiness in his possession," I answered, -"and hid it there, in the most obvious and unconcealed place he could -find, as soon as the breath was out of his master's body. I remember now -Lord Southminster gave himself away to some extent in that matter. The -hateful little creature isn't really clever enough, for all his -cunning--and with Higginson to back him--to mix himself up in such -tricks as forgery. He told me at Aden he had had a telegram from -'Marmy's valet,' to report progress; and he received another, the night -Mr. Ashurst died, at Moozuffernuggar. Depend upon it, White was more or -less in this plot; Higginson left him the forged will when they started -for India; and as soon as Mr. Ashurst died White hid it where Harold was -bound to find it." - -"If so," Mr. Hayes answered, "that's well; we have something to go upon. -The more of them, the better. There is safety in numbers--for the honest -folk. I never knew three rogues hold long together, especially when -threatened with a criminal prosecution. Their confederacy breaks down -before the chance of punishment. Each tries to screen himself by -betraying the others." - -"Higginson was the soul of this plot," I went on. "Of that you may be -sure. He's a wily old fox, but we'll run him to earth yet. The more I -think of it, the more I feel sure, from what I know of Mr. Ashurst's -character, he would never have put that will in so exposed a place as -the one where Harold says he found it." - -We drew up at the door of the disputed house just in time for the siege. -Mr. Hayes and I walked in. We found Lady Georgina face to face with Lord -Southminster. The opposing forces were still at the stage of -preliminaries of warfare. - -"Look heah," the pea-green young man was observing, in his drawling -voice, as we entered; "it's no use your talking, deah Georgey. This -house is mine, and I won't have you meddling with it." - -"This house is not yours, you odious little scamp," his aunt retorted, -raising her shrill voice some notes higher than usual; "and while I can -hold a stick you shall not come inside it." - -"Very well, then; you drive me to hostilities, don't yah know. I'm sorry -to show disrespect to your grey hairs--if any--but I shall be obliged to -call in the police to eject yah." - -"Call them in if you like," I answered, interposing between them. "Go -out and get them! Mr. Hayes, while he's gone, send for a carpenter to -break open the back of Mr. Ashurst's escritoire." - -"A carpentah?" he cried, turning several degrees whiter than his pasty -wont. "What for? A carpentah?" - -I spoke distinctly. "Because we have reason to believe Mr. Ashurst's -real will is concealed in this house in a secret drawer, and because the -keys were in the possession of White, whom we believe to be your -accomplice in this shallow conspiracy." - -He gasped and looked alarmed. "No, you don't," he cried, stepping -briskly forward. "You don't, I tell yah! Break open Marmy's desk! Why, -hang it all, it's my property." - -"We shall see about that after we've broken it open," I answered, -grimly. "Here, this screw-driver will do. The back's not strong. Now, -your help, Mr. Hayes--one, two, three; we can prise it apart between -us." - -Lord Southminster rushed up and tried to prevent us. But Lady Georgina, -seizing both wrists, held him tight as in a vice with her dear skinny -old hands. He writhed and struggled, all in vain: he could not escape -her. "I've often spanked you, Bertie," she cried, "and if you attempt to -interfere, I'll spank you again; that's the long and the short of it!" - -He broke from her and rushed out, to call the police, I believe, and -prevent our desecration of poor Marmy's property. - -Inside the first shell were several locked drawers, and two or three -open ones, out of one of which Harold had fished the false will. -Instinct taught me somehow that the central drawer on the left-hand side -was the compartment behind which lay the secret receptacle. I prised it -apart and peered about inside it. Presently, I saw a slip-panel, which I -touched with one finger. The pigeon-hole flew open and disclosed a -narrow slit. I clutched at something--the will! Ho, victory! the will! I -raised it aloft with a wild shout. Not a doubt of it! The real, the -genuine document! - -We turned it over and read it. It was my own fair copy, written at -Florence, and bearing all the small marks of authenticity about it which -I had pointed out to Mr. Hayes as wanting to the forged and impounded -document. Fortunately, Lady Georgina and four of the servants had stood -by throughout this scene, and had watched our demeanour, as well as Lord -Southminster's. - -We turned next to the signatures. The principal one was clearly Mr. -Ashurst's--I knew it at once--his legible fat hand, "Marmaduke Courtney -Ashurst." And then the witnesses? They fairly took our breath away. - -"Why, Higginson's sister isn't one of them at all," Mr. Hayes cried, -astonished. - -A flush of remorse came over me. I saw it all now. I had misjudged that -poor woman! She had the misfortune to be a rogue's sister, but, as -Harold had said, was herself a most respectable and blameless person. -Higginson must have forged her name to the document; that was all; and -she had naturally sworn that she never signed it. He knew her honesty. -It was a master-stroke of rascality. - -[Illustration: "VICTORY."] - -"The other one isn't here, either," I exclaimed, growing more puzzled. -"The waiter at the hotel! Why, that's another forgery! Higginson must -have waited till the man was safely dead, and then used him similarly. -It was all very clever. Now, who are these people who really witnessed -it?" - -"The first one," Mr. Hayes said, examining the handwriting, "is Sir -Roger Bland, the Dorsetshire baronet: he's dead, poor fellow; but he was -at Florence at the time, and I can answer for his signature. He was a -client of mine, and died at Mentone. The second is Captain Richards, of -the Mounted Police: he's living still, but he's away in South Africa." - -"Then they risked his turning up?" - -"If they knew who the real witnesses were at all--which is doubtful. You -see, as you say, they may have seen the rough draft only." - -"Higginson would know," I answered. "He was with Mr. Ashurst at Florence -at the time, and he would take good care to keep a watch upon his -movements. In my belief, it was he who suggested this whole plot to Lord -Southminster." - -"Of course it was," Lady Georgina put in. "That's absolutely certain. -Bertie's a rogue as well as a fool: but he's too great a fool to invent -a clever roguery, and too great a knave not to join in it foolishly when -anybody else takes the pains to invent it." - -"And it _was_ a clever roguery," Mr. Hayes interposed. "An ordinary -rascal would have forged a later will in Lord Southminster's favour, and -run the risk of detection: Higginson had the acuteness to forge a will -exactly like the real one, and to let your husband bear the burden of -the forgery. It was as sagacious as it was ruthless." - -"The next point," I said, "will be for us to prove it." - -At that moment the bell rang, and one of the house-servants--all puzzled -by this conflict of interests--came in with a telegram, which he handed -me on a salver. I broke it open, without glancing at the envelope. Its -contents baffled me: "My address is Hotel Bristol, Paris; name as usual. -Send me a thousand pounds on account at once. I can't afford to wait. No -shillyshallying." - -The message was unsigned. For a moment, I couldn't imagine who sent it, -or what it was driving at. - -Then I took up the envelope. "Viscount Southminster, 24, Park Lane -North, London." - -My heart gave a jump. I saw in a second that chance or Providence had -delivered the conspirators into my hands that day. The telegram was from -Higginson! I had opened it by accident. - -It was obvious what had happened. Lord Southminster must have written to -him on the result of the trial, and told him he meant to take possession -of his uncle's house immediately. Higginson had acted on that hint, and -addressed his telegram where he thought it likely Lord Southminster -would receive it earliest. I had opened it in error, and that, too, was -fortunate, for even in dealing with such a pack of scoundrels, it would -never have occurred to me to violate somebody else's correspondence had -I not thought it was addressed to me. But having arrived at the truth -thus unintentionally, I had, of course, no scruples about making full -use of my information. - -I showed the despatch at once to Lady Georgina and Mr. Hayes. They -recognised its importance. "What next?" I inquired. "Time presses. At -half-past three Harold comes up for examination at Bow Street." - -Mr. Hayes was ready with an apt expedient. "Ring the bell for Mr. -Ashurst's valet," he said, quietly. "The moment has now arrived when we -can begin to set these conspirators by the ears. As soon as they learn -that we know all, they will be eager to inform upon one another." - -I rang the bell. "Send up White," I said. "We wish to speak to him." - -The valet stole up, self-accused, a timid, servile creature, rubbing his -hands nervously, and suspecting mischief. He was a rat in trouble. He -had thin brown hair, neatly brushed and plastered down, so as to make it -look still thinner, and his face was the average narrow cunning face of -the dishonest man-servant. It had an ounce of wile in it to a pound or -two of servility. He seemed just the sort of rogue meanly to join in an -underhand conspiracy, and then meanly to back out of it. You could read -at a glance that his principle in life was to save his own bacon. - -He advanced, fumbling his hands all the time, and smiling and fawning. -"You wished to see me, sir?" he murmured, in a deprecatory voice, -looking sideways at Lady Georgina and me, but addressing the lawyer. - -[Illustration: "YOU WISHED TO SEE ME, SIR?"] - -"Yes, White, I wished to see you. I have a question to ask you. _Who_ -put the forged will in Mr. Ashurst's desk? Was it you, or some other -person?" - -The question terrified him. He changed colour and gasped. But he rubbed -his hands harder than ever and affected a sickly smile. "Oh, sir, how -should _I_ know, sir? _I_ had nothing to do with it. I suppose--it was -Mr. Tillington." - -Our lawyer pounced upon him like a hawk on a titmouse. "Don't -prevaricate with me, sir," he said, sternly. "If you do, it may be worse -for you. This case has assumed quite another aspect. It is you and your -associates who will be placed in the dock, not Mr. Tillington. You had -better speak the truth; it is your one chance, I warn you. Lie to me, -and instead of calling you as a witness for our case, I shall include -you in the indictment." - -White looked down uneasily at his shoes, and cowered. "Oh, sir, I don't -understand you." - -"Yes, you do. You understand me, and you know I mean it. Wriggling is -useless; we intend to prosecute. We have unravelled this vile plot. We -know the whole truth. Higginson and Lord Southminster forged a will -between them----" - -"Oh, sir, _not_ Lord Southminster! His lordship, I'm sure----" - -Mr. Hayes's keen eye had noted the subtle shade of distinction and -admission. But he said nothing openly. "Well, then, Higginson forged, -and Lord Southminster accepted, a false will, which purported to be Mr. -Marmaduke Ashurst's. Now, follow me clearly. That will could not have -been put into the escritoire during Mr. Ashurst's life, for there would -have been risk of his discovering it. It must, therefore, have been put -there afterward. The moment he was dead, you, or somebody else with your -consent and connivance, slipped it into the escritoire; and you -afterwards showed Mr. Tillington the place where you had set it or seen -it set, leading him to believe it was Mr. Ashurst's will, and so -involved him in all this trouble. Note that that was a felonious act. We -accuse you of felony. Do you mean to confess, and give evidence on our -behalf, or will you force me to send for a policeman to arrest you?" - -The cur hesitated still. "Oh, sir," drawing back, and fumbling his hands -on his breast, "you don't mean it." - -Mr. Hayes was prompt. "Hesslegrave, go for a policeman." - -That curt sentence brought the rogue on his marrow-bones at once. He -clasped his hands and debated inwardly. "If I tell you all I know," he -said, at last, looking about him with an air of abject terror, as if he -thought Lord Southminster or Higginson would hear him, "will you promise -not to prosecute me?" His tone became insinuating. "For a hundred -pounds, I could find the real will for you. You'd better close with me. -To-day is the last chance. As soon as his lordship comes in, he'll hunt -it up and destroy it." - -I flourished it before him, and pointed with one hand to the broken -desk, which he had not yet observed in his craven agitation. - -"We do not need your aid," I answered. "We have found the will, -ourselves. Thanks to Lady Georgina, it is safe till this minute." - -"And to me," he put in, cringing, and trying, after his kind, to curry -favour with the winners at the last moment. "It's all _my_ doing, my -lady! I wouldn't destroy it. His lordship offered me a hundred pounds -more to break open the back of the desk at night, while your ladyship -was asleep, and burn the thing quietly. But I told him he might do his -own dirty work if he wanted it done. It wasn't good enough while your -ladyship was here in possession. Besides, I wanted the right will -preserved, for I thought things might turn up so; and I wouldn't stand -by and see a gentleman like Mr. Tillington, as has always behaved well -to me, deprived of his inheritance." - -"Which is why you conspired with Lord Southminster to rob him of it, and -to send him to prison for Higginson's crime," I interposed, calmly. - -"Then you confess you put the forged will there?" Mr. Hayes said, -getting to business. - -White looked about him helplessly. He missed his headpiece, the -instigator of the plot. "Well, it was like this, my lady," he began, -turning to Lady Georgina, and wriggling to gain time. "You see, his -lordship and Mr. Higginson----" he twirled his thumbs and tried to -invent something plausible. - -Lady Georgina swooped. "No rigmarole!" she said, sharply. "Do you -confess you put it there or do you not--reptile?" Her vehemence startled -him. - -"Yes, I confess I put it there," he said at last, blinking. "As soon as -the breath was out of Mr. Ashurst's body I put it there." He began to -whimper. "I'm a poor man with a wife and family, sir," he went on, -"though in Mr. Ashurst's time I always kep' that quiet; and his lordship -offered to pay me well for the job; and when you're paid well for a job -yourself, sir----." - -Mr. Hayes waved him off with one imperious hand. "Sit down in the corner -there, man, and don't move or utter another word," he said, sternly, -"until I order you. You will be in time still for me to produce at Bow -Street." - -Just at that moment, Lord Southminster swaggered back, accompanied by a -couple of unwilling policemen. "Oh, I say," he cried, bursting in and -staring around him, jubilant. "Look heah, Georgey, _are_ you going -quietly, or must I ask these coppahs to evict you?" He was wreathed in -smiles now, and had evidently been fortifying himself with brandies and -soda. - -Lady Georgina rose in her wrath. "Yes, I'll go if you wish it, Bertie," -she answered, with calm irony. "I'll leave the house as soon as you -like--for the present--till we come back again with Harold and _his_ -policemen to evict you. This house is Harold's. Your game is played, -boy." She spoke slowly. "We have found the other will--we have -discovered Higginson's present address in Paris--and we know from White -how he and you arranged this little conspiracy." - -She rapped out each clause in this last accusing sentence with -deliberate effect, like so many pistol-shots. Each bullet hit home. The -pea-green young man, drawing back and staring, stroked his shadowy -moustache with feeble fingers in undisguised astonishment. Then he -dropped into a chair and fixed his gaze blankly on Lady Georgina. "Well, -this is a fair knock-out," he ejaculated, fatuously disconcerted. "I -wish Higginson was heah. I