nother amusing paper, and
forty years has made no alteration in the "sock-cad." American slang
has evidently tinged Etonian style. "What in the name of purple
thunder," and "in the name of spotted Moses," and so forth, are
Americanisms, and the tone of these two smart Etonian writers has a
certain Yankee ring in it. Why not leave this sort of thing to MARK
TWAIN, BRET HARTE & CO., who are past masters of their own native
slang? _Seven Summers_ will interest and amuse Etonians of all ages.

And here, attracted by a quaintly-designed cover, the Baron takes up
_Ballads from Punch, and other Poems_, by WARHAM ST. LEGER, published
by DAVID STOTT. That a considerable number of these have appeared in
_Mr. Punch's_ pages, by whose kind permission they are reprinted, is
quite sufficient guarantee for their excellence. _The Lay of the Lost
Critic, The Plaint of the Grand Piano_, are capital specimens of the
author's humour, and _Christmas Eve_ of his true pathos. No influence
of American humour visible in any of these. As a rule, the Baron
doesn't recommend betting, but advises his readers to go in for this
St. Leger.

The contents of _The Universal Review_ this month are varied,
interesting, but not sensational. The article on Westminster Abbey, by
FREDERICK GEORGE LEE, D.D., with its humorous notes and observations,
will have a charm for many readers, and so will that on the painter
BERNADINO LUINI. The novel entitled, _The Wages of Sin_, is now at
the first chapter of the fifth book, and there is an illustration
representing a lady in a Victoria pulling up in Waterloo Place.
Underneath is the legend--"She leaned forward smiling, beckoning as
the Victoria drew up against the curb." First, she is not leaning
forward; secondly, she doesn't appear to be "smiling;" thirdly, she
doesn't seem to be "beckoning;" and, fourthly, though the horse is
being pulled back, probably on the "curb," yet, if the author means
that the carriage is being pulled up against the pavement, then
why didn't he say so, and write it "kerb?" I like being a trifle
hypercritical just now and then, says THE BARON DE BOOK-WORMS.

* * * * *

AN INTERNATIONAL HERO.

There has been recently a discussion in _The World_ as to where _Cox
and Box_ (for which Sir ARTHUR wrote some of his best music) first
saw the light. It was decided in favour of the Librettist at whose
residence the Triumviretta was given privately, in presence of