with calculating rogues. The mob outside was
better than this. But, thank Heaven, we have nothing like this in
London."

And with that he and Father TIME walked gloomily from the hall, and
found themselves once more in the street.

* * * * *

"What ho! my trusty Shooting Star," cried _Mr. Punch_. Whirr-r-r--

And in the thousandth part of a second they found themselves within
measurable distance of TOBY's own Planet. And here _the_ Dog speaks
for himself.

* * * * *

[Illustration: PUNCHIUS PHOEBUS, THE GREAT UNIVERSAL HYPNOTISER.

("_He who must be Obeyed!_")

A TRANSFORMATION SCENE.]

* * * * *

VISIT TO THE DOG-STAR.

[Illustration: THE DOG STAR]

"Take care of the plank, Sir," I said, as my esteemed master lightly
skipped across the gangway, marshalling a well-grown youth carrying
a scythe; "we don't have many visitors here. One who looked in the
other day slipped his foot, fell over, and we've never seen him since.
Listening intently, watch in hand, we heard a slight thud, and have
reason to believe he dropped on Jupiter. It was useful to us, seeing
that, by use of a well-known formula, we were able to reckon our
precise distance from that planet. For him, I fancy, it must have
been inconvenient."

"Are you serious, TOBY?" said _Mr. Punch_, stepping with added
caution.

"No, Sir, _I'm_ not. This," I said, waving my hand with graceful and
comprehensive gesture around the orb where I am temporarily located,
"_this_ is Sirius."

"Ah, I see," said _Mr. P._, glad to find himself with his foot on
our native heath; "I want to present you to an old friend, whom, I am
afraid, you have sometimes misused. TIME, this is TOBY, M.P., a humble
but faithful member of my terrestrial suite. I am showing the young
fellow round, TOBY, and we looked in on you, hearing that you had a
Parliament that should serve as a model for the firmament."

"I am afraid," observed TIME, whittling a piece of stick with his
scythe, "that we may have looked in at a wrong season. As far as I can
judge from a consideration of the temperature, and a glance round your
landscape, we are now at Midsummer--in the dog days, if I may so put
it without offence. Of course your legislators would not be in Town
just now, sweltering at work that might as well be performed in winter
weather, when, regarded as a place of business or residence, Town has
at