The R.L. Oh, isn’t it?  That’s just the right word for it—­it is so decorative! and I do like the scheme of colour.  Yes, it’s very clever.  I quite feel that about it. (With a gush.) It is so nice looking at pictures with somebody who has exactly the same tastes as oneself.  And I always was fond of pastilles!

A Pavement Pastellist (to a friend).  Well, JIM, I dunno what you think, but I call it a shellin’ clean chucked away, I do.  I come in yere,—­hearin’ as all the subjicks was done in chorks, same as I do my own—­I come in on the chance o’ pickin’ up a notion or two as might be useful to me in my perfession.  But, Lor, they ain’t got a ideer among ’em, that they ain’t!  They ain’t took the measure of the popilar taste not by a nundred miles, they ’aven’t.  Why, I ain’t seen a single thing as I’d reckincile it to my conscience to perduce before my public—­there ain’t ’ardly a droring in the ‘ole bloomin’ show as I’d be seen settin’ down beyind!  Put down some of these ’ere Pastellers to do a mouse a nibbling at a candle, or a battle in the Soudang, or a rat snifin’ at a smashed hegg, and you’d soon see they was no good!  Precious few coppers ’ud fall into their ’ats, I’ll go bail! [Exit indignantly, as Scene closes.

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EXCELLENT EXAMPLE.

In a recent trial for Breach of Promise, a letter was read from Defendant saying that “he must now get a monkey;” whereupon the “learned Under-Sheriff,” as reported in the Daily Telegraph, exclaimed, “A Monkey!  What the goodness does he mean?” Now, isn’t that better than saying, “What the deuce?” Of course, no doubt the learned Under-Sheriff is suficiently learned to remember the old rhyme—­

  “There was an old man of Domingo
  Who’d a habit of swearing, ‘By Jingo!’
    But a friend having come
    Who suggested ‘By Gum!’
  He preferred it at once to ‘By Jingo!’”

The goodness of the learned Under-Sheriff is worthy of all praise, and of general imitation.

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SWEETS TO THE SWEET.—­It is stated that one of the features of the Lord Mayor’s Show this year is to be a Detachment of the Survivors of the Balaclava Charge.  This is an excellent idea, that may be developed to almost any extent.  Could we not have the Hero who had read every Novel that has been published during the last six months; the Brave Man who has been to every Dramatic Matinee since January; and the Scorner of Death, who has existed during an entire season in the odours (sweet, or otherwise) of Kensington and Tyburnia?  The latter on the present occasion might immediately precede the Lord MAYOR Elect, for, by association of ideas, he would certainly serve as an excellent foil to Mr. Alderman SAVORY!

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OPERATIC NOTES.