In gilded halls some take their ease,
    In song and dance they find delight;
  And there are those whom banquets please,
    And masques and revelry by night. 
  Such gauds are wearisome to me;
    And wilder lures of dice or drink
  Attract me not; my maddest glee
    Is to sit still and think.

  I think and think; the world grows less,
    And Budgets seem but worthless toys;
  For I am lost in happiness,
    In my ecstatic joy of joys. 
  Ah, Mr. ROGERS, blessed name,
    Let me think on till all is blue,
  For pow’r is naught, nor wealth, nor fame,
    Compared with thoughts of you.

* * * * *

THE TRAVELLING COMPANIONS.

NO.  XX.

SCENE—­The interior of a covered gondola, which is conveying CULCHARD and PODBURY from the Railway Station to the Hotel Dandolo, Venice.  The gondola is gliding with a gentle sidelong heave under shadowy bridges of stone and cast-iron, round sharp corners, and past mysterious blank walls, and old scroll-work gateways, which look ghostly in the moonlight.

Culch. (looking out of the felze window, and quoting conscientiously).

  “I saw from out the wave her structures rise,
  As from the stroke of the enchanter’s wand.”;

Podb. For rest, see guide-books, passim, eh?  Hanged if I can see; any structures with this thing on, though!  Let’s have it off, eh? (He crawls out and addresses Gondolier across the top.) Hi!  Otez-moi ceci, entendez-vous? (Drums on roof of felze with fists; the Gondolier replies in a torrent of Italian.) Now a London cabby would see what I wanted at once.  This chap’s a fool!

[Illustration:  “Hi!  Otez-moi ceci!”]

Culch. He probably imagines you are merely expressing your satisfaction with Venice.  And I don’t see how you expect him to remove the entire cabin here! (PODBURY crawls in again, knocking his head.) I think we did well to let the—­the others travel on first.  More dignified, you know!

Podb. Um—­don’t see any particular dignity in missing the train, myself!

Culch. They won’t know it was not intentional.  And I think, PODBURY, we should go on—­er—­asserting ourselves a little while by holding rather aloof.  It will show them that we don’t mean to put up with—­

Podb. Don’t see that either.  Not going to let that beast, VAN BOODELER have it all his own way!

Culch. Surely you know he decided suddenly to stay at Vicenza?  He said so at breakfast.  But I will not have your friend BOB perpetually—­

Podb. At breakfast?  Oh, I came down late.  Vicenza, eh?  Then he’s out of it!  Hooray!  But as for BOB, he’s all right too.  Oh, I forgot you cut dejeuner.  HYPATIA had another squabble with Miss TROTTER, and poor old BOB got dragged into it as usual, and now they ain’t on speaking terms.