. PIPER, _she_ never said nothing, and _I_ didn't
say nothing; and so it went on till Monday--_well_! Her 'usban' met me
in the passage; and he said to me--good-tempered and civil enough, I
_must_ say--he said--(_Villain on Stage_. "Curse you! I've had enough
of this fooling! Give me money, or I'll twist your neck, and fling
you into yonder mill-dam, to drown!") So o' course I'd no objection
to that; and all she wanted, in the way of eatables and drink, she
_'ad_--no, let me finish _my_ story first. Well, just fancy _'er_
now! She asked me to step in; and she says, "Ow are you?" and was
very nice, and I never said a word--not wishing to bring up the past,
and--I didn't tell you _this_--they'd a kind of old easy chair in the
room--and the only remark _I_ made, not meaning anythink, was--(_Hero
on Stage_. "You infernal, black-hearted scoundrel! this is _your_
work, is it?") Well, I couldn't ha' put it more pleasant than that,
_could_ I? and old Mr. FITKIN, as was settin' on it, he says to me, he
says--(_Hero_. "Courage, my darling! You shall not perish if my strong
arms can save you. Heaven help me to rescue the woman I love better
than my life!") but he's 'alf silly, so I took no partickler notice of
_'im_, when, what did that woman do, after stoopin' to me, as she
'as, times without number--but--Oh, is the play over? Well, as I was
saying--oh, _I'm_ ready to go if you are, and I can tell you the rest
walking home.

[_Exit, having thoroughly enjoyed her evening._

* * * * *

TO ROSE NORREYS AS "NORA."

Dear ROSE, in your way, you're as brimful of Art
As a picture by REYNOLDS, a statue by GIBSON;
And we'll never cut _you_, though we don't like your part,
Pretty ROSE, in _A Doll's House_, as written by IBSEN,
Yet we crowd on your track, as the hounds on the quarry's,
And, though carping at _Nora_, delight in our NORREYS.

* * * * *

[Illustration: TROUBLE IN TOM TIDDLER'S GROUND.

_British Tom Tiddler_. "IF THIS GOES ON, HOW ABOUT MY GOLD AND
SILVER?"]

* * * * *

[Illustration: A DAY IN THE LAW COURTS.

(_A page from the Posthumous Diary of the late Mr. Pepys._)]

[MR. PUNCH'S "TABLEAU." SOCIETY IN COURT.]

Up betimes and to the Court at the New Palace of Justice hard by the
Strand, and near the sign of the Griffin which has taken the place of
Temple Bar, upon which did stand long ago the heads of t