really don't quite know what to do without -him. That fellah had squared it all up so neatly, don't yah know, that I -thought there couldn't be any sort of hitch in the proceedings." - -[Illustration: "'WELL, THIS IS A FAIR KNOCK-OUT,' HE EJACULATED."] - -"You reckoned without Lois," Lady Georgina said, calmly. - -"Ah, Miss Cayley--that's true. I mean, Mrs. Tillington. Yaas, yaas, I -know, she's a doosid clevah person for a woman, now isn't she?" - -It was impossible to take this flabby creature seriously, even as a -criminal. Lady Georgina's lips relaxed. "Doosid clever" she admitted, -looking at me almost tenderly. - -"But not quite so clevah, don't yah know, as Higginson!" - -"There you make your blooming little erraw," Mr. Hayes burst in, -adopting one of Lord Southminster's favourite witticisms--the sort of -witticism that improves, like poetry, by frequent repetition. -"Policemen, you may go into the next room and wait: this is a family -affair; we have no immediate need of you." - -"Oh, certainly," Lord Southminster echoed, much relieved. "Very propah -sentiment! Most undesirable that the constables should mix themselves up -in a family mattah like this. Not the place for inferiahs!" - -"Then why introduce them?" Lady Georgina burst out, turning on him. - -He smiled his fatuous smile. "That's just what I say," he answered. "Why -the jooce introduce them? But don't snap my head off!" - -The policemen withdrew respectfully, glad to be relieved of this -unpleasant business, where they could gain no credit, and might possibly -involve themselves in a charge of assault. Lord Southminster rose with a -benevolent grin, and looked about him pleasantly. The brandies and soda -had endowed him with irrepressible cheerfulness. - -"Well?" Lady Georgina murmured. - -"Well, I think I'll leave now, Georgey. You've trumped my ace, yah know. -Nasty trick of White to go and round on a fellah. I don't like the turn -this business is taking. Seems to me, the only way I have left to get -out of it is--to turn Queen's evidence." - -Lady Georgina planted herself firmly against the door. "Bertie," she -cried, "no, you don't--not till we've got what we want out of you!" - -He gazed at her blandly. His face broke once more into an imbecile -smile. "You were always a rough 'un, Georgey. Your hand did sting! Well, -what do you want now? We've each played our cards, and you needn't cut -up rusty over it--especially when you're winning! Hang it all, I wish I -had Higginson heah to tackle you!" - -"If you go to see the Treasury people, or the Solicitor-General, or the -Public Prosecutor, or whoever else it may be," Lady Georgina said, -stoutly, "Mr. Hayes must go with you. We've trumped your ace, as you -say, and we mean to take advantage of it. And then you must trundle -yourself down to Bow Street afterwards, confess the whole truth, and set -Harold at liberty." - -"Oh, I say now, Georgey! The whole truth! the whole blooming truth! -That's really what I call humiliating a fellah!" - -"If you don't, we arrest you this minute--fourteen years' imprisonment!" - -"Fourteen yeahs?" He wiped his forehead. "Oh, I say. How doosid -uncomfortable. I was nevah much good at doing anything by the sweat of -my brow. I ought to have lived in the Garden of Eden. Georgey, you're -hard on a chap when he's down on his luck. It would be confounded cruel -to send me to fourteen yeahs at Portland." - -"You would have sent my husband to it," I broke in, angrily, confronting -him. - -"What? You too, Miss Cayley?--I mean Mrs. Tillington. Don't look at me -like that. Tigahs aren't in it." - -His jauntiness disarmed us. However wicked he might be, one felt it -would be ridiculous to imprison this schoolboy. A sound flogging and a -month's deprivation of wine and cigarettes was the obvious punishment -designed for him by nature. - -"You must go down to the police-court and confess this whole -conspiracy," Lady Georgina went on after a pause, as sternly as she was -able. "I prefer, if we can, to save the family--even you, Bertie. But I -can't any longer save the family honour--I can only save Harold's. You -must help me to do that; and then, you must give me your solemn -promise--in writing--to leave England for ever, and go to live in South -Africa." - -He stroked the invisible moustache more nervously than before. That -penalty came home to him. "What, leave England for evah? -Newmarket--Ascot--the club--the music-halls!" - -"Or fourteen years' imprisonment!" - -"Georgey, you spank as hard as evah!" - -"Decide at once, or we arrest you!" - -He glanced about him feebly. I could see he was longing for his lost -confederate. "Well, I'll go," he said at last, sobering down; "and your -solicitaw can trot round with me. I'll do all that you wish, though I -call it most unfriendly. Hang it all, fourteen yeahs would be so beastly -unpleasant!" - -We drove forthwith to the proper authorities, who, on hearing the facts, -at once arranged to accept Lord Southminster and White as Queen's -evidence, neither being the actual forger. We also telegraphed to Paris -to have Higginson arrested, Lord Southminster giving us up his assumed -name with the utmost cheerfulness, and without one moment's compunction. -Mr. Hayes was quite right: each conspirator was only too ready to save -himself by betraying his fellows. Then we drove on to Bow Street (Lord -Southminster consoling himself with a cigarette on the way), just in -time for Harold's case, which was to be taken, by special arrangement, -at 3.30. - -A very few minutes sufficed to turn the tables completely on the -conspirators. Harold was discharged, and a warrant was issued for the -arrest of Higginson, the actual forger. He had drawn up the false will -and signed it with Mr. Ashurst's name, after which he had presented it -for Lord Southminster's approval. The pea-green young man told his tale -with engaging frankness. "Bertie's a simple Simon," Lady Georgina -commented to me; "but he's also a rogue; and Higginson saw his way to -make excellent capital of him in both capacities--first use him as a -catspaw, and then blackmail him." - -On the steps of the police-court, as we emerged triumphant, Lord -Southminster met us--still radiant as ever. He seemed wholly unaware of -the depths of his iniquity: a fresh dose of brandy had restored his -composure. "Look heah," he said, "Harold, your wife has bested me! Jolly -good thing for you that you managed to get hold of such a clevah woman! -If you hadn't, deah boy, you'd have found yourself in Queeah Street! -But, I say, Lois--I call yah Lois because you're my cousin now, yah -know--you were backing the wrong man aftah all, as I told yah. For if -you'd backed _me_, all this wouldn't have come out; you'd have got the -tin and been a countess as well, aftah the governah's dead and gone, -don't yah see. You'd have landed the double event. So you'd have pulled -off a bettah thing for yourself in the end, as I said, if you'd laid -your bottom dollah on me for winnah!" - -[Illustration: "HAROLD, YOUR WIFE HAS BESTED ME."] - -Higginson is now doing fourteen years at Portland; Harold and I are -happy in the sweetest place in Gloucestershire; and Lord Southminster, -blissfully unaware of the contempt with which the rest of the world -regards him, is shooting big game among his "boys" in South Africa. -Indeed, he bears so little malice that he sent us a present of a trophy -of horns for our hall last winter. - - - - -_A Town in the Tree-Tops._ - -By Ellsworth Douglass. - - -Everybody at the _pension_ had heard it, but Bayly has a circumstantial -and picturesque manner of narration, which gives old stories a new -interest. - -"Wasn't it your American millionaire, Mr. Waldorf Astor," he said, -addressing me, "who made a wager that he would comfortably seat -thirty-two guests around the stump of a California big tree? And didn't -he do it? Brought a slice off the tree-stump more than 6,000 miles, and -had a grand dinner on it in London?" - -"I must say I like your big tree stories better than your big tree -wines," put in Gaillet, a dashing young Frenchman, who spoke English -fluently; "but I don't think all that is so wonderful. I can show you a -place, within less than an hour of Paris, where more than thirty-two -persons can dine around comfortable tables high up in the branches of a -single tree!" - -"That sounds interesting, Gaillet; to me it smells like 'good copy.' -Eating up in trees might make some novel photographs; what do you say, -Bayly?" - -I purposely touched the young Englishman on his hobby. He was an amateur -photographer of the virulent and persistent type, and had recently -infected me with the contagion. - -"If the sun looks promising we will ride down there on our wheels -to-morrow and have a look at them," he replied. "Can you go with us and -show us the way, Gaillet?" - -And so, early the next morning, we went. It was a delightful two hours -on the wheel in early October. Just as the country began to grow more -broken and interesting, and chestnut trees began to strew the paths with -prickly burrs, we wheeled up a slight hill into a quaint village, and -dismounting, Gaillet exclaimed:-- - -"Here we are at home with Robinson Crusoe!" - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_] THE VILLAGE OF ROBINSON. [_L. -Bayly._] - -Had he told me that Robinson Crusoe really lived in the flesh and, after -returning from his lonely adventures, founded this little village, and -here attempted to bring into fashion his old habit of eating in the -trees, I would have believed it. For here is the village bearing his -name to this day; here also, as seen in our first photograph, is his -effigy in the principal street, under his rough, thatched umbrella, and -with his parrot seated upon his shoulder, as every schoolboy knows him. -Here, likewise, are a number of great trees, with two or three rustic -dining-huts built far up on the limbs of each; and, as Gaillet assured -us, here, for the last fifty years, men and their families have eaten in -the trees like squirrels. - -As Bayly prepared to take the first photograph, he noticed that the -highest dining-stage in the tip-top of the biggest tree had curtains -drawn around it, which he asked to have pulled back. A waiter informed -him that this rustic hut was engaged by a party. - -"Yes, I telephoned down yesterday afternoon, and reserved it for us," -put in Gaillet. "I also ordered the _déjeuner_. I hope you will like it: -sole _au gratin_ and _chateaubriand aux champignons_." - -At that moment the wind left the leaves and boughs at rest, and Bayly -snapped the shutter, regardless of the curtains. I made reply to -Gaillet:-- - -"I never heard of Crusoe's fare being quite so pretentious as all that. -He must have learned cookery since he came to France." - -"It is M. Gueusquin _aîné_ who claims the credit for applying the tree -idea to modern dining. Doubtless he does it better than Crusoe could -have done. At any rate, he has made a large fortune out of the idea--far -more than Defoe made out of his story. It was just fifty years ago," -continued Gaillet, "that the father of the present proprietor here was -struck with the clever idea, bought this picturesque plot of ground with -large trees on it, and built rustic dining-rooms on the strongest -branches. He called his lonely little country place Robinson, after the -Swiss family which figures in the French version of the romance, and -invited the patronage of the fun-loving Parisians who delight in -fanciful ideas of ibis sort. At that time it was a long coach ride from -the city, but it soon became the popular _rendezvous_ for a day's -outing. Since then Kings have dined here; thousands of wedding parties -have seen life rosy from the tree-tops, and nearly every Parisian boy -who reads the story of Robinson's adventures is taken to this quaint -little village as a realistic sequel. M. Gueusquin's success tempted -others into similar ventures here, so that now nearly every large tree -is utilized, and Robinson has grown into quite a respectable village, -whose name will always be associated in the French mind with breezy -dinners, family picnics, donkey-riding, bracing country air, and -charming scenery. The Ligne de Sceaux long ago built a branch line -terminating here, and a journey of forty minutes by train brings one -down from the Luxembourg Station in Paris." - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_] THE LARGEST ROBINSON TREE. [_L. -Bayly._] - -Bayly evidently cared little for these facts, for he had busied himself -getting a focus on the largest tree, which M. Gueusquin proudly -advertises as "_Le Vrai Arbre de Robinson_." You may see the result in -the accompanying photograph. Its massive trunk has not much increased in -size since the stairway was built around it half a century ago. There is -one thatched hut built at the first branch of the tree; another well out -on a higher limb on the other side of the trunk; and the third and most -desirable in the very tip-top, from which one sees an enchanting view of -all the pretty country lying towards Paris. A stairway connects all -these rustic huts with each other, and in the busy season a waiter is -stationed at each dining stage, and the wines and cooked foods are -hauled up to him from the ground by means of a rope and basket running -to each stage, as will be seen in most of the photographs. At wedding -parties these same baskets have more than once served to lower away some -bibulous guest whose frequent toasts to the bride have ended in a -decided disinclination to attempt the giddy and precipitous stairway. - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_] LARGE DINING-ROOM BETWEEN TWO TREES. -[_Ellsworth Douglass._] - -Bayly went next to inspect a larger and more modern dining-room built -between two young trees, and I have caught him on the stairway in the -photograph above. But I was anxious to climb to some height and get a -good view of the nest in the tree-top where we were to breakfast. I -heard someone laughing at my first futile attempts at climbing, but at -last I gained a point of vantage which gave a view over the tops of the -trees to the indefinite stretch of pretty valley beyond. - -While breakfast was preparing we visited the neighbouring inns to -photograph the trees. Just across the road we found one which claims the -distinction of being the tallest in Robinson. As will be seen in the -photograph, it has three dining stages one directly above another, so -that the same basket may serve them all. A waiter can be seen in the top -stage of this thrifty, sturdy chestnut, in which many generations may -yet dine. - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_] A THREE-STORY TREE. [_L. Bayly._] - -Farther down the road is a place called the Maison Robin, possibly in -the hope that the kind public will believe that the "true Robinson" was -this Robin's son. Here is the "Great Chestnut," which truly looks as if -it might antedate Robinson Crusoe by centuries. Yet it still showers its -plenteous fruit upon the ground, and as we kicked about its bushels of -bursting burrs we wondered how "marron glacé" could be so expensive in -Paris. The next photograph shows how the walks were sprinkled with ripe -nuts; and also some pretty samples of the vine or ivy-covered _bosquets_ -for those who prefer to dine on _terra firma_. These are numerous, and -charmingly pretty in the gardens of most of the inns here. - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_] THE GREAT CHESTNUT. [_Ellsworth -Douglass._] - -Another great feature of Robinson is the family picnic, but the French -love ease and comfort too much to dine on the grass under the trees. -They prefer to sit properly at a table, and many of the inns recognise -the right of visitors to bring their own provisions, and are content -with serving them wines, coffee, and the like. When you go to Robinson, -you are sure to recognise this place at the turning of the road before -reaching the great trees. - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by_] NEAR VIEW OF A HUT ON A BRANCH. [_L. -Bayly._] - -I returned to our second stage with Gaillet, and found the table laid, -but not a scrap of food to be seen. The waiter was trotting up the -stairs with a heavily-loaded