ay
marry her. The question is--will he?" Once more I felt like a division
sum. I yearned to call out loudly, and answer with a decided negative;
but no words came. My strength was gone. I was utterly worked out, and
there was no remainder.

When I came to myself, I found JAMES, the waiter, standing by my bedside
with a gentleman whom I did not know. JAMES introduced him to me as a
Mr. ALKALOID, a photographer who was stopping in the hotel. Mr. ALKALOID
had been woken up by a wild shriek for a decided negative, and had
rushed down to see if he could do a little business. "Take you by the
electric light," he said; "just as you are,"--I was in my night-dress
and the old, old hat, the rim of which had been slightly
sprained,--"perfectly painless process, and money returned if not
satisfactory." I thanked him warmly, and apologised for having disturbed
him.

I went to London on the following day. I felt it my positive duty to
explain that I should always regard ALICE SMITH as a sister, but nothing
more.

I had quite forgotten that I did not know the house where ALICE SMITH
lived, and the poodle dog lay dead.

(_Here ends the Narrative of_ CYRIL MUSH.)

* * * * *

[Illustration: THE SUMMONS TO DUTY.

(_Design for a Parliamentary Cartoon, illustrating the Life of a Country
Member._)]

* * * * *

[Illustration: "EXCLUSIVE DEALING."

_Irish Landlord_ (_boycotted_). "PAT, MY MAN, I'M IN NO END OF A HURRY.
PUT THE PONY TO, AND DRIVE ME TO THE STATION, AND I'LL GIVE YE HALF A
SOVEREIGN!"

_Pat_ (_Nationalist, but needy_). "OCH SHURE, IT'S MORE THAN ME LOIFE IS
WORTH TO BE SEEN DROIVING _YOU_, YER HONOUR. BUT"--(_slily_)--"IF YER
HONOUR WOULD JIST DROIVE _ME_, MAYBE IT'S MESELF THAT MOIGHT VENTURE
IT!"]

* * * * *

"SWEET-MARJORIE!"

[Illustration: Change for a Tenor. Wilfred of Huntington is succeeded by
that Man of Mark--Tapley.]

Take it all in all, _Marjorie_ at the Prince of Wales' is a very
satisfactory production. The subject is English, the music is English,
and the "book" is English too. So when we applaud the new Opera, we have
the satisfaction of knowing that our cheers are given in the cause of
native talent triumphant. This is appropriate to the "time" of the play
(the commencement of the thirteenth century), which is the very epoch
when the Saxons were beginning to hold their own in the teeth of their
Nor