do they do that, Gerald?"

"Oh, they just call in the edge-deckler and say, 'See to 't that yon
edges be deckled ere set o' sun,' and he sees to 't. His is a most
important post, I believe."

Margaret came and sat on a tuffet by my chair.

"Sorry about wurzel," she said. "Now tell me all about machine-made
paper, there's a dear. It will be so nice to be able to explain all
this to Nat when he's older."

"Paper-making by machinery, my dear," I said graciously, "is a most
complicated process. I won't puzzle you with all the details, but
roughly the idea is to pulp up the--er--rags and so on in a huge
sort of--er--bowl, and then to roll it out thin in the rolling-out
machine."

Margaret thought this over. "It sounds just the same as the
hand-made," she said.

"Oh, _no_," I said quickly; "it's all done by _machinery_, you see.
Pistons and rollers and--er--mechanical edge-decklers and so on."

"And what does 'Linen Wove' mean?"

"They employ people to thread the paper with linen threads, my dear.
A very delicate performance; that's why Linen Wove is so expensive.
Azure Wove is, of course, done with blue flaxen threads. Silurian Bond
is made by a fellowship of geologists, and for Chelsea Bank they have
a factory on the bank of the Thames at Cheyne Walk. That's all I need
tell you, though I know a lot more."

"I never realised before how awfully interesting paper-making could
be," said Margaret gratefully. "Write and order me a good supply
of Chelsea Cream Wove, will you, dear? Oh, and some other kind for
yourself, to write your stories on. Don't forget."

"Very well; Chelsea Cream Wove for you. And what shall I have?"

Margaret's mouth twitched a little.

"Foolscap, I think, dear," she said.

* * * * *

[Illustration: _Sandy (viewing doctor's bill)._ "BUT THE BILL IS NO
RICHT, SIR. YE'VE CHARGED ME FOR SEVEN DAYS INSTEAD O' SIX. DINNA YE
MIND I WAS DELEERIOUS ONE DAY AN' WAS NOT AWEER OF YOUR PRESENCE?"]

* * * * *

ANALGESIA.

(_With Mr. Punch's best wishes for the speedy recovery of the French
PRESIDENT._)

["President Deschanel ... was compelled to take several
analgesia cachets. (Analgesia is a condition in which there is
incapacity of feeling pain)."]--_Evening Paper._

When, haply through excess of cake,
In childhood's days of fun and frolic,
I suffered from that local ache
Known to the Faculty as colic;