. J. MILLIKEN'S INITIALS.]

'Talking of cuts, Mark, how about the Large one?' Thackeray suggests
Lawyer, Doctor, and Schoolmaster, standing in a row as prize boys, and
Dizzy presenting them with votes. I propose Diz trying to launch a
lop-sided 'Reform' ship, with the title 'Will it Swim?' Mark suggests D.
joining hands of artisan and yeoman, giving each of them a vote.
Thackeray thinks of workman coming among gentlemen of Parliament and
asking, 'What have you done for _me_?' Professor Leigh considers
situation might be shown by Bright and Dizzy poking up the British Lion,
for clearly he wants rousing. 'Yes,' says Shirley, 'and when he's
roused, you know, we can have another picture of him with his tail and
monkey up.' Idea gradually takes shape, and is approved,[8] though
Tenniel hardly likes it, and Leech wants to know if Ponny (Mayhew) would
not prefer a good old-fashioned tragic cartoon of the virtuous and
starving British Workman, with ragged wife and children, and Death a
ghastly apparition in the background.

This leads to a little spar between Ponny and 'Pater' Evans. Ponny lets
fly with great vigour: '_Punch_ is standing still now; used to take the
lead, but no longer dares to do so. _Avancons!_' waving hand excitedly.
Pater calmly answers that the times are altered, and that _Punch_ is
going with them. Strong words have done their work, and there's no
longer need of them. Nobody now talks about the trampled working man,
nor goes trumpeting abroad the dignity of labour. Then Ponny shifts his
ground, and complains that many clever fellows who are workers with the
pen are now hardly earning more than many workers with the pickaxe.
'Well, it's their own fault,' says Pater; 'they might easily earn more
if they were not so idle.' Penny replies they don't want luxuries, being
men of simple tastes, and anything but Sybarites. 'So am I,' cries
Leech; 'my tastes are very simple. Give me a good day's hunting, and
some good claret after it--nothing can be simpler, and I'm really quite
contented.'

[Illustration: GILBERT A BECKETT'S INITIALS.]

But Ponny harks back to his 'deuced clever fellows,' applauding one of
them especially, a Bohemian friend of his, who, he says politely, is far
cleverer a fellow than any at the _Punch_ Table. 'But what has he done?'
asks Leech. 'Tell you what he doesn't do,' says Shirley; 'he may write a
lot, but he certainly doesn't wash much.' Somebody wonders, if he were
proposed for White's