walk, he still barks
a little at the outset, but thereafter begins at once to lag, and is
found in an armchair when the party returns. It is vain to remind
him that in the old days he was called the little black feather for
the lightness of his gait when puffed along by the gusts of a fierce
nor'-easter. Here is one of the complimentary stanzas that were
lavished upon him by his young mistress:--

"Attend to your duty,
My brave little Soo-ti,
There isn't much sun in the sky:
But we've sported together
In all kinds of weather,
My little black feather and I."

It would be quite useless to lure him out with verse, and plain prose
is equally ineffective when once he has made up his mind that he
doesn't mean to move.

One more sign of old age there is, which I may briefly describe. He is
always much agitated when his mistress packs her boxes to depart to an
institution for higher education of which she is a member. While this
is going forward, Soo-ti will not stir from her room except it be to
couch in the passage outside. Thence he re-transfers himself to her
room, and has been known, when the chief box is full of garments, to
leap into it, to pad round in a circle three times, and to sink down
with a sigh of satisfaction on what was once a very artistic bit of
packing. I do not say that this trick is entirely due to old age.
Nearly all dogs do it. Only there was on the last occasion a special
anxiety, and a more than usual persistence and querulousness which
seemed to say, "Don't go too far away, and come back soon, so that
we may meet again before my eyes grow dim and my ears lose their
keenness."

* * * * *

"In future all unmarried men and women having an income of $1,000
will be taxed by the city. Married men will not be taxed unless
their income is over $1,500,000."--_Canadian Gazette_.

The poor fellows must have some compensation.

* * * * *

THE TEST OF FRIENDSHIP.

["C.K.S.," in _The Sphere_, describing his numerous visits to
GEORGE MEREDITH at Box Hill, tells us that in no real sense can
he claim to have been an intimate friend; "but then," he adds, "I
always make the test of intimate friendship when people call one
another by their Christian names."]

The use of Christian names, says "C.K.S."
Is intimacy's truest test; but "George,"
When he was down at Dorking, (as you guess)