tray, on which was an enormous plate of -sole _au gratin_. Gaillet remarked that it looked as if the people in -the top hut had not only captured our place, but our breakfast as well. -He begged the waiter to hurry our order, and then asked me what I -thought might be going on up there behind the curtains. It was very near -us, and perhaps for this reason the young ladies refrained from audible -conversation. They only whispered among themselves and laughed at -intervals, but Gaillet thought he surprised one or two attempts to peep -around the curtain at us. I was ravenously hungry, and when the waiter -next went past up to the top story I seized a yard of bread from his -tray. Looking down at Bayly, who was focusing below, I cried out: -"Lancelot, if you are hungry, get a photograph of the only morsel of -food I have been able to secure before I devour it!" And our last -illustration bears witness that he did so. This detailed view of a -thatched, rustic hut perched upon a big limb finished his work. - - - - -Aunt Sarah's Brooch. - -[Illustration] - -BY ARTHUR MORRISON - - -I am afraid to face my Aunt Sarah. Though how I am to get out of it I -don't quite see. - -At any rate, I will never again undertake the work of a private -detective; though that would have been a more useful resolve a fortnight -ago. The mischief is done now. - -The main bitterness lies in the reflection that it is all Aunt Sarah's -fault. Such a muddlesome old----but, there, losing my temper won't -mend it. A few weeks ago I was Clement Simpson, with very considerable -expectations from my Aunt Sarah and no particular troubles on my mind, -and I was engaged to my cousin, Honoria Prescott. Now I am still Clement -Simpson (although sometimes I almost doubt even that), but my -expectations from my Aunt Sarah are of the most uncomfortable, and my -troubles overwhelm me. As for Honoria Prescott----but read and learn -it all. - -My aunt is a maiden lady of sixty-five, though there is something about -her appearance at variance with the popular notion of a spinster, -insomuch that it is the way of tradesmen to speak of her as "Mrs." -Simpson, and to send their little bills thus addressed. She is a very -positive old lady, and she measures, I should judge, about five feet -round the waist. She is constantly attended by a doctor, and from time -to time, in her sadder moments, it has been her habit to assure me that -she shall not live long, and that very soon I shall find myself well -provided for; though for an invalid she always ate rather well: about as -much, I should judge, as a fairly healthy navvy. She had a great idea of -her importance in the family--in fact, she _was_ important--and she -had--has now, indeed--a way of directing the movements of all its -members, who submit with a becoming humility. It is well to submit -humbly to the caprice of a rich elderly aunt, and it has always been my -own practice. It was because of Aunt Sarah's autocratic reign in the -family that Honoria Prescott and I refrained from telling her of our -engagement; for Aunt Sarah had conceived vast matrimonial ambitions on -behalf of each of us. We were each to make an exceedingly good marriage; -there was even a suggestion of a title for Honoria, though what title, -and how it was to be captured, I never heard. And for me, I understood -there would be nothing less than a brewer's daughter, or even a -company-promoter's. And so we feared that Aunt Sarah might look upon a -union between us not only as a flat defiance of her wishes, but as a -deplorable _mésalliance_ on both sides. So, for the time the engagement -lasted (not very long, alas!), we feared to reveal it. Now there is no -engagement to reveal. But this is anticipating. - -Aunt Sarah was very fussy about her jewels. In perpetual apprehension -lest they might be stolen, she carried them with her whenever she took a -change of air (and she had a good many such changes), while in her own -house she kept them in some profoundly secret hiding-place. I have an -idea that it was under a removable board in the floor of her bedroom. Of -course, we all professed to share Aunt Sarah's solicitude, and it had -been customary in the family, from times beyond my knowledge, to greet -her first with inquiries as to her own health, and next with hopes for -the safety of the jewels. But, as a matter of fact, they were not vastly -valuable things; probably they were worth more than the case they were -kept in, but not very much. Aunt Sarah never wore them--even she would -not go as far as that. They were nothing but a small heap of clumsy old -brooches, ear-rings, and buckles, with one or two very long, thin -watch-chains, and certain mourning and signet rings belonging to -departed members of the family who had flourished (or not) in the early -part of the century. There were no big diamonds among them--scarcely any -diamonds at all, in fact; but the garnets and cats' eyes strove to make -good in size and ugliness of setting what they lacked in mere market -worth. Chief of all the "jewels," and most precious of Aunt Sarah's -possessions, was a big amethyst brooch, with a pane of glass let in -behind, inclosing a lock of the reddest hair I have ever seen. It was -the hair of Aunt Sarah's own uncle Joseph, the most distinguished member -of the family, who had written three five-act tragedies, and dedicated -them all, one after another, to George the Fourth. Joseph's initials -appeared on the frame of the brooch behind--"J." on one side and "S." on -the other. It was, on the whole, perhaps, the ugliest and clumsiest of -all Aunt Sarah's jewels, and I never saw anything else like it anywhere, -except one; and that, singularly enough, was an exact -duplicate--barring, of course, the hair and the inscription--in a very -mouldy shop in Soho, where all sorts of hopelessly out-of-date rings and -brooches and chains hung for sale. It was the way of the shopkeeper to -ticket these gloomy odds and ends with cheerful inscriptions, such as -"Antique, 17s. 6d.," "Real Gold, £1 5s.," "Quaint, £2 2s. 6d." But even -he could find no more promising adjective for the hideous brooch than -"massive"--which was quite true. He wanted £3 for the thing when I first -saw it, and it slowly declined, by half-a-crown at a time, to £1 15s., -and then it vanished altogether. I wondered at the time what misguided -person could have bought it; but I learnt afterward that the shopkeeper -had lost heart, and used the window space for something else. - -[Illustration: "A SECRET HIDING-PLACE."] - -Aunt Sarah had been for six weeks at a "Hydropathic Establishment" at -Malvern. On the day fixed for her return, I left a very agreeable tennis -party for the purpose of meeting her at the station, as was dutiful and -proper. First I called at her house, to learn the exact time at which -the train was expected at Paddington. It was rather sooner than I had -supposed, so I hurried to find a cab, and urged the driver to drive his -best. I am never lucky with cabs, however--nor, I begin to think, with -anything else--and the horse, with all the cabman's efforts, never got -beyond a sort of tumultuous shamble; and so I missed Aunt Sarah at -Paddington. It was very annoying, and I feared she might take it ill, -because she never made allowances for anybody's misfortunes but her own. -However, I turned about and cabbed it back as fast as I could. She had -been home nearly half an hour when I arrived, and was drinking her third -or fourth cup of tea. She was not ill-tempered, on the whole, and she -received my explanations with a fairly good grace. She had been a little -better, she thought, during her stay at Malvern, but feared that her -health could make no permanent improvement. And indeed there seemed very -little room for improvement in Aunt Sarah's bodily condition, and no -more room at all in her clothes. Then, in the regular manner, I inquired -as to the well-being of the jewels. - -[Illustration: "SHE RECEIVED MY EXPLANATIONS WITH A FAIRLY GOOD GRACE."] - -The jewels, it seemed, were all right. Aunt Sarah had seen to that. She -had herself stowed the case at the bottom of her biggest and strongest -trunk, which was now upstairs, partly unpacked. My question reminded -her, and she rose at once, to transfer her valuables to their permanent -hiding-place. - -I heard Aunt Sarah going upstairs with a groan at every step, each groan -answered by a loud creak from the woodwork. Then for awhile there was -silence, and I walked to the French window to look out on the lawn and -the carriage-drive. But as I looked, suddenly there came a dismal yell -from above, followed by many shrieks. - -We--myself and the servants--found Aunt Sarah seated on a miscellaneous -heap of clothes by the side of her big trunk, a picture of calamity. -"Gone!" she ejaculated. "Stolen! All my jewels! Stop thief! Catch 'em! -My jewel-case!" - -There was no doubt about it, it seemed. The case had been at the bottom -of the big trunk--Aunt Sarah had put it there herself--and now it was -gone. The trunk had been locked and tightly corded at Malvern, and it -had been opened by Aunt Sarah's maid as soon as it had been set down -where it now stood. But now the jewel-case was gone, and Aunt Sarah -made such a disturbance as might be expected from the Constable of the -Tower if he suddenly learned that the Crown of England was gone missing. - -"Clement!" said my aunt, when she rose to her feet, after sending for -the police; "go, Clement, and find my jewels. I rely on your sagacity. -The police are always such fools. But you--you I can depend upon. Bring -the jewels back, my dear, and you will never regret it, I promise you. -At least bring back the brooch--the brooch with Uncle Joseph's hair and -initials. That I _must_ have, Clement!" And here Aunt Sarah grew quite -impressive--almost noble. "Clement, I rely entirely on you. I forbid you -to come into my presence again without that brooch! Find it, and you -will be rewarded to the utmost of my power!" - -Nevertheless, as I have said, Aunt Sarah took care to call in the -police. - -Now what was I to do? Of course, I must make an effort to satisfy Aunt -Sarah; but how? The thing was absurd enough, and personally, I was in -little grief at the loss, but Aunt Sarah must be propitiated at any -cost. I was to go and find the jewels, or at least the brooch, and the -whole world was before me wherein to search. I was confused, not to say -dazed. I stood on the pavement outside Aunt Sarah's gate, and I tried to -remember what the detectives I had read of did in such circumstances as -these. - -What they did, of course, was to find a clue--instantly and upon the -spot. I stared blankly up and down the street--it was a quiet road in -Belsize Park--but I could see nothing that looked like a clue. Perhaps -the commonest sort of clue was footprints. But the weather was fine and -dry, and the clean, hard pavement was without a mark of any kind. -Besides, I had a feeling that footprints as a clue were a little -threadbare and out of date; they were so obvious--so "otiose" as I have -heard it called. No respectable novelist would depend on footprints -alone, nowadays. Then there was a piece of the thief's coat, torn off by -a sharp railing, or by a broken bottle on top of a wall; and there was -also a lost button. I remembered that many excellent detective stories -had been brought to breathless and triumphant terminations by the aid of -one or other of these clues. I looked carefully along the line of broken -glass that defended the top of Aunt Sarah's outer wall, but not a rag, -not a shred, fluttered there. I tried to remember something else, and as -I gazed thoughtfully downward, my eye was attracted by some small black -object lying on the pavement by the gate. I stooped--and behold, it -_was_ a button! A trouser button, by all that's lucky! - -[Illustration: "BEHOLD, IT WAS A BUTTON."] - -I snatched it eagerly, and read the name stamped thereon, "J. Pullinger, -London." I knew the name--indeed it was the name of my own tailor. The -scent would seem to be growing stronger. But at that moment I grew -conscious of an uneasy subsidence of my right trouser-leg. Hastily -clapping my hand under my waistcoat, I found a loose brace-strap, and -then realized that I had merely picked up my own button. I went home. - -I spent the evening in fruitless brain-cudgelling. My brightest idea -(which came about midnight) was to go back to Aunt Sarah's the first -thing in the morning. True, she had forbidden me to come into her -presence without that brooch, but that, I felt, must be regarded rather -as a burst of rhetoric than as a serious prohibition. Besides, the case -might have been stolen by one of her own servants; and, moreover, if I -wanted a clue, clearly I must begin my search at the very spot where the -theft had been committed. She couldn't object to _that_, anyhow. - -So in the morning I went. Aunt Sarah seemed to have forgotten her order -that I must not approach her without the brooch, but she seemed hurt to -find I had not brought it. She had had no sleep all night, she said. She -thought I ought to have discovered the thieves before she went to bed; -but at any rate, she expected I would do it to-day. I said I would -certainly do my best, and I fear I found it necessary to invent a -somewhat exciting story of my adventures of the previous evening in -search of the brooch. - -There was a plain-clothes constable, it seemed, still about the place, -and the police had searched all the servants' boxes, without discovering -anything. Their theory, it seemed, was that some thief must have -secreted himself about the garden, entered by a French window soon after -Aunt Sarah's arrival, made his way to the bedroom--which would be easy, -for there were two staircases--and then made off with the case; and, -indeed, Aunt Sarah declared that the clothes in the box were much -disturbed when she discovered her loss. The police spoke mysteriously -about "a clue," but would not say what it was--which, no doubt, would be -unprofessional. - -All the servants had been closely questioned, and the detective now in -the place wished to ask me if I had observed anything unusual. I hadn't, -and I told him so. Had I noticed whether any of the French windows were -open when I called the first time? No, I hadn't noticed. I didn't happen -to have called more than once before my aunt had come in? No, I didn't. -Which way had I entered the house when I came back after my aunt's -arrival? By the front door, in the usual way. Was the front door open? -Yes, I remembered that it was--probably left open by forgetfulness of -the servants after the luggage had been brought in; so that I had come -in without knocking or ringing. And he asked other questions which I -have forgotten. I did not feel hopeful of his success, although he -seemed so very sagacious; he spoke with an air of already knowing all -about it, but I doubted. All my experience of newspaper reports told me -that when the police spoke mysteriously of "a clue," that case might as -well be given up at once, to save trouble. That seemed also to be Aunt -Sarah's opinion. Before I left she confided to me that she didn't -believe in the police a bit; she was sure that they were only staring -about and asking questions to make a show of doing something, and that -it would end in no result after all. All the more, she said, must she -rely on me. The punishment of the thief was altogether a secondary -matter; what she wanted were the jewels--or, as a minimum, the brooch -with Uncle Joseph's hair in it. She would be glad if I would report -progress to her during my search, but whether I did or not, she must -insist on my recovering the property. I was a grown man now, she pointed -out, and, with my intelligence, ought to be easily equal to such a small -thing; certainly more so than mere ordinary ignorant policemen. Of those -she gave up all hope. She would not mind if I took a day or two over it, -but she would prefer me to find the brooch at once. - -I felt a little desperate when I left Aunt Sarah. I _must_ do something. -She had made up her mind that I was to recover the trinkets, or at least -the brooch, and if I failed her she would cut me off, I knew. There was -a fellow called Finch, secretary to the Society for the Dissemination of -Moral Literature among the Esquimaux, who had been very friendly with -her of late, and although I had no especial grudge against the Esquimaux -as a nation, I had a strong objection to seeing Aunt Sarah's fortune go -to provide them with moral literature, or Mr. Finch with his salary--the -latter being, I had heard, the main object of the society. I spent the -day in fruitless cogitation and blank staring into pawnshop windows, in -the remote hope of seeing Aunt Sarah's brooch exposed for sale. And on -the following morning I went back to Aunt Sarah. - -I confess I had a tale prepared to account for my time--a tale, perhaps, -not strictly true in all its details. But what was I to do to satisfy -such a terrible old lady? I must say I think it was a very interesting -sort of tale, with plenty of thieves' kitchens and receivers' dens in -it, and, on the whole, it went down very well, although I could see that -Aunt Sarah's good opinion of me was in danger for lack of tangible -result to my adventures. The police, she said, had given the case up -altogether and gone away. They reported, finally, that there was no -clue, and that they could do nothing. I came away, feeling a good deal -of sympathy with the police. - -And then the wicked thought came--the wicked thought that has caused all -the trouble. Plainly, the jewels were gone irrecoverably--did not the -police admit it? Aunt Sarah would never see them again, and I should be -cut out of her will--unless I brought her, at least, that hideous old -brooch. The brooch by this time was probably in the melting-pot; -_but_--there was, or had been, an exact duplicate in the grimy shop in -Soho. There was the wicked idea. _Perhaps_ this duplicate brooch hadn't -been sold. If not, it would be easy to buy it, stuff it with red hair, -and take it back in triumph to Aunt Sarah. And, as I thought, I -remembered that I had frequently seen a girl with just such red hair, -waiting at a cheap eating-house, where I sometimes passed on my way -home. I had noticed her particularly, not only because of the uproarious -colour of her hair, which was striking enough, but because of its exact -similarity in shade to that in Aunt Sarah's brooch. No doubt the girl -would gladly sell a small piece of it for a few shillings. Then the -initials for the brooch-back would be easy enough. They were just the -plain italic capitals _J_ and _S_, one at each side, and I was confident -that, with the brooch before me, I could trace their precise shape and -size for the guidance of an engraver. And Aunt Sarah would never for a -moment suppose that there could be another brooch in the world at all -like her most precious "jewel." The longer I thought over the scheme the -easier it seemed, and the greater the temptation grew. Till at last I -went and looked in at the window of the shop in Soho. - -[Illustration: "THE FIRST STEP IN THE PATH OF DECEPTION."] - -Was the brooch sold or not? It was not in the window, and I tried to -persuade myself that it must be gone. I hung about for some little -while, but at last I took the first step in the path of deception. I -went into the shop. - -Once there, I was in for it, and nothing but the absence of the brooch -could have saved me. But the brooch was there, in all its dusty -hideousness, in a box, among scores of others. I turned it over and -over; there was no doubt about it--barring the hair and the initials, it -was as exact a duplicate as was ever made. The man asked two pounds ten -for it, and I was in such a state of agitation that I paid the money at -once, feeling unequal to the further agony of beating him down to the -price he had last offered it at in his window. - -I slipped it into my trouser pocket and sneaked guiltily down the -street. There was no going back for me now--fate was too strong. I went -home and locked myself in my room. There I spent an hour and a half in -marking the exact position and size of the necessary initials. When all -was set out satisfactorily, I went back to Soho again to find an -engraver. - -I might have gone to the shop where I had bought the brooch, but I -fancied that might let the shopkeeper some little way into my secret. I -walked till I came to just such another shop, and then, feeling, as I -imagined, like an inexperienced shoplifter on a difficult job, I went in -and gave my instructions. I offered to pay extra if the work could be -done at once, and under my inspection. The engraver eyed me rather -curiously, I fancied, but he was quite ready to earn his money, and in a -quarter of an hour I was sneaking along the street again with the -fraudulent brooch, one step nearer completion. The letters, to my eye -at least, were as exactly cut as if copied from the original. They were -a bit too bright and new, of course, but that I would remedy at home, -and I did. A little fine emery on the point of my thumb, properly -persevered with, took off all the raw edges and the newness of -appearance, and a trifle of greasy black from a candle-wick, well wiped -into the incisions and almost all wiped out again, left the initials -apparently fifty years old at least. - -Next morning's interview with Aunt Sarah was one of veiled triumph. I -was on the track of the jewels at last, I said--or at any rate, of the -brooch. I might have to sacrifice the rest, I explained, for the sake of -getting that. Indeed, I was pretty sure that I could only get at the -brooch. I could say no more, just then, but I hinted that nothing must -be said to a soul, as my proceedings might possibly be considered, in -the eye of the law, something too near compounding a felony. But I would -risk that, I assured Aunt Sarah, and more, in her behalf. She was -mightily pleased, and said I was the only member of the family worth his -salt. I began to think the Esquimaux stood a chance of going short of -moral literature, if Mr. Finch were depending much on Aunt Sarah's will. - -The rest seemed very easy, but in reality it wasn't. I set out briskly -enough for the eating-house, but as I neared it my steps grew slower and -slower. It seemed an easy thing, at a distance, to ask for a lock of the -red-headed girl's hair, but as I came nearer the shop, and began to -consider what I should say, the job seemed a bit awkward. She was a -thick-set sort of girl, with very red arms and a snub nose, and I felt -doubtful how she would take the request. Perhaps she would laugh, and -dab me in the face with a wet lettuce, as I had once seen her do with a -jocular customer. Now, I am a little particular about my appearance and -bearing, and I was not anxious to be dabbed in the face with a wet -lettuce by a red-haired waitress at a cheap eating-house. If I had known -anybody else with hair of that extraordinary colour I would not have -taken the risk; but I didn't. Nevertheless I hesitated, and walked up -and down a little before entering. - -There was no customer in the place, for it was at least an hour before -mid-day. The girl issued from a recess at the back, and came toward me. -She seemed a terrible--a most formidable girl, seen so closely. She had -small, sharp eyes, a snub nose, and a very large mouth--the sort of -mouth that is ever ready to pour forth shrill abuse or vulgar derision. -My heart sank into my boots, I couldn't--no, I _couldn't_ ask her -straightaway for a lock of her hair. - -I temporized. I said I would have something to eat. She asked what. I -said I would take anything there was. After a while she brought a plate -of hideous coarse cold beef--like cat's meat. This is a sort of food I -_cannot_ eat, but I had to try. And she brought pickles on a -plate--horrid, messy yellow pickles. I had often wondered as I passed -what gave that eating-house its unpleasant smell, and now I knew it was -the pickles. - -I cut the offensive stuff into small pieces, made as much show of eating -it as I could, and shoved it into a heap at one side of the plate. The -girl had retired to a partly inclosed den at the back of the shop, where -she seemed to be washing plates. After all, I reflected, there was -nothing to be afraid of. It was a purely commercial transaction, and no -doubt the girl would be very glad to sell a little of her hair. -Moreover, the longer I waited the greater risk I ran of having other -customers come in and spoil the thing altogether. There was the -hair--the one thing to straighten all my difficulties, and a few -shillings would certainly buy all I wanted. I rapped on the table with -my fork. - -The red-haired girl came down the shop wiping her hands on her -apron--big hands, and very red; terrible hands to box an ear or claw a -face. This thought disturbed me, but I said, manfully, "I should like, -if you've no objection, to have--I should like--I should like a----" - -It was useless. I _couldn't_ say "a lock of your hair." I stammered, and -the girl stared doubtfully. "Cawfy?" she suggested. - -"Yes, yes," I answered, eagerly, with a breath of relief. "Coffee, of -course." - -The coffee was as bad as the beef. It came in a vast, thick mug, like a -gallipot with a handle. It ought to have been very strong coffee, -considering its thickness, but it had a flat, rather metallic taste, and -a general flavour of boiled crusts. - -I became convinced that the real reason of my hesitation was the fact -that I had not settled how much to offer for the hair. It might look -suspicious, I reflected, to offer too much, but, on the other hand, it -would never do to offer too little. What was the golden mean? As I -considered, a grubby, shameless boy put his head in at the door, and -shouted, "Wayo, carrots? What price yer wig?" - -The red-haired girl made a savage rush, and the boy danced off across -the street with gestures of derision. Plainly, I couldn't make an offer -at all after that. She would take it as a deliberate insult--suggested -by the shout of the dirty boy. Perhaps she would make just such a savage -rush at _me_--and what should I do then? Here the matter was settled for -the present by the entrance of two coal-heavers. - -[Illustration: "SHE LOOKED A TRIFLE SUSPICIOUS."] - -For three days in succession I went to that awful eating-house, and each -day I ate, or pretended to eat, just such an awful meal. I shirked the -beef, but I was confronted with equally fearful bloaters--bloaters that -smelt right across the street. It occurred to me, so criminal and so -desperate had I grown, that I might _steal_ enough of the girl's hair -for my purpose, by the aid of a pair of pocket scissors, and so escape -all difficulty. With that design I followed her quietly down the shop -once or twice, making a pretence of reaching for a paper, or a -mustard-pot, or the like. But that was useless. I never knew which way -she would move next, and I saw no opportunity of effecting my purpose -without the risk of driving the points of my scissors into her head. -Indeed, if I had seen the chance, I should scarce have had the courage -to snip. And once, when she turned suddenly, she looked a trifle -suspicious. - -I attempted to engage her in conversation, in order that I might, by -easy and natural stages, approach the subject of her hair. It was not -easy. She disliked hair as a subject of conversation. I began to -suspect, and more than suspect, that her hair was the stock joke of the -regular customers. Not a boy could pass the door singing "Her golden -hair was hanging down her back" (as most of them did), but she bridled -and glared. Truly, it was very awkward. But then, there was no other -such hair, so far as my observation had gone, in all London, or anywhere -else. - -Some men have the easiest way imaginable of dropping into familiar -speech with bar-maids and waitresses at a moment's notice, or less. I -had never cultivated the art, and now I was sorry for my neglect. Still, -I might try, and I did. But somehow it was difficult to hit the right -note. My key varied. A patronizingly uttered "My dear," seemed a good -general standby to begin or finish a sentence; so I said: -"Ah--Hannah--Hannah, my dear!" - -The words startled me when I heard them--I feared my tone had scarcely -the correct dignity. Hannah's red head turned, and she came across, -grinning slily. "Yus?" she said, interrogatively, and still grinning. - -I feared I had begun wrong. It was all very well to be condescendingly -familiar with a waitress, but it would never do to allow the waitress to -be familiar with me. So I said, rather severely, "Just give me a -newspaper. Ah--Hannah!" - -I think I hit the medium very well with the last two words. "Yus?" she -said again, and now she positively leered. - -"I--I meant to have given you sixpence yesterday; you're very attentive, -Hannah--Hannah, my dear." (That didn't sound quite right, somehow--never -mind.) "Very attentive. Here's the sixpence. Er--er"--(what in the world -should I say next?) "What-er-what" (I was desperate) "what is the latest -fashion in hair?" - -"Not _your_ colour ain't," she said; "so now!" And she swung off with a -toss of her red head. - -I had offended her! I ought to have guessed she would take that question -amiss--I was a fool. And before I could apologize a customer came in--a -waggoner. I had lost another day! And Aunt Sarah was growing more and -more impatient. - -At last I resolved to go at the business point-blank, as I should have -done at first. Plainly it was my only chance. The longer I made my -approach, the more awkward I got. I had the happy thought to take a -flower in my button-hole, and give it to Hannah as a peace-offering, -after my unintentional rudeness of yesterday. It acted admirably, and I -was glad to see a girl in her humble position so much gratified by a -little attention like that. She grinned--she even blushed a little--all -the while I ate that repulsive early lunch. So I seized the opportunity -of her good humour, paid for the food as soon as I could, and said, with -as much business-like ease as I could assume:-- - -"I--ah--I should like, Hannah, ah--if you don't mind--just as a--a -matter of--of scientific interest, you know--scientific interest, my -dear--to buy a small piece of your hair." - -"'Oo ye gettin' at?" she replied, with a blush and a giggle. - -"I--I'm perfectly serious," I said--and I believe I looked desperately -so. "I'll give you half a sovereign for a small piece--just a lock--for -purely scientific purposes, I assure you." - -She giggled again, more than ever, and ogled in a way that sent cold -shivers all over me. It struck me now, with a twinge of horror, that -perhaps she supposed I had conceived an attachment for her, and wanted -the hair as a keepsake. That would be terrible to think of. I swore -inwardly that I would never come near that street again, if only I got -out safely with the hair this time. - -She went over into her lair, where the dirty plates were put, and -presently returned with the object of my desires--a thick lump of hair -rolled up in a piece of newspaper. I thrust the half-sovereign towards -her, grabbed the parcel, and ran. I feared she might expect me to kiss -her. - -Now I had to employ another Soho jeweller, but by this time, after the -red-headed waitress, no jeweller could daunt me. The pane of glass had -to be lifted from the back of the brooch, the brown hair that was in it -removed, and a proper quantity of the red hair substituted; and the work -would be completed by the refixing of the glass and the careful -smoothing down of the gold rim about it. I found a third dirty -jeweller's shop, and waited while the jeweller did it all. - -And now that the thing was completed, I lost no time on the way to Aunt -Sarah's. I went by omnibus, and alighted a couple of streets from her -house. It astonishes me, now, to think that I could have been so calm. I -had never had a habit of deception, but now I had slid into it by such -an easy process, and it had worked so admirably for a week or more, that -it seemed quite natural and regular. - -I turned the last corner, and was scarce a dozen yards from Aunt Sarah's -gate, when I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned, and saw the detective -who had questioned me, and everybody else, just after the robbery. - -"Good morning, Mr. Simpson," he said. "Mr. _Clement_ Simpson, I -believe?" - -"Yes," I said. - -"Just so. Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Simpson, but I must get you to come -along o' me on a small matter o' business. You needn't say anything, of -course; but if you do I shall have to make a note of it, and it may be -used as evidence." - -What was this? I gasped, and the whole street seemed to turn round and -round and over and over. Arrested! What for? - -Whether I asked the question or only moved my lips silently, I don't -know, but the man answered--and his voice seemed to come from a distance -out of the chaos about me. - -"Well, it's about that jewel-case of your aunt's, of course. Sorry to -upset you, and no doubt it'll be all right, but just for the present you -must come to the station with me. I won't hold you if you promise not to -try any games. Or you can have a cab, if you like." - -[Illustration: "SORRY TO TROUBLE YOU, MR. SIMPSON."] - -"But," I said, "but it's all a mistake--an awful mistake! It's--it's out -of the question! Come and see my aunt, and she'll tell you! Pray let me -see my aunt!" - -"Don't mind obliging a gentleman if I can, and if you want to speak to -your aunt you may, seein' it's close by, and it ain't a warrant case. -But I shall have to be with you, and you'll have to come with me after, -whatever she says." - -I was in an awful position, and I realized it fully. Here I was with -that facsimile brooch in my possession, and if it were found on me at -the police-station, of course, it would be taken for the genuine -article, and regarded as a positive proof that I was the thief. In the -few steps to Aunt Sarah's house I saw and understood now what the police -had been at. I was the person they had suspected from the beginning. -Their pretence of dropping the inquiry was a mere device to throw me off -my ground and lead me to betray myself by my movements. And I had been -watched frequenting shady second-hand jewellery shops in Soho! And, no -doubt I had been seen in the low eating-house where I might be supposed -to be leaving messages for criminal associates! It was hideous. On the -one side there was the chance of ruin and imprisonment for theft, and on -the other the scarcely less terrible one of estranging Aunt Sarah for -ever by confessing my miserable deception. Plainly I had only one way of -safety--to brazen out my story of the recovery of the brooch. I was -bitterly sorry, now, that I had coloured the story, so far as it had -gone, quite so boldly. It had gone a good way, too, for I had been -obliged to add something to it each time I saw Aunt Sarah during my -operations. But I must lie through stone walls now. - -I scarcely remember what Aunt Sarah said when she was told I was under -arrest for the robbery. I know she broke a drawing-room chair, and had -to be dragged off the floor on to the sofa by the detective and myself. -But she got her speech pretty soon, and protested valiantly. It was a -shameful outrage, she proclaimed, and the police were incapable fools. -"While you've been doing nothing," she said, "my dear nephew has traced -out the jewels and--and----" - -"I've got the brooch, aunt!" I cried, for this seemed the dramatic -moment. And I put it in her hand. - -"I must have that, please," the detective interposed. "Do you identify -it?" - -"Identify it?" exclaimed Aunt Sarah, rapturously. "Of course I identify -it! I'd know my Uncle Joseph's brooch among ten thousand! And his -initials and his hair and all! Identify it, indeed! I should think so! -And did you get it from Bludgeoning Bill himself, Clement, my dear?" - -Now, "Bludgeoning Bill" was the name I had given the chief ruffian of my -story; rather a striking sort of name, I fancied. So I said, "Yes--yes. -That's the name he's known by--among his intimates, of course. The -police" (I had a vague idea of hedging, as far as possible, with the -detective)--"the police only know his--his other names, I believe. A--a -very dangerous sort of person!" - -"And did you have much of a struggle with him?" pursued Aunt Sarah, -hanging on my words. - -"Oh, yes--terrible, of course. That is, pretty fair, you -know--er--nothing so very extraordinary." I was getting flurried. That -detective _would_ look at me so intently. - -"And was he very much hurt, Clement? Any bones broken, I mean, or -anything of that sort?" - -"Bones? O, yes, of course--at least, not many, considering. But it -serves him right, you know--serves him right, of course." - -"Oh, I'm sure he richly deserved it, Clement. I suppose that was in the -thieves' kitchen?" - -"Yes--no, at least; no, not there. Not exactly in the kitchen, you -know." - -"I see; in the scullery, I suppose," said Aunt Sarah, innocently. "And -to think that you traced it all from a few footsteps and a bit of cloth -rag on the wall and--and what else was it, Clement?" - -"A trouser button," I answered. I felt a trifle more confident here, for -I _had_ found a trouser button. "But it was nothing much--not actual -evidence, of course. Just a trifle, that's all." - -But here I caught the policeman's eye, and I went hot and cold. I could -not remember what I had done with that trouser button of mine. Had the -police themselves found it later? Was this their clue? But I nerved -myself to meet Aunt Sarah's fresh questions. - -"I suppose there's no chance of getting the other things?" she asked. - -"No," I answered, decisively, "not the least." I resolved not to search -for any more facsimiles. - -"Lummy Joe told you that, I suppose?" pursued my aunt, whose memory for -names was surprising. "Either Lummy Joe or the Chickaleary Boy?" - -"Both," I replied, readily. "Most valuable information from -both--especially Chickaleary Joe. Very honourable chap, Joe. Excellent -burglar, too." - -Again I caught the detective's eye, and suddenly remembered that -everything I had been saying might be brought up as evidence in a court -of law. He was carefully noting all those rickety lies, and presently -would write them down in his pocket-book, as he had threatened! Another -question or two, and I think I should have thrown up the game -voluntarily, but at that moment a telegram was brought in for Aunt -Sarah. She put up her glasses, read it, and let the glasses fall. -"_What!_" she squeaked. - -She looked helplessly about her, and held the telegram toward me. "I -must see that, please," the detective said. - -It was from the manager of the hydropathic establishment at Malvern -where Aunt Sarah had been staying, and it read thus:-- - -"_Found leather jewel-case with your initials on ledge up chimney of -room lately occupied here. Presume valuable, so am sending on by special -messenger._" - -"Why, bless me!" said Aunt Sarah, as soon as she could find speech; -"bless me! I--I felt _sure_ I'd taken it down from the chimney and put -it in the trunk!" And, with her eyes nearly as wide open as her mouth, -she stared blankly in my face. - -Personally I saw stars everywhere, as though I had been hit between the -eyes with a club. I don't remember anything distinctly after this till I -found myself in the street with the detective. I think I said I -preferred waiting at the police-station. - - * * * * * - -It is unnecessary to say much more, and it would be very painful to me. -I know, indirectly, through the police, that the jewel-case _did_ turn -up a few hours later, with the horrible brooch, and all the other things -in it, perfectly safe. Aunt Sarah had put it up the chimney for safety -at Malvern--just the sort of thing she would do--and made a mistake -about bringing it away, that was all. There it had stayed for more than -a week before it had been discovered, while Aunt Sarah was urging me to -deception and fraud. That was some days ago, and I have not seen her -since; I admit I am afraid to go. I see no very plausible way of -accounting for those two brooches with the initials and the red -hair--and no possible way of making them both fit with the thrilling -story of Bludgeoning Bill and the thieves' kitchen. What am I to do? - -[Illustration: "SHE LOOKED HELPLESSLY ABOUT HER."] - -But I have not told all yet. This is the letter I have received from -Honoria Prescott, in the midst of my perplexities:-- - -"SIR,--I inclose your ring, and am sending your other presents by parcel -delivery. I desire to see no more of you. And though I have been so -grossly deceived, I confess that even now I find it difficult to -understand your extraordinary taste for waitresses at low eating-houses. -Fortunately my mother's kitchen-maid happens to be a relative of Hannah -Dobbs, and it was because she very properly brought to my notice a -letter which she had received from that young person that I learnt of -your scandalous behaviour. I inclose the letter itself, that you may -understand the disgust and contempt with which your conduct inspires -me.--Your obedient servant, - - "Honoria Prescott." - -The lamentable scrawl which accompanied this letter I have copied below -at least the latter part of it, which is all that relates to myself:-- - -"Lore Jane i have got no end of a yung swel after me now and no mistake. -quite the gent he is with a torl hatt and frock coat and spats and he -comes here every day and eats what i know he dont want all for love of -me and he give me 1/2 a soffrin for a lock of my hare to day and rushed -off blushin awful he has bin follerin me up and down the shop that -loving for days, and presents of flowers that beautiful, and his name is -Clement Simpson i got it off a letter he pulled out of his pocket one -day he is that adgertated i think he is a friend of your missise havent -i hurd you say his name but I do love him that deer so now no more from -yours afexntely, - - "Hannah Dobbs." - -Again I ask any charitable person with brains less distracted than my -own--What _am_ I to do? I wonder if Mr. Finch will give me an -appointment as tract-distributor to the Esquimaux? - - - - -_A Record of 1811._ - -OR, A SHEEP'S COAT AT SUNRISE, A MAN'S COAT AT SUNSET. - -By J. R. Wade. - - -It is no new thing for us to see records established one day and beaten -the next, the top place nowadays being no sooner reached by one -individual than challenged by another. The record in the manufacture of -cloth, however, with which this article deals, though of eighty-eight -years' standing, has never yet been eclipsed. - -The scene of this remarkable achievement in the sartorial art is the -village of Newbury, Berkshire, and it came about in this way. Mr. John -Coxeter, a then well-known cloth manufacturer, the owner of Greenham -Mills, at the above-named village, remarked in the course of -conversation one day in the year 1811, to Sir John Throckmorton, Bart., -of Newbury, "So great are the improvements in machinery which I have -lately introduced into my mill, that I believe that in twenty-four hours -I could take the coat off your back, reduce it to wool, and turn it back -into a coat again." - -The proverb says, "There's many a true word spoken in jest." So great an -impression did Mr. Coxeter's boast make upon the Baronet, that shortly -afterwards he inquired of Mr. Coxeter if it would really be possible to -make a coat from sheep's wool between the sunrise and sunset of a -summer's day. That gentleman, after carefully calculating the time -required for the various processes, replied that in his opinion it could -be done. - -Not long after the above conversation, which took place at a dinner -party, Sir John Throckmorton laid a wager of a thousand guineas that at -eight o'clock in the evening of June the 25th, 1811, he would sit down -to dinner in a well-woven, properly-made coat, the wool of which formed -the fleeces of sheep's backs at five o'clock that same morning. Such an -achievement appearing practically impossible to his listeners, his bet -was eagerly accepted. - -[Illustration: _From an_] SHEARING THE SHEEP. [_Old Print._] - -Sir John intrusted the accomplishment of the feat to Mr. Coxeter, and -shortly before five o'clock on the morning stated, the early-rising -villagers of Newbury were astonished to see their worthy squire, -accompanied by his shepherd and two sheep, journeying towards Greenham -Mills. Promptly at five o'clock operations commenced, and no time was -lost in getting the sheep shorn. Our first illustration, which is from -an old print executed at the time, shows the sheep being shorn by the -shepherd, and is worthy of a little attention. Sir John stands in the -middle of the picture, having his measurements taken by the tailor, and -it is an interesting fact that, except that all implements to be used -were placed in readiness on the field of action, the smallest actual -operations in the making of the coat were performed between the hours -mentioned. - -[Illustration: _From an_] MAKING THE CLOTH. [_Old Print._] - -Mr. Coxeter stands just behind the sheep-shearer, watching with an -anxious eye, whilst to the right may be seen a tent, which was erected -presumably for refreshments, and schoolboys climbing a greasy-pole and -generally making the best of the holiday which had been accorded them in -order that they might witness this singular spectacle. - -The sheep being shorn, the wool was washed, stubbed, roved, spun, and -woven, and our next illustration, also from an old print, shows the -weaving, which was performed by Mr. Coxeter, junior, who had been found -by previous competition to be the most expert workman. In the background -of this picture may be seen the carcass of one of the sheep; of which -more later. The curious-looking objects in the basket, held, by the way, -by another of Mr. Coxeter's sons, are wool spools, while in the extreme -background, looking out of the window of a quaint old cottage, may be -seen "the gods in the gallery." - -When we compare the primitive-looking loom seen in this picture with the -powerful machinery of to-day, the record then established certainly -becomes all the more wonderful. - -The cloth thus manufactured was next scoured, fulled, tented, raised, -sheared, dyed, and dressed, being completed by four o'clock in the -afternoon, just eleven hours after the arrival of the two sheep in the -mill-yard. - -In the meantime, the news of the wager had spread abroad among the -neighbouring villages, bringing crowds of people eager to witness the -conclusion of this extraordinary undertaking. - -[Illustration: THE FINISHED COAT. - -_From a Photo. by C. J. Coxeter, Abingdon._] - -The cloth was now put into the hands of the tailor, Mr. James White, who -had already got all measurements ready during the operations, so that -not a moment should be lost; and he, together with nine of his men, with -needles all threaded, at once started on it. For the next two hours and -a quarter the tailors were busy cutting out, stitching, pressing, and -sewing on buttons, in fact, generally converting the cloth into a "well -woven, properly made coat," and at twenty minutes past six Mr. Coxeter -presented the coat to Sir John Throckmorton, who put the garment on -before an assemblage of over five thousand people, and sat down to -dinner with it on, together with forty gentlemen, at eight o'clock in -the evening. - -[Illustration: MR. CHARLES COXETER, THE ONLY LIVING EYE-WITNESS. - -_From a Photo. by C. J. Coxeter, Abingdon._] - -Through the kindness of Sir William Throckmorton, its present owner, we -are able to give our readers, in the illustration shown at the bottom of -the previous page, a photograph of this wonderful coat. The garment was -a large hunting-coat of the then admired dark Wellington colour, a sort -of a damson tint. It had been completed in the space of thirteen hours -and ten minutes, the wager thus being won with an hour and -three-quarters to spare. - -To commemorate the event, the two sheep who were the victims of Mr. -Coxeter's energy were killed and roasted whole in a meadow near by, and -distributed to the public, together with 120 gallons of strong beer, -this latter being the gift of Mr. Coxeter. - -Our next illustration is a photograph of Mr. Charles Coxeter, of -Abingdon, Berks, the only living eye-witness to this feat. He is the -younger brother to the weaver of the cloth, long since dead, who is -shown in our second illustration. His present age is ninety-three. When -approached on the subject he said he well remembered the event, and -recalls with pleasure seeing the workmen dine off portions of the sheep, -in a barge on the river near the mill. The original mill unfortunately -no longer stands, having long since been destroyed, a more modern mill -now occupying the site. - -We now give an illustration of the silver medal which was struck in -honour of the occasion. It is worded as follows:-- - -[Illustration] - -"Presented to Mr. John Coxeter, of Greenham Mills, by the Agricultural -Society, for manufacturing wool into cloth and into a coat in thirteen -hours and ten minutes." - -Mr. Coxeter was a very enterprising individual, for seemingly not -content with this wonderful achievement, not many years after, in -connection with the public rejoicings for peace after the Battle of -Waterloo, he had a gigantic plum-pudding made, which was cooked under -the supervision of twelve ladies. This monster pudding measured over -20ft. in length, and was conveyed to his house on a large timber waggon, -drawn by two oxen, which were highly decorated with blue ribbons. The -driver was similarly ornamented, and bore aloft an old family sword of -state, presumably to give _éclat_ to the occasion. Arrived at its -destination, the pudding was cut up in the celebrated old mill-yard at -Greenham, and distributed to all and sundry, those who had the good -fortune to partake of it pronouncing the pudding to be "as nice as -mother makes 'em." - -[Illustration: BILL PRINTED FOR THE GREAT EXHIBITION OF 1851.] - -The famous coat, which has found a resting-place in a glass case in Sir -William Throckmorton's hall, was exhibited at the great International -Exhibition of 1851, where it attracted a great deal of attention, a few -copies of the old engravings from which our first two illustrations are -reproduced being eagerly bought up. Our last photograph shows the bill -which was printed for that exhibition. - -Over thirty years afterwards the coat was again brought before public -notice, this time at the Newbury Art and Industrial Exhibition of 1884. -It was photographed for the first time, by Sir William's permission, for -this article. Though to us it may seem rather a curious cut for a -hunting-coat, it was the approved style for those times, the long -coat-tails flying to the wind during a chase. Needless to say, however, -this coat has never been used for that purpose. - -These are certainly days of speed, and though probably with the vastly -superior machinery of to-day this wonderful performance could be -eclipsed, it is interesting to notice that up to the present it has -never been equalled. - - - - -_Animal Actualities._ - - NOTE.--_These articles consist of a series of perfectly authentic - anecdotes of animal life, illustrated by Mr. J. A. Shepherd, an - artist long a favourite with readers of_ THE STRAND MAGAZINE. _We - shall be glad to receive similar anecdotes, fully authenticated by - names of witnesses, for use in future numbers. While the stories - themselves will be matters of fact, it must be understood that the - artist will treat the subject with freedom and fancy, more with a - view to an amusing commentary than to a mere representation of the - occurrence._ - - -IX. - -[Illustration] - -This is a tale of true love that no social distinctions could hinder; of -a love that persisted in spite of misfortune, disfigurement, and -poverty; of a love that ruled not merely the camp, the court, and the -grove, but the back garden also: of a love that (as Mr. Seaman sings) -"was strong love, strong as a big barn-door"; of a love that, no doubt, -would have laughed at locksmiths had the cachinnation been necessary; -that, in short, was the only genuine article, with the proper trade-mark -on the label. - -[Illustration: MANY SUITORS.] - -"Pussy" was the name of a magnificent Persian cat--a princess among -cats, greatly sought by the feline nobility of the neighbourhood. She -was the sort of cat that no merely individual name would be good enough -for; her magnificence soared above all such smallnesses, and, as she was -_the_ ideal cat, combining all the glories and all the beauties of -cat-hood in herself, she was called, simply and comprehensively, -"Pussy." She condescended to reside at the house, and at the expense, of -Mr. Thomas C. Johnson, of The Firs, Alford, Lincolnshire, and all the -most aristocratic Toms of the vicinity were suitors for the paw of this -princess. Blue Persians, buff Persians, Manx cats, Angora cats--all were -her devoted slaves, and it was generally expected that she would make a -brilliant match. She had a house (or palace) of her own at the back of -Mr. Johnson's. Here were her bed, her larder--an elegant shelf -supporting her wire meat safe, and her special knife and fork for her -meat must be cut up for her--and her plate and saucer. And here, by the -door, many suitors waited to bow their respects as she came forth to -take the air. But Pussy, who trod the earth as though the planet were -far too common for her use, turned up her nose at the noble throng, and -dismissed them with effective and sudden language, conjectured to be a -very vigorous dialect of Persian. - -[Illustration: BOWING THEIR RESPECTS.] - -[Illustration: VERY VIGOROUS PERSIAN.] - -Then came, meekly crawling and limping to her door, one Lamech, a cat of -low degree and no particular breed. His only claim to distinction of any -sort was that he had lost a leg--perhaps in a weasel-trap. He was -ill-fed, bony, and altogether disreputable; his ears were sore, and his -coat unkempt. He came not as a suitor, but as a beggar, craving any odd -scraps that the princess might have no use for. So low was he esteemed, -indeed, that nobody called him Lamech, his proper name, and he was -familiarly and contemptuously known as "Three-legged Tommy." When the -princess's human friends saw Three-legged Tommy hanging about, they -regarded him as a nuisance and a probable offence in the sight of the -princess. Wherefore they chased him mercilessly, tempering their -severities, however, by flinging him scraps of food, as far out into the -road as possible. - -[Illustration: COMMOTION AMONG THE NOBILITY.] - -But presently a surprising thing was observed. Pussy actually -_encouraged_ Three-legged Tommy! More, she fed him, and her last drop of -new milk and her last and tenderest morsel of meat were reserved for his -regalement. There was intense commotion among the scorned feline -nobility. Three-legged Tommy was actually admitted into that sacred -palace, from the portals of which the most distinguished cats in Alford -had been driven away! - -[Illustration: PASSING THE SACRED PORTAL.] - -As for Three-legged Tommy himself, he grew not only more confident, but -more knowing. He came regularly at meal times. More, he grew fatter, and -less ragged. The princess enjoyed her self-sacrifice for a time, but -presently she set herself to get a double ration. Sharing her provisions -was all very loving and all very well, but she began to feel that there -were advantages in a full meal; and Three-legged Tommy, now grown much -more respectable, though a hopeless plebeian still, distinctly gave her -to understand that he could do with a bit more. - -[Illustration: "THE FEAST IS SPREAD FOR THEE."] - -Three-legged Tommy was the princess's first and only love, but next in -her affections ranked Mr. Johnson. It was her habit to follow him about -the house and garden, and to confide her troubles to him, sitting on his -knee. But now she tried stratagem. Five or six times a day she would -assail him with piteous mews, entreating caresses, beseeching eyes, and -the most irresistibly captivating manners she could assume. "What can -she want?" he would say. "She has not long been fed. _Is_ it meat, old -girl?" And, powerless to resist her, he would rise and follow. - -Meat it was, of course. And when it was cut she would attack it with -every appearance of ravenous hunger--till the master's back was turned. -Then--"Come, my love, the feast is spread for thee!" - -[Illustration] - -Out would limp Lamech from behind some near shrub, and Pussy would sit -with supreme satisfaction and watch her spouse's enjoyment of the meal -she had cajoled for him. And so Three-legged Tommy waxed fat and -prospered, and the Beautiful Princess was faithful to him always. Miss -Mary Johnson, who was so kind as to send us the story, calls Pussy "a -devoted helpmeet." We trust she meant no pun. - - -X. - -[Illustration: THE PUPPY'S AMAZEMENT.] - -A tortoise has many virtues, as for instance, quietness, dignity, and -lack of ambition. But, as a rule, activity and courage are not credited -to the tortoise. This is a little anecdote of a tortoise who displayed -both, in so far as to encounter, single-handed, a terrible puppy more -than a fortnight old, and several inches high at the shoulder. - -[Illustration: A MATCH.] - -[Illustration: A DRAG.] - -Though the tortoise's lack of ambition may be accepted as a general -principle, nevertheless it is relaxed in the ducal matter of strawberry -leaves. Every tortoise of the sort we keep about our houses and gardens -has an ambition for strawberry leaves--to eat. It may also be said as a -warning (having nothing to do with this anecdote) that the tortoise has -no ambition, or taste, for slugs or other garden pests. The man who -sells them most solemnly avers they have, but that is only his fancy; -the tortoise--at any rate, the tortoise he sells--is a vegetarian, as -well as a teetotaler and a non-smoker. But as to the strawberry leaves, -these are longed for by the tortoise even more than lettuce leaves. -Enthusiasm is not a distinguishing characteristic of the tortoise, but -when he _is_ enthusiastic it is over strawberry leaves. The tortoise of -our anecdote (he had no domestic name, such was his humility) had the -even tenor of his life disturbed by a sudden inroad of puppies, who made -things very busy about him. The puppies did not altogether understand -the tortoise, and the tortoise never wanted to understand the puppies. -But the puppies were playful and inquisitive. One morning, just as the -tortoise had laid hold of a very acceptable "runner" of strawberry -leaves, a puppy, looking for fun, seized the other end in his teeth and -pulled. Something had to go, and it was the strawberry leaf the tortoise -happened to be biting, close by his mouth. Off went the puppy, trailing -the "runner" after him, the tortoise toiling laboriously in the rear. -Presently the puppy, finding that speed was no accomplishment of the -tortoise, stopped at a corner and waited. Up came the tortoise, drums -beating and colours flying, metaphorically speaking, and actually -looking as threatening as a harmless tortoise can manage to look. -"Snap!" went the tortoise. The puppy was nonplussed. What was this -thing? Was it really angry? What would it do to him? His experience of -tortoises was small, and this one looked very threatening. Perhaps the -safest game was to drop the strawberry leaves, at any rate. So dropped -they were, and the puppy sat back in the corner, a trifle apprehensive -of what might happen next. But the strawberry leaves were all the -tortoise wanted, and those he snatched, and straightway squatted down -upon them. Then he ate them, little by little and bite by bite, at his -leisure, regarding the puppy defiantly the while. And the puppy carried -to all his brothers and sisters a terrible tale of the prowess of that -crawling monstrosity that ate leaves, and got formidably angry if you -snatched them away for fun. - -[Illustration: A BOLT.] - -[Illustration: A SNAP.] - -[Illustration: A VICTORY.] - - - - -[Illustration: The Memory-Saver - -A STORY FOR CHILDREN.] - -By F. C. Younger. - - -It was midnight: the Witch was sitting on an upturned basket in the -hen-house, staring at the Memory-Saver. No one but a witch could have -seen at all inside the hen-house, but this particular Witch had gathered -pieces of decayed wood on the way there, lit them at glow-worms, and -stuck them on the walls. They burnt with a weird, blue light, and showed -the old Witch on the basket scratching her bristly chin; the Black Cock -in a kind of faint up one corner, with his eyes turned up till they -showed the whites; the empty nest; the halves of a broken egg-shell on -the floor; and beside them a tiny round black lump with all sorts of -queer little tags hanging on to it, which was staring back at the Witch -with two frightened little pink eyes. - -"It's quite a new idea," said the Witch to herself. "A Memory-Saver! How -thankful many people would be to get hold of one! But they don't know -the way, and they won't ask me. They don't know how to hatch an imp to -save your memory from a cock's egg. They even say that a cock never lays -eggs. Such ignorance! Cocks always lay them at midnight and eat them -before morning; and that's why no one has ever seen one. But if you are -careful to sprinkle the cock with Witch-water three nights running, he -will lay an egg he cannot eat; and if you bless the egg with the Witch's -curse, and roast it three nights in the Witch's fire, when the moon is -on the wane, it will hatch a Memory-Saver. But poor mortals don't know -this, and that's why they're always worrying and 'taxing their -memories,' as they call it, instead of hiring a nice little imp to save -them the trouble. Come here, my dear!" she added, addressing the -Memory-Saver. - -The little black lump rolled over and over until he reached her feet, -then gave a jump and landed on two of the thickest of his tags, which -supported him like two little legs. With two others he began to rub his -little black self all over, while he shed little green tears from his -little pink eyes. - -He was a queer little person, very like an egg in shape, with no -features but a pair of little pink eyes near the top, and a wide slit -which went about half-way round him and served him for a mouth. The -Witch regarded him in silence; she knew that inside him was nothing but -a number of little rooms, carefully partitioned off from one another, -which could be emptied by pulling the tag attached to each outside. - -There was no sound in the hen-house but the frightened clucking of the -hens, the gasping of the Black Cock in the corner, and the sobbing of -the imp, which sounded like the squeaking of a slate-pencil on a slate. -Presently the Witch patted the Memory-Saver on the head. - -"Don't cry, my dear," she said; "there's nothing to cry about! And don't -look at that silly Black Cock in the corner. He isn't your Mother any -longer. I'm your Mother now--at least, all the Mother you'll get, and I -shall pinch you if you don't work. I'll just see if you are in good -working order now." - -She lifted the imp in her hand as she spoke, and pulled one of the -little tags hanging behind him. The Memory-Saver gave a gasp, and, -opening his mouth to its widest extent, he began to repeat, rapidly: -"J'ai--tu as--il a--nous avons--vous avez--ils ont." - -"Very good!" said the Witch, "the French string is in order. I'll try -the poetry." - -She pulled another tag as she spoke. - - Th'Assyrian camedownlike a wolfonthefold, - And--his cohorts were--gleaminglike purpleandgold; - And the--sheenoftheir--spears was like starsonthesea, - When the blue--wavesroll--nightly on deepGalilee - -panted the Memory-Saver. - -"A little jerky," said the Witch, doubling the strings round the imp and -putting him in her pocket; "but it will work smoother in time. It's a -splendid idea," she went on, as she buttoned her cloak and opened the -door. "A Memory-Saver! Pull the string of the subject you want (the name -is written on each tag), and the imp will tell you all about it. Read a -set of lessons to him, and then pull the strings belonging to them, and -he'll reel them all off word for word. How many children I know would -like to get him to take to school in their pockets! There's little Miss -Myra, who is always in trouble about her lessons; she would give all -she's got for him. But I'll only part with him at my own price." - -The Witch had left the hen-house, and was trotting as fast as she could -down a little woodland path. The poor little Memory-Saver was jogged -this way and that among the rubbish in the Witch's pocket--queer stones, -herbs, little dead toads, pounded spiders, and bats' wings. He would -soon have been black with bruises if he had not been black by nature. -But the worst pain he suffered was anxiety as to what would become of -him. What was the Witch going to do with him? Why had she taken him away -from the Black Cock, who at least was friendly if he did gasp and show -the whites of his eyes? The imp cried again, and wondered how long he -would have to stay in that choky pocket. - -He had not long to wait. That very afternoon the Witch saw Myra crying -over her lessons at the window. She was kept in to learn them, and was -feeling miserable and cross. No one was about, so the Witch crept up to -the window, and told her all about the Memory-Saver, ending by producing -him from her pocket. Oh! how glad he was to get out! He sat gasping with -delight on the Witch's hand, while she explained his talents to someone. -Who was it? The imp looked up and saw a little girl about ten years old, -with an inky pinafore, and long, tumbled brown curls. She looked so much -nicer than the Witch, that the Memory-Saver gazed up in her face with a -forlorn little smile--or at least a smile that would have been "little" -if his mouth had not been so wide. - -"What a queer little thing!" cried Myra. "I should like to have him, -only--how _could_ he do all you say?" - -"Just listen," said the Witch, pulling a string. - -"William I., 1066--William II., 1087--Henry I., 1100--Stephen, 1135...." -said the Memory-Saver, solemnly. - -Myra danced with delight. - -"Oh, he's splendid!" she cried. "He's just what I want. I never can -remember dates. Oh, how much does he cost? I'm afraid I haven't enough -money." - -"I'm sure you haven't," said the Witch. "I wouldn't part with him for -untold gold." - -"Then it's no use," said Myra, sadly. "I haven't even got _told_ gold, -only three shillings and twopence-ha'penny." - -"You've got something else that will do better," said the Witch, -coaxingly. "Hasn't your brother a large collection of moths and -butterflies?" - -"Yes," said Myra, looking rather puzzled; "but what has that to do with -it?" - -"Show me the top drawer of his cabinet, dear," said the Witch. - -Myra walked to the cabinet, still wondering, drew out the top drawer, -and took it to the window. - -[Illustration: "'WHAT A QUEER LITTLE THING!' CRIED MYRA."] - -The Witch looked up and down the long rows of moths, each with its wings -outspread on a separate pin. At last she picked out a great -death's-head, and looked at it lovingly. It was a beautiful specimen, -just what she wanted for her latest potion, a wonderful mixture that -would enable you to turn fifteen cart-wheels on a cobweb without -breaking it. "I'll give you the Memory-Saver for this," she cried, -eagerly. - -"Oh, but it isn't mine!" said Myra, hastily pulling back the drawer. - -"It's your brother's, dear," coaxed the Witch. "You know he would not -mind." - -"He would," said Myra; "it's his best specimen; he told me so -yesterday." - -"Well, it does him no good in the drawer," pleaded the Witch; "and the -Memory-Saver would prevent your being scolded and punished for not -knowing your lessons, as you are almost every day. Besides, you could -easily save your pocket-money and buy him another moth." - -"They're so dear!" sighed Myra. "But grandma always gives me half a -sovereign at Christmas. Well, if you like----" - -Myra always maintains that she never gave the Witch permission to take -the moth; but, as she spoke, they both vanished, and Myra only saw the -drawer with the big gap in its row of moths where the death's-head had -been, and the Memory-Saver grinning ecstatically at her from the -window-sill. Poor little fellow; he was _so_ glad to get away from the -Witch's pocket. - -Myra's first thought was to move the pins of the other moths, so as to -fill up the big gap. - -"Then perhaps he won't notice it's gone," she said to herself; "and, as -the Witch said, it didn't do him any good in the drawer." - -Then she took up the little Memory-Saver and examined him curiously. He -was a funny little creature--funnier than ever just now, for he was -trying to express his joy at his change of mistresses, which produced a -violent commotion in all his tags, and considerably enlarged his mouth. -Myra couldn't help laughing, but as she was rather afraid of offending -the Memory-Saver, she begged his pardon immediately, and made him a -comfortable seat on some books on the table. - -"Now, Memory-Saver," she said, "I'm going to read my lessons aloud to -you, as the Witch told me. Then you'll know them all, won't you?" - -The Memory-Saver nodded so emphatically, that he fell off the books. -Myra picked him up, examined him anxiously to see if he were hurt, and, -finding he was not, sat him down again. - -"I've got two lots of lessons to do," she said, mournfully, "yesterday's -and to-day's. Could you do both at once, or would it strain you too -much?" - -The Memory-Saver shook himself off his seat this time, in his eagerness -to assure her he could do twenty lots if necessary. When he was once -more settled comfortably, Myra began to read. The Memory-Saver sat -contentedly absorbing French, and geography, and tables. - -"I wonder if you really know it all," said Myra, gravely, when she had -finished. "No, don't nod any more, or you will fall off again. I'll just -try one string." She took him up, found the one marked "Tables," and -gave it a gentle tug. - -"Once nine is nine, twice nine are eighteen, three times nine are -twenty-seven," said the Memory-Saver, glibly. - -"Stop! Stop! that will do!" cried Myra, delighted. "Don't use it all up -before to-morrow." - -The next thing was to find somewhere to keep her new treasure--some -place where no one could find him; for Myra felt certain that the stupid -grown-up people would not approve of her imp, or see his usefulness as -clearly as she did. - -"They always say, 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again,' and -'You must cultivate your memory,' when I tell them I can't remember my -lessons," she said to herself. "They would take the Memory-Saver away -from me if they found him. I must put it somewhere so that they _can't_ -find him." - -Such a place was not easy to find, but at last Myra fixed on the top of -the wardrobe in her bedroom. - -"They only dust there at spring cleaning time," she said to herself, -"and I can move him then." - -So she filled a box with cotton-wool, put the Memory-Saver in it, and -placed it on top of the wardrobe. - -"Are you quite comfortable?" she asked; and the Memory-Saver almost -nodded himself out of his box in his joy. It was Paradise after the -Witch's pocket. - -"What a good thing he doesn't want anything to eat," thought Myra, -noticing with satisfaction that the woodwork of the wardrobe quite hid -him from anyone below. "The Witch said he feeds on the lessons. How -horrible! _I_ shouldn't like French verbs for breakfast, and grammar for -dinner. They can't be satisfying, but anyhow, they're easy to get. I -always have more than I want." - -For some days the Memory-Saver was a great success. Myra put him -carefully in her pocket before she went to school, and pulled the right -string when she was called up to say her lessons. His voice was rather a -sing-song, but that couldn't be helped. Miss Prisms, the schoolmistress, -sent home to Myra's delighted mother a report that her little girl was -making wonderful progress in everything but arithmetic and writing. In -these, alas, the Memory-Saver could not help her. He could say tables, -and weights and measures, but could not do sums in his head, for the -simple reason that he had no head. - -At first he was very happy, for Myra took great care of him; but by -degrees she grew careless. She found out he was quite as useful when -treated roughly as when treated kindly, and as it was less trouble to -treat him roughly, she did so. - -"Why can't you do mental arithmetic?" she asked him, severely, one day -when she had got into trouble over her sums. "Aren't you ashamed to be -so ignorant, you little imp?" - -The Memory-Saver waved his little tags in a wild attempt to explain that -it was because he hadn't got a mind, only two little pink eyes, a big -mouth, and a lot of little partitions inside him to keep the different -kinds of knowledge apart. Unhappily the many bumps he had had lately had -been very bad for his internal constitution, even if the bruises had not -shown outside; the partitions were beginning to leak. All this he tried -to explain by waving his little arms and legs. But Myra was -unsympathetic and did not understand him. She scolded him heartily, and -was not even melted by the little green tears that trickled from his -little pink eyes into his big mouth. But she was to be punished for it. -The poor little Memory-Saver had to remember all that was said to him -whether he liked it or not, and so, when Myra pulled the geography -string next morning in school, he began: "England is bounded on the -north by Scotland.... why can't you do mental arithmetic?... on the -south by the English Channel ... aren't you ashamed ... on the east by -the German Ocean ... to be so ignorant ... and on the west by the Irish -Sea ... you little imp ... and St. George's Channel." - -"Myra!" gasped Miss Prisms, and for at least two minutes could say no -more. - -"I--I--didn't mean anything," stammered Myra, blushing crimson and ready -to cry. - -"I should hope not," said Miss Prisms, severely. "You will learn double -lessons for to-morrow, Myra." - -"It's all your fault!" said Myra, angrily, to the Memory-Saver, when she -got home. "You must learn all the lessons for me, and then I'm going to -slap you, do you hear? You horrid little thing!" - -[Illustration: "HER BROTHER WAS MAKING A 'RIDICULOUS FUSS.'"] - -The Memory-Saver heard well enough, and understood too. Myra was in a -very bad temper. Her brother had discovered that his death's-head moth -was missing, and was making what Myra called a "ridiculous fuss" about -it. He had not asked her if she knew where it was, but she felt very -uncomfortable all the same. She did not think he would have minded so -much. Being uncomfortable, she was cross; and as she dared not be cross -with Miss Prisms, she was cross with the Memory-Saver, and fulfilled her -promise of slapping him when he had done the double lessons for her. She -was too absorbed in her own trouble to notice that his box was half off -the wardrobe top when she put him--not over-gently--into it; and the -bump with which she landed on the floor as she got down from the chair -on which she had been standing quite drowned the bump the box made, as -it fell behind the wardrobe. The poor little Memory-Saver fell out with -a crash, and lay half stunned, feebly waving his little tags. No one -came to pick him up, so he lay there all through the long, dark night. -He was cracked all over, and something very peculiar had happened to his -interior. In fact, though he did not know it, all the partitions had at -last given way, and the French, history, spelling, geography, and tables -had run into one another, and were now all mixed in one great pulpy mass -inside him. No wonder he felt uncomfortable! - -When Myra came for him in the morning she found out what had happened. -She fished him out from behind the wardrobe with a good deal of -difficulty, and looked at him in consternation. He was sticky all over -with the tears he had shed, was very soft and limp, and, worst of all, -was leaking the Wars of the Roses and the chief towns of France from -more than one crack. However, Myra was late as it was; she had no time -to examine him carefully. She put him in her pocket, and ran off to -school. She put her hand in her pocket to feel if he were safe as soon -as she got to her seat. He felt softer and stickier than ever. Would he -be able to say the lessons? Myra felt doubtful, but as she did not -remember a word of them herself, she was obliged to trust to him. -Trembling she pulled the "Poetry" string, when Miss Prisms called on her -for her lesson. The Memory-Saver gasped and began; each word hurt him -very much to bring out, but as they came he began to feel strange and -light, happier than he had ever felt before. This is what he said: "A -chieftain to the Highlands bound--cries--the feminine of adjectives is -formed by adding eleven times nine are Rouen, former capital of -Normandy, and heir presumptive to the throne by his descent from the son -of Edward III., eleven times twelve are le père, the father, la mère, -the mother--Oh, I'm the chief of Ulva's isle, and this, Paris on the -Seine...." - -"Myra, stop at once!" cried Miss Prisms, angrily; but Myra, or, rather, -the Memory-Saver, could not stop. His internal partitions were gone, and -whichever string was pulled, he was obliged to let out all that was -inside him. So for ten dreadful minutes he went on, pouring out French, -geography, history, and tables in one terrible mixture, while Myra -wished she could sink through the floor, the girls tittered, and Miss -Prisms' anger changed to anxiety. She began to fan Myra with an -exercise-book, begged her to be quiet, and assured her she would be -"better directly." At last, however, the Memory-Saver came to an end; he -would have been much longer, but a great deal had leaked out of him in -the night. - -[Illustration: "THE GIRLS TITTERED."] - -"Twelve twelves are a hundred and forty-four--Bayonne, at the mouth of -the Adour, mounted the throne as Henry VII.," he concluded. - -Myra burst out crying. Miss Prisms made her take sal-volatile and lie on -the sofa in her sitting-room. As soon as school was over, she took Myra -home herself, and told her mother the little girl must be going to have -brain-fever. The doctor was called in and shook his head, looking very -wise, although he could find nothing at all the matter with Myra. "It is -a curious case," he said; "let her stay away from school for a week, and -send for me if another attack comes on." - -Myra was not sorry for the holiday; it gave her time to examine the -Memory-Saver carefully. She ran through the garden to a little nook by -the duck-pond, where no one could see her, before she dared take him out -of her pocket and look at him! Poor little Memory-Saver! She could -hardly recognise him as the round, plump, cheery little fellow who had -first beamed at her from the window-sill. He was quite flat, for Myra -had sat on him in her excitement; he was soft and pulpy; his little pink -eyes had retreated and lost colour, and his great mouth opened and shut -in gasps, like that of a fish out of water. - -Myra gazed at him horrified. What could she do to revive him? She turned -him over and fanned him with a dock-leaf, but he only gasped. Then she -tried the effect of a little geography, but the result was disastrous; -as fast as it entered the poor little imp, it oozed out again all over -him, and he turned almost green with pain. - -"Why are you tormenting my offspring?" said a sharp, angry voice at -Myra's elbow. "Leave him alone, or give him to me; I'm hungry!" - -It was Myra's turn to gasp now; the Black Cock had never spoken to her -before, and she did not even know he could talk. She looked at him more -than half-frightened. - -"He--he isn't yours, he's mine," she stammered. - -"Yours, indeed!" crowed the Black Cock, indignantly, "when _I_ had all -the trouble of laying him! Wasn't he hatched from one of my eggs at -midnight, and stolen by the Witch?" - -"I didn't know he was," said Myra. - -"Well, now you do!" retorted the Cock, "Give him up! Didn't I tell you I -was hungry?" - -"But you wouldn't eat your own child?" cried Myra, aghast. - -"Child or not," said the Black Cock, "no kind of beetles come amiss to -me." - -"He isn't a beetle, he's a Memory-Saver," said Myra. The Black Cock -laughed, and Myra shrank back; she had never heard a Black Cock laugh -before, and felt she would not be sorry to never hear it again; it was -not a pleasant sound. - -"I don't know anything about Memories," said the Black Cock; "but look -at him, and then tell me he's not a beetle!" - -Myra looked anxiously. Certainly something very curious was happening to -the Memory-Saver: his little tags had arranged themselves in rows -underneath him; he was growing longer, he was very like a beetle. _He -was a beetle!_ - -Myra, who could not bear beetles, rose with a scream and threw him out -of her lap on to the mud. The Black Cock rushed at him as he scuttled -towards the water, but Myra drove him back, and allowed the Memory-Saver -time to reach the pond. She gave a little sigh of relief as he -disappeared, while the Black Cock gave an angry crow, turned his back on -Myra, and stalked back to the poultry yard. He never spoke to her again, -but whether it was because he was too offended, or for other reasons, -Myra never knew. - -"After all," she thought, as she went home, "I'm glad he turned into a -water-beetle. It must be much more comfortable than always being full of -lessons. I suppose he'll live on mud now. I hope he'll be happy. He was -a good little fellow, and I wish I'd been kinder to him. How interested -they will all be at home when I tell them about him!" - -[Illustration: "SHE THREW HIM OUT OF THE HER LAP."] - -But they were not. They said she must be going to have brain-fever, and -sent for the doctor again. The only part of her story they believed was -that she had taken her brother's moth from the cabinet, and this they -said was naughty, and she must save up her pocket-money and buy another. - -"I'll never, _never_ tell a grown-up person anything again!" thought -Myra. - -As for the Memory-Saver, at the bottom of the pond he met a pretty young -lady water-beetle, and asked her to marry him at once, which she did. He -raised a large family, and lived very happily ever after. None of the -ducks dare touch him for fear of the Witch, so that he found life much -more pleasant than when he was a Memory-Saver. Myra often walked round -the pond, looking for him, but she never saw either him or the old Witch -again. - - - - -_Curiosities._[A] - -[_We shall be glad to receive Contributions to this section, and to pay -for such as are accepted._] - - [A] Copyright, 1899, by George Newnes, Limited. - - -A MAMMOTH SHIRT. - -The immense shirt seen in the illustration below was constructed for a -shirtmaker at Sioux City, Iowa. It was mounted on a bicycle and figured -in the parades of the Carnival Festival in October of last year. The -yoke measured 5ft. 2in. from shoulder to shoulder, waist 21ft. 3in., -height 8ft., and collar size 57in. and 12in. high. Twenty-five yards of -muslin were used in making it, and the ironing of the bosom was no small -job, taking an expert 2-1/4 hours. Our photograph was taken on "Bicycle -Day." Previously, on "Industrial Day," it had taken first prize as the -most novel exhibit. On that day the bicycle riders were not in evidence, -nor was the man in the collar, the shirt gliding gracefully along the -street without apparent motive power. The photograph was sent in by Mr. -E. Davis, Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.A. - -[Illustration] - - -ENTERPRISE EXTRAORDINARY--AND ITS RESULT. - -In the spring of each year the enterprising firm of Cartwright and -Headington, of Portland, Ind., U.S.A., present their customers with -pumpkin seed, offering substantial prizes for the heaviest pumpkin grown -from their seed. The specimen seen in our photo., which was sent in by -Mr. Clyde S. Whipple, of the Auditorium, Portland, is the prize-winner -out of 140 competitors. It weighs 153lb., and is 7ft. in circumference. -The little boy inside is four years old. - -[Illustration] - - -ANOTHER TRADE TROPHY. - -This charming model of Conway Castle and Bridge is made entirely from -tobacco and cigarettes, and is the work of Mr. John H. Harrison, of 247, -West Derby Road, Liverpool. Mr. Harrison writes as follows: "The length -of the model, which I am exhibiting in my window, is 8-1/2ft.; depth, -2-1/2ft.; height, from surface of water to top of towers, 3ft. The real -genuine article is used for the water, in which gold-fish disport -themselves, although for the purposes of the photo, we substituted -mirrors. This model has been a great source of attraction." - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by Hickin & Slater, Liverpool._] - - - -[Illustration] - -FOR THE USE OF CHORISTERS. - -Here we see a gigantic "singing trumpet," which is preserved in East -Leake Parish Church, Northamptonshire. Only four or five specimens of -these trumpets are now in existence. They appear to have been used in -some of the Midland Counties until a generation or so ago, and were -patronized by bass singers only. The effect of singing through the -trumpet was to give great depth and power to the voice. The large end -rested on the front of the gallery, while the other was held in the -hand. When drawn out to its full extent (it has one slide, like a -telescope), the trumpet measures 7ft. 6in., and its mouth is 1ft. 9in. -in diameter. Truly, a fearsome instrument! Photo. sent in by Mr. Philip -E. Mellard, M.B., Costock Rectory, Loughborough. - - -NOAH'S ARK. - -[Illustration] - -This quaint sculptured stone is now included with many other fragments, -evidently of some church, in a wall in Appleby, Westmorland. At first -one wonders how the dove--who has unfortunately lost her head--ever -managed to leave the ark either by the window or by the magnificent -iron-plated door, but this wonder gives place to amazement when one -notices the size of the patriarch's hand (seen through the window), and -commences to speculate on how he, his children, and the animals find -accommodation for their grand proportions in this small boat; the -problem of packing them would tax the ingenuity of a sardine-merchant. -Photo. sent in by Mr. A. S. Reid, Trinity College, Glenalmond. - - -FACES IN A MAPLE KNOT. - -[Illustration] - -At first sight this photo. looks like an ancient gargoyle off some -church tower, but it is in reality nothing more or less than a knot of -maple, found near Mausaukee, Wis., U.S.A., by a man of that town. The -finder positively asserts that no knife has been used to produce the -faces. You will notice that the mouth of the upper face is even equipped -with teeth. We are indebted for the photo. to Mr. T. R. Bowring, -photographer, of De Pere, Wisconsin. - - -AN EARLY PHOTO. OF GENERAL GORDON. - -[Illustration] - -The accompanying photo has a melancholy interest. It represents General -Gordon as a Captain in the Royal Engineers, and was taken in 1858 or -'59. Our photo. was taken from a scrap-book, which formerly belonged to -the late Mr. James Payn. We are indebted to Mr. H. Powell, 1, Swinton -Street, King's Cross, W.C., for forwarding the photo. - - -[Illustration] - -THE DEVIL'S SPOUT. - -Some months ago we reproduced a photo. of the "Puffing Hole" of Kilkee, -Ireland. Here we have a view of a similar phenomenon situated on the -coast of Durham, between South Shields and Marsden. At certain times of -the tide, and during stormy weather, the water rushes into a cave by an -opening at the sea level. This water, together with an enormous quantity -of imprisoned air, spouts out of a small hole at the apex of the cavern -to an immense height, and, if the sun happens to be shining, a beautiful -rainbow is formed. Local tradition, of course, assigns the authorship of -this phenomenon to his Satanic Majesty, the hole being known as the -"Devil's Spout." Photo. sent in by Mr. H. Eltringham, Eastgarth, Westoe, -S. Shields. - - -A PHONOGRAPHIC POST-CARD. - -[Illustration] - -Addressing communications to the post just for the pleasure of seeing -whether the hard-worked authorities will be equal to deciphering them is -perhaps not very considerate, but the officials are so very rarely found -at fault that the laugh is almost always on their side. This -phonographic post-card was delivered at the house of Mr. E. H. King, of -Belle View House, Richmond, Surrey, who sent us the card within an hour -and a half after he had posted it to himself locally. - - -A PERAMBULATING TOWER. - -[Illustration] - -The gentleman seen in this excellent little snap-shot is a Covent Garden -porter, and he is carrying the fourteen bushel baskets seen in our -photo. in the execution of his ordinary duties. The baskets make a -column of some 196in., or 16ft. 4in. Add 5ft. 10in. as the height of the -carrier, and you get a walking column 22ft. 2in. high. The carrying of -these baskets was not done for a wager. There is room for speculation as -to what would have been the result of the sudden advent of a runaway -horse. Photo. by Mr. W. B. Northrop, 36, Essex Street, Strand, W.C. - - -[Illustration] - -A PAPER TELESCOPE. - -This is probably the largest paper telescope in Great Britain. The body -of the instrument is entirely covered with thick brown paper, its length -being 25ft., and the object glass 12in. in diameter. With this -apparatus, the mountains on the surface of the moon appear with great -clearness. The group represents a family studying astronomy. The girl -standing by the side of the gentleman looking through the telescope -holds a Nautical Almanac in her hand, and is aiding the observers with -details from its valuable records. - - -LITERARY WASPS. - -[Illustration] - -Says the Rev. W. R. Thomas, of The Beeches, Ozmaston, Haverfordwest, who -forwarded the annexed photo.: "A number of books were put away in a box -in an attic, and forgotten. When the dog-days came, with their sultry -heat, the windows of the attic were kept wide open, with the result that -a swarm of wasps took possession of the box and built their combs out of -the books, boring right through many of the stout covers. The difficulty -of rescuing the remains of the books, and dislodging the wasps, was -considerable, and involved many painful stings." Our photo. shows the -combs after prolonged immersion in water, together with some pieces of -the books. - - -THE CATS' COTTAGE. - -[Illustration] - -The luxurious little mansion seen in the accompanying reproduction is -built of bricks cut to about one-fourth of their usual size, and the -windows are of glasses fitted into wooden frames in the usual manner. -There are four rooms--each with plastered walls and carpeted floor--and -a "practicable" stair-case leads to the first and second floors. The -house was built by Stanley Barlow, a son of the Moravian minister of -Leominster, as a residence for his two cats, who have lived in it for -more than a year, making good use of all the arrangements for their -comfort, and apparently quite proud of their unique little domicile. The -building is 4ft. 5in. high, and 4ft. broad, and boasts the name of -"Tunnicliffe Villa," the owner being an enthusiastic admirer of the -Yorkshire batsman. Photo. sent in by Mr. Alf. Death, of Fern Cottage, -Leominster. - - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by W. Girling, Stradbroke._] - -REMARKABLE WHEAT STACK. - -The stack shown in the accompanying illustration has been standing upon -a farm at Stradbroke, in Suffolk, for over twenty-one years, and is -probably the oldest in England. It is the produce of a field of wheat -grown in 1877, when prices ruled somewhat high, and the owner declared -that he would not sell it for less than 30s. per coomb. As the market -value has never risen to this figure he has rigorously kept to his word, -and the stack remains unthrashed to this day. Externally, it presents -quite an antique appearance, and a glance at our illustration will show -what havoc the rats have made; and every few years, when the stack is -re-thatched, the blackened straw contrasts strangely with its new roof. -Photo. sent in by Mr. E. Bond, The Rookery, Eye, Suffolk. - - -A RUNAWAY COAL-TRUCK. - -[Illustration] - -The car seen peering out of a breach in the wall of the building in our -photo. was loaded with twenty tons of coal, and belonged to the Orange -Electric Light and Power Co., of New Jersey. It was given a push by its -engine about a quarter of a mile from the incline, which rises steeply -from the ground to the first floor of the building seen in our -illustration. Apparently the push was too hard, for the truck went away -at a tremendous pace, which the brakesman was powerless to moderate, -sailed up the incline like a bird, and was brought to a standstill by -the brick wall, out of which it "butted" a huge fragment. Photo. sent in -by Mr. W. H. Wagner, 105, Watchung Avenue, West Orange, N.J. - - -MARKINGS ON THE MUZZLE OF A GUN. - -[Illustration] - -This photo. shows the muzzle of a 12-inch gun. The curious markings are -always to be observed, to a greater or less extent, upon firing any gun; -they are probably caused by the escape of the gases past the -"driving-band" at the moment it leaves the muzzle. The "driving-band" is -the brass ring on the base of the projectile, which cuts its way through -the rifling of the gun, giving the shot the necessary rotary movement. -The regularity of each spurt of gas is very singular. We are indebted -for the snap-shot to an officer in H. M. Navy. - - -[Illustration] - -"THE SPITE HOUSE." - -This odd building stands on the corner of 161st Street and Melrose -Avenue, New York City. It is a bit over 4ft. in depth, 17ft. frontage, -and one and a-half storeys high, with a basement and sub-basement built -under the broad sidewalk, extending to the curb. The house itself is of -wood, on a steel frame, and has a slate roof. Its owner is an eccentric -tailor, who lives and carries on his trade below the street. The -interior consists of a small show-room, a store-room, and spiral iron -stairway going down to the "lower regions." The upper storey seems to -have been constructed merely as a finishing touch. It is reached by an -iron ladder from the store-room. The entire construction, appointments, -and fittings are very ingenious, and are all the ideas of the owner. The -story of the house is that the original lot was cut away in opening the -avenue, save only the few feet now occupied by the building. A -controversy arose between the tailor and the owner of the adjoining -property regarding the disposal of the small strip, and the tailor -becoming enraged because his neighbour would neither sell his property -nor pay the price the knight of the shears demanded, built this odd -structure out of spite. The photo. was taken just at the completion of -the building, and before the street had been fully paved. It shows, -however, the dimensions of the building, and also the construction under -the street, etc. Photo. sent in by Mr. W. R. Yard, 156, Fifth Avenue, -New York City. - - -AN EGG WITH A BOOT-LACE YOLK. - -[Illustration: _From a Photo. by Richards & Co., Ballarat._] - -We have heard much of the vagaries of the breakfast egg of commerce, but -the egg which contained the extraordinary yolk seen in the annexed -photo, must assuredly have been quite out of the common run. We will let -Dr. James T. Mitchell, of 15, Raglan Street, South Ballarat, Victoria, -who sent us the photo., tell the story. "The photo.," he says, "shows -the yolk of a pullet's egg, which was boiled for breakfast in the usual -way. When opened, however, the yolk was found to be in the form of a -cord 45in. long and 1/8in. wide. It was irregularly coiled up, twisted -many times, and had a knot firmly tied in the middle. Altogether, it was -very much like a long bootlace of a deep yellow colour." The original is -now in the Museum of the University of Melbourne. - - -A CANDIDATE FOR APOPLEXY. - -[Illustration] - -Here is an amusing snap-shot of a boy hanging head downwards from the -roof of a summer-house. From the expression of delirious joy on his -face, it is evident that the young gentleman finds it difficult to -maintain his position. We are indebted for the snap-shot to Mrs. R. A. -Hayes, 82, Merrion Square South, Dublin. - - - Transcriber's note: - - _Underscores_ have been used to indicate _italic_ fonts. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Strand Magazine, Volume XVII, -February 1899, No. 98., by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STRAND MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 1899 *** - -***** This file should be named 41793-8.txt or 41793-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/7/9/41793/ - -Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Anna Hall and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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