, ROBERT?

_The G.Y.M._ (_a little at sea himself_). "_Oskold and the
Elle-maids_," the _title_ is.

_Third Aunt_. Scolding the Elements! _Who's_ scolding them, ROBERT?

_Robert_ (_in her ear_). "_Oskold and the Elle_-maids!" it's a
_Scandinavian_ legend, Aunt TABITHA,

_Aunt Tabitha_ (_severely_). Then it's a pity they can't find better
subjects to paint, in _my_ opinion! (_They move on to_ Mr. PETTIE's
"_Musician_.") Dear me, that young man looks dreadfully poorly, to be
sure!

_Robert_ (_loudly_). He's not _poorly_, Aunt; he's a _Musician_--he's
supposed to be (_quoting from Catalogue_) "thinking out a composition,
imagining an orchestral effect, with the occasional help of an organ."

_First Aunt_. I see the organ plain enough--but where's the orchestral
effect?

_Robert_. Well, you _wouldn't_ see that, you know, he only _imagines_
it.

_Second Aunt_. Oh, yes, I _see_. Subject to _delusions_, poor man! I
_thought_ he looked as if he wanted someone to look after him.

_First Loyal Old Lady_ (_reading from Catalogue_). "No. 35. 'Lent by
Her Majesty the QUEEN.'"

_Second Ditto, Ditto_. Lent by HER MAJESTY, my dear! Oh, I don't want
to miss _that_--which is it--where?

[_She prepares herself to regard it with a special and
reverent interest._

AMONG THE PRE-RAPHAELITE PAINTERS.

_Matter-of-Fact Person_ (_to her Irrelevant Friend_). Here's a
Millais, you see. _Ophelia_ drowning herself.

_The Irrelevant Friend_ (_who doesn't approve of suicide_). Yes,
dear, very peculiar--but I don't quite _like_ it, I must say. Do you
remember whether I told SARAH to put out the fiddle-pattern forks and
the best cruetstand before I came away? Dear Mr. HOMERTON is coming in
to supper to-night, and I want everything to be _nice_ for him.

_The Good Young Man_. There's _Ophelia again_, you see. (_Searches
for an appropriate remark._) She--ah--evidently understood the art of
natation.

_First Aunt_. She looks almost too _comfortable_ in the water, _I_
think. Her mouth's open, as if she was singing.

_Second Aunt_ (_extenuatingly_). Yes--but those wild roses are very
naturally done--and so are her teeth.

_A Discriminating Person_. I like it all but the _figure_.

_A Well-informed Person_. There's the "_Dream of Dante_," d'ye see?
No mistaking the figure of DANTE. Here he is, down below, _having_ his
dream--that's the dream in that cloud--and up above you get the dream
done life-size--queer sort of idea, isn