nt days of the beginning of
the poetic chants? Dr. Gannius crashes cachinnation. Dr. Bouthoin caps
himself with the offended Don. Mr. Semhians opens half an eye and a
whole mouth. There must be a mystery, these two exclaim to one another
in privacy. Delphica draws Mr. Semhians aside.

Blushing over his white necktie, like the coast of Labrador at the
transient wink of its Jack-in-the-box Apollo, Mr. Semhians faintly tells
of a conversation he has had with the ingenuous fair one; and she ardent
as he for the throning of our incomparable Saxon English in the mouths
of the races of mankind. Strange!--she partly suspects the Frenchman,
the Russian, the attentive silent Greek, to be all of them bound for the
Court of Japan. Concurrents? Can it be? We are absolutely to enter on
a contention with rivals? Dr. Bouthoin speaks to Dr. Gannius. He is
astonished, he says; he could not have imagined it!

'Have you ever imagined anything?' Dr. Gannius asks him. Entomologist,
botanist, palaeontologist, philologist, and at sound of horn a ready
regimental corporal, Dr. Gannius wears good manners as a pair of
bath-slippers, to rally and kick his old infant of an Englishman; who,
in awe of his later renown and manifest might, makes it a point of
discretion to be ultra-amiable; for he certainly is not in training, he
has no alliances, and he must diplomatize; and the German is a strong
one; a relative too; he is the Saxon's cousin, to say the least.
This German has the habit of pushing past politeness to carry his
argumentative war into the enemy's country: and he presents on all sides
a solid rampart of recent great deeds done, and mailed readiness for the
doing of more, if we think of assailing him in that way. We are really
like the poor beasts which have cast their shells or cases, helpless
flesh to his beak. So we are cousinly.

Whether more amused than amazed, we know not, Dr. Gannius hears from
'our simpleton of the pastures,' as he calls the Rev. Doctor to his
daughter, that he and Mr. Semhians have absolutely pushed forth
upon this most mighty of enterprises naked of any backing from their
Government! Babes in the Wood that they are! 'a la grace de dieu'
at every turn that cries for astutia, they show no sign or symbol of
English arms behind them, to support--and with the grandest of national
prizes in view!--the pleading oration before the Court of the elect,
erudites, we will call them, of an intelligent, yet half barbarous,