r, and the old brass andirons
glistened and the wood-fire crackled,--in short, a room to which all the
household fairies had emigrated.

When they once had found _that_ out, it was difficult to get any of them
to sit in our parlor. I had purposely christened the new room _my
study_, that I might stand on my rights as master of ceremonies there,
though I opened wide arms of welcome to any who chose to come. So, then,
it would often come to pass, that, when we were sitting round the fire
in my study of an evening, the girls would say,--

"Come, what do we always stay here for? Why don't we ever sit in the
parlor?"

And then there would be manifested among guests and family-friends a
general unwillingness to move.

"Oh, hang it, girls!" would Arthur say; "the parlor is well enough, all
right; let it stay as it is, and let a fellow stay where he can do as he
pleases and feels at home"; and to this view of the matter would respond
divers of the nice young bachelors who were Arthur's and Tom's sworn
friends.

In fact, nobody wanted to stay in our parlor now. It was a cold,
correct, accomplished fact; the household fairies had left it,--and when
the fairies leave a room, nobody ever feels at home in it. No pictures,
curtains, no wealth of mirrors, no elegance of lounges, can in the least
make up for their absence. They are a capricious little set; there are
rooms where they will _not_ stay, and rooms where they _will_; but no
one can ever have a good time without them.

* * * * *

THREE CANTOS OF DANTE'S "PARADISO."

[Transcribers Note: Line that had notes associated with them have been
numbered. The notes have been moved to the end of the canto.]

CANTO XXIII.

Even as a bird, 'mid the beloved leaves, [1]
Quiet upon the nest of her sweet brood
Throughout the night, that hideth all things from us,
Who, that she may behold their longed-for looks
And find the nourishment wherewith to feed them,
In which, to her, grave labors grateful are,
Anticipates the time on open spray
And with an ardent longing waits the sun,
Gazing intent, as soon as breaks the dawn:
Even thus my Lady standing was, erect
And vigilant, turned round towards the zone
Underneath which the sun displays least haste; [12]
So that beholding her distraught and eager,
Such I became as he is, who desiring
F