A shout of laughter followed this remark, and in the fog of tobacco-smoke Colonel PURSER could be dimly seen draining a magnum of champagne.

CHAPTER IV.

  “Hey diddle, diddle.”
      —­Songs and Romances.

Everything fell out exactly as MIGNON prophesied.  But if you think that you’ve come to the end of MIGNON, I can only say you’re very much astray, or as EMILY, with his smooth silky voice, and his smoother silkier manners, would have said, “You’wre wewry much astwray.”  See my next dozen stories.

    THE END. (Pro tem.)

* * * * *

[Illustration:  THE GRAND OLD STUMPER.

“WHAT IS FASHION?  ’AFTER A FASHION HAS BEEN DISCARDED—­IF YOU HAVE ONLY PATIENCE TO WAIT LONG ENOUGH—­YOU WILL FIND YOU WILL GET BACK TO IT.’  LOOK AT MY COLLARS!—­AND UMBRELLA!!” [See Mr. Gladstone’s Speech during the recent Midlothian Campaign.)]

AIR—­“WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.”

  There’s a good time coming, friends,
    That flood is flowing stronger;
  The reigning mode in failure ends,
      Wait a little longer! 
  Fashion is ever on the wing,
    Arch-enemy of Beauty. 
  Now, when we get a first-rate thing,
    To stick to it’s our duty. 
  But no, the whirling wheel must whirl,
    The zig-zag go zig-zagging;
  The wig to-day must crisply curl,
    That yesterday was bagging. 
  But good things do come “bock agen.” 
    For banishment but stronger
  (With bonnets or with Grand Old Men),
      Wait a little longer!

  From Eighty unto Eighty-Five
    These collars were the rage, friends;
  Didn’t we keep the game alive,
    In spite of creeping age, friends? 
  But oh, that horrid Eighty-Six! 
    They deemed me fairly settled,
  As though just ferried o’er the Styx,
    But I was tougher mettled. 
  I knew the fashion would return
    For just this size of collar. 
  (And that’s a lesson they’ll soon learn,
    You bet your bottom dollar.)
  Bless you, I’m “popping up again,”
    For four years’ fighting stronger. 
  Once more I’m here to fire the train—­
      Wait a little longer!

  I’ve told you all about BALFOUR,
    And his black Irish scandals;
  (With side-lights upon days of yore,
    My bachelor life, and candles.)
  I’ve touched on Disestablishment
    (I trust you’ll not say thinly),
  On Eight Hours Bills a speech I’ve spent,
    And scarified M’KINLEY. 
  And now, to wind up, I’ll explain
    My favourite views on Fashion: 
  Big Collars will come back again!!!
    ‘Twill raise the Tories’ passion. 
  But, with these Collars, this Umbrella,
    I’d face them, though thrice stronger! 
  Friends—­trust once more your Grand Old Fella,
      And—­wait a leetle longer!