venturous
or romantic type sacred to serial fiction, no fewer than three dealing
with escaped convicts on Dartmoor, and one (the first in the book)
describing the chance meeting of a man and a pretty girl on an
uninhabited island off the West Coast of Scotland. Here, for some
reason or other, the man insisted on calling his charming and unknown
companion _Astarte_, a name which, if I had been in her place, I
should have been inclined to resent. But Mr. BRIDGES' dialogue
is nearly always bright, and his knowledge of the machinery of
yarn-spinning excellent. There is just one other point however which
I should like to mention. The book includes a brand-new Russian
wolf-story, in which the heroes protect themselves from the bites of
these ferocious quadrupeds by putting on armour, which they find in
a deserted house. I don't object to that; but, when they leave the
railway line along which they have been travelling and plunge into a
forest-path they come to a place where the route forks and cannot make
out which of the two roads will be more likely to lead them back to
the railway. I do not feel that these men were the sort of people to
be trusted to wander by themselves in a desolate Siberian anecdote.

* * * * *

[Illustration: THE CADDIE WHO SAW THE FAIRIES.]

* * * * *

Our New Masters.

_The KING can do no wrong._ Of late
So ran the law; but, when to-day
Kinglike he seeks to serve the State,
Our super-monarchs frown and say:
_The KING can do no right--unless
By leave of half the Liberal Press._

* * * * *

The Light-weight Angler.

"Weighing 6 lbs. 7 oz., Mr. T. Snelgrove caught a golden
carp whilst fishing in the mill pond at Addlestone,
Surrey."--_People._

* * * * *

"He has slept ... nearly 365 days on board the Admiralty
yacht."

This, from a _Daily Mail_ article in praise of WINSTON, is no doubt
meant kindly.

* * * * *

"C. E. Cox begs to announce that he is now prepared to drill
wells, for water, gas, oil, cash or old clothes."_Red Deer
Advocate._

For cash is our choice.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes

In "The Young of the Sea-Serpent" (page 109), the original text read,
"So shall the rising generation learn the merits of the strong right
arm th