in spirits, and as
an effectual method of concealing their presence from their enemies, who
are always close at hand with knives.

It is remarkable that things always go wrong until the last scene, and
then there is such hurry and bustle to get them right again, that no one
would ever believe it could be done in the time; only they know it must
be, and make up their minds to it accordingly.

One word more. Like St. Dunstan's feet, which possessed the sacred virtue
of self-multiplication, and of which there existed three at one time, it
appears to be a prerogative of epithets of the superlative degree to
attach themselves to any number of substantives. Thus the most popular
comedian of the day is five different men--the most beautiful drama ever
produced is two farces--an opera and a tragedy--and the most decided hit
in the memory of man is the "Grecian Statues"--"The Wizard of the
Moon"--"The Devil's Daughter"--"Martinuzzi"--and "The Refuge for the
Destitute."

* * * * *

THE "WELL-DRESSED" AND THE "WELL-TO-DO."

"There has for the last few days been a smile on the face _of every
well-dressed gentleman_, and _of every well-to-do artisan_, who wend their
way along the streets of this vast metropolis. It is caused by the
opposition exhibition of Friday night in the House of Commons."

Such is the comfortable announcement of a Tory morning paper,--the very
incarnation of spiteful imbecility. Such is the self-complacency of the
old Tory hag, that in her wildest moments would bite excessively,--if she
only had teeth. She has, however, in the very simplicity of her smirking,
let out the whole secret--has, in the sweet serenity of her satisfaction,
revealed the selfishness, the wickedness of her creed. _Toryism believes
only in the well-dressed and the well-to-do_. Purple and fine linen are
the instrumental parts of her religion. She subscribes, in fact, to
forty-three points; four meals a day being added to her Christian
Thirty-nine Articles. Her faith is in glossy raiment and a full belly. She
has such a reverence for the loaves and fishes, that in the fulness of her
devotion, she would eat them--as the author of the _Almanach des
Gourmands_ advises the epicure to eat a certain exquisite dainty--"on her
knees." She would die a martyr at the fire;--but then it must be lighted
in the kitchen.

The parliamentary exhibition which, according to the _Sycorax_ of
Toryism--a _Sycorax_ with do