d Mr. Figgs, ruefully, "in Naples. I went into
a broker's shop to change a Napoleon. I thought I'd like to see their
financial system. I saw enough of it; for the scoundrel gave me a lot
of little bits of coin that only passed for a few cents apiece in
Naples, with difficulty at that, and won't pass here at all!"

The Senator laughed. "Well, you shouldn't complain. You lost your
Napoleon, but gained experience. You have a new wrinkle. I gained a
new wrinkle too when I gave a half-Napoleon, by mistake, to a wretched
looking beggar, blind of one eye. I intended to give him a centime."

"Your principle," said Buttons, "does well enough for you as a
traveller. But you don't look at all the points of the subject. The
point is to write a letter for a newspaper. Now what is the most
successful kind of letter? The readers of a family paper are
notoriously women and young men, or lads. Older men only look at the
advertisements or the news. What do women and lads care for
horse-shoes and macaroni? Of course, if one were to write about
these things in a humorous style they would take; but, as a general
thing, they prefer to read about old ruins, and statues, and cities,
and processions. But the best kind of a correspondence is that which
deals altogether in adventures. That's what takes the mind! Incidents
of travel, fights with ruffians, quarrels with landlords, shipwrecks,
robbery, odd scrapes, laughable scenes; and Dick, my boy! when you
write again be sure to fill your letter with events of this sort."

"But suppose," suggested Dick, meekly, "that we meet with no
ruffians, and there are no adventures to relate?"

"Then use a traveller's privilege and invent them. What was
imagination given for if not to use?"

"It will not do--it will not do," said the Senator, decidedly. "You
must hold on to facts. Information, not amusement, should be your
aim."

"But information is dull by itself. Amusement perhaps is useless. Now
how much better to combine the utility of solid information with the
lighter graces of amusement, fun, and fancy. Your pill, Doctor, is
hard to take, though its effects are good. Coat it with sugar and
it's easy."

"What!" exclaimed the Doctor, suddenly starting up. "I'm not asleep!
Did you speak to me?"

The Doctor blinked and rubbed his eyes, and wondered what the company
were laughing at. In a few minutes, however, he concluded to resume
his broken slumber in his bed. He accordingly retired; and the