so to speak, reach maturity.

I notice an advertisement of a book by Major ELLIS, entitled _The
Ewe-speaking People of the Slave Coast of West Africa_. These
Ewe-speaking folk must be a sheepish lot. Black-sheepish lot
apparently, as being in West Africa. Major ELLIS is the author also of
_The Tshi-speaking People_. These last must be either timidly bashful,
or else a very T-shi lot. After this, there's nothing ELLIS this week,
says

THE BARON DE BOOK-WORMS.

* * * * *

"QUITE A LITTLE (ROMAN) HOLIDAY."

(_An Intercepted Letter_.)

[Illustration]

DEAREST BECKY,--I have had _such_ luck! Oh, _so_ fortunate! Fancy, we
_did_ get in, after all! You know Mr. TENTERFORE, of Somerset House,
has a friend a barrister, and this friend said, if we would be by the
door of the Court at eleven, he _thought_ he could slip us in. And he
did, my dear--he did! We got _capital_ places, and as we had brought
with us some sherry and sandwiches, we had "a real good time of it,"
as your brother calls it! We had our work, too, and so were _quite_
comfortable. The night-charges were _such_ fun! A lot of men and women
were brought before the Magistrate for being "drunk and incapable"
(that's a legal term, my dear), and got so chaffed! One of the
women was very old--such a silly frump!--she was still dreadfully
intoxicated I am afraid! Very sad, _of course_, but we couldn't help
laughing! She was _such_ a figure before they got rid of her! But this
was only the overture to the drama. After the night-charges were
over, the Court was cleared, but we were allowed to remain, as Mr.
WIGINBLOCK (our barrister friend) declared we belonged to the Press!
He said that MARY contributed to the _Blood and Thunder News_, and I
to the _Murder Gazette_! I am sure it must have been in _fun_, for
we have never _seen_ the papers. When lunch was over, in came the
Magistrate with _a number_ of the "_smartest_" people! Really, I was
_quite delighted_ to be in such _good_ company. All sorts of _nice_
people. And then--oh--it was _lovely_! We saw _her quite_ close,
and could watch the colour come and go in her cheeks! She is rather
pretty! She was wearing her _ordinary_ clothes; not the workhouse, nor
the ones _with the blood on them_, but some that had been sent in to
her since the inquest. I tried your opera-glasses. They are _simply
capital_, darling! We were much amused with _his_ evidence; and it was
really _excellent_ fun t