GENTLE OVERTURES TOWARDS FRIENDSHIP.

First Stranger. "I DECLARE, SIR, THAT WOMEN ARE GETTING MORE OUTRAGEOUSLY DECOLTAY EVERY DAY. JUST LOOK OVER THERE, AT THAT PRODIGIOUS OLD PORPOISE WITH THE EYEGLASS!"

Second Stranger. "HUM! HA! YES! I CAN'T HELP THINKING SHE'S A MORE FESTIVE-LOOKING OBJECT THAN THAT FUNEREAL OLD FRUMP WITH THE FAN!"

First Stranger. "THE 'FUNEREAL OLD FRUMP''S MY WIFE, SIR!"

"BUSTED UP!"

MR. BULL." HA! I THOUGHT YOU'D BURST HIM AT LAST! 99

JONATHAN. "WA-AL, OLD HOSS! GUESS, IT'S JIST WHAT WE MEANT TO DEW-STRAIGHT THRE-EW! LET'S LIQUOR UP."

THE WORD FOR WOMEN.

HELPY

POLICE

MR. BARLOW was grieved on observing that the elderly ladies were as much interested in their own toilettes as about those of MRS. PEJINKLE lessons of conduct and wisdom, nothing seemed to their daughters, and instead of hearing from MRS. BLOBBSOMER and employ their attention a moment but French muslins, trimmings, lace, satins, jupes, and crêpe de Chine surmonté de coquilles de crépeline verte, which Miss SOPHONISBA PEJINKLE protested was now worn by all the grand ladies at Court.

HY, they don't want any,
and they shan't have any
That is nearly as much as
ean, with reason and jus-
tice, be said against the
proposal to give women
Votes. It is too true that, nite fondness for all such scenes of dissipation as his young
As for MASTER TOMMY, who had by this time contracted an infi-
as a body, they don't want friends MASTERS SMASH and BRUMPTON were daily describing to
any. By far the greater him, he was now wholly occupied in the curling of his hair and
number of men in posses-adorning his person. He had hired four servants to wait upon him,
sion of the franchise are and was now in a fair way to gratify all his caprices. He considered
it fine to be humorsome, haughty, unjust, and selfish to the
extreme, and vowed that nothing was of any consequence as long as
he was happy, and indeed he went so far as to boldly assert that he
trimmed in the mode, his person perfumed, his dress of exquisite
might be a glutton and an ignorant blockhead if only his hair was
style, and his politeness to the ladies unimpeached.

such as those who in-
stantly assemble round a
cab-horse gone down in
the street, and stand star-
ing at it on the pavement,
where they obstruct the
wise. The women who
stop and stare are com-
paratively few. Hence it
inferred that
women in general are not
more empty-headed than
men. But were they ever
so stupid and foolish, the
votes of a majority of
female electors Would
neutralise those of the
majority of the opposite

may be

sex, and how very desirable that would be!
If women wanted the franchise, they might have it. There would
be no need for them to hold meetings in Hyde Park, so as to annoy
the upper classes and intimidate the Government. They could get
themselves enfranchised by holding up a finger, or without even so
much as that. Three words would do it. "Enfranchise us, Or-
Suppose, for example, that the women all agreed to say to every
Member of Parliament, or other men who opposed their claims to
political emancipation,-"I tell you what. Unless you promise, on
your honour, to vote in the House and on the hustings for Female
Suffrage, I won't dance with you." "Does any man imagine that if
the ladies, all, or the greater part of them, were to say that, and
stick to it, another Session would pass away before the concession of
entire justice to women?

Did we say three words would emancipate womankind? One word would a monosyllable. They might refuse, also, to sew on buttons; in short, might strike altogether. Women could obtain all their rights, and a great deal more, if they would only make up their minds to say "No."

EVENINGS FROM HOME.

Once indeed HARRY had thrown him into a disagreeable train of thinking by asking him through the keyhole of his door (for during his toilette MASTER TOMMY denied himself to even his most intimate friends), whether he remembered the story of Empedocles and the Unsophisticated Sausage, but on reflecting that nothing so spoils the face as an air of profound meditation, MASTER TOMMY dismissed the inquiry with a curt negative, and a harsh retort.

MISS SMUDGKINS and her Uncle alone appeared to view all these proceedings with contempt, and the latter invited HARRY during the afternoon to renew the game of écarté, to which proposition HARRY, after some show of reluctance, courteously acceded. Fortune now seemed to be as favourable to HARRY as on the previous occasion she had been to the REV. ZENOTHELUS POTTS, who, in spite of his age his youthful adversary. At the expiration of two hours he admitted and proficiency, soon discovered that he was no longer a match for that he had lost a far larger sum than he could possibly hope to pay, unless MASTER HARRY would accept from him such a document as MR. BARLOW, who had been for some time an unseen but no uninterested spectator of the game, had now stepped forward to propose. "Indeed," added the venerable enthusiast, I shall presently lack the means to defray my modest expenses at this Boarding-House." HARRY, whose generous nature was not proof against the tears which accompanied this speech, now disappeared from the room for a few minutes, and presently returned, with the glow of health on his countenance, occasioned by the haste with which he had performed his errand, and put into the trