“Divide a State by a Statutory Parliament,” said the Red Queen, with a derisive wink.  “What’s the right answer to that?”

“Much the same as dividing a Nation by an indefinite number of Councils,” retorted the White Queen, smartly.  “Talk about tu quoques, there’s one for you!”

“Oh, as for that,” rejoined the Red Queen, sniffing, “try another subtraction sum!  Take a Grand Old Leader from a ‘Party’ of discredited ‘Items,’ and what would remain?”

“Why, a Policy, of course,” replied the White Queen.  “And another Leader,” she added, sotto voce.  “Here’s another for you,” she pursued, aloud.  “Take a Liberal-Unionist Tail from a Radical ‘Rat,’ what would remain then?”

“I suppose you think nothing would remain,” sneered the Red Queen.

“Wrong, as usual,” said the White Queen; “the Rat’s nasty temper would remain.”

“But I don’t see how!”

“Why, look here,” the White Queen cried; “the Rat would lose its temper with its ‘tail,’ wouldn’t it?”

“Perhaps it would,” ALICE replied, cautiously.

“Then, if the ‘Rat’ went away from its ‘Tail,’ its temper would remain,” the White Queen exclaimed.

ALICE said, as gravely as she could.  “They might go different ways—­the ‘Rat,’ the ‘Tail,’ and the ‘Temper.’” But she couldn’t help thinking to herself, “What dreadful nonsense we are talking!”

* * * * *

THE ONLY ONE.—­A ready-penning writer in his Daily Graphic notice of doings in the Houses of Parliament, winds up his description of giving the Royal Assent to Bills in the Upper House with these words—­“So ends the ceremony, which seems to take one away from the Nineteenth Century”—­a little sum in subtraction—­i.e., take one away from the Nineteenth Century, and the Eighteenth Century remains; but to continue—­“back to the days of the Edwards and the Henrys.”  But why go back to any other century than the “so-called Nineteenth”?  Isn’t it only a very few years ago that the EDWARDS, the singular HENRY with plural surname of EDWARDS, sat for Weymouth?  What other HENRYS or EDWARDS could ever occur to any well-conditioned Parliamentary scribe?

* * * * *

VOCES POPULI.

A RECITATION UNDER DIFFICULTIES.

SCENE—­An Evening Party; Miss FRESIA BLUDKINSON, a talented young Professional Reciter, has been engaged to entertain the company, and is about to deliver the favourite piece entitled, “The Lover of Lobelia Bangs, a Cowboy Idyl.”  There is the usual crush, and the guests outside the drawing-room, who can neither hear nor see what is going on, console themselves by conversing in distinctly audible tones.  Jammed in a doorway, between the persons who are trying to get in, and the people who would be only too glad to get out, is an Unsophisticated Guest who doesn’t know a soul, and is consequently reduced to listening to the Recitation.  This is what he hears:—­

[Illustration:  “I am only a Cowboy.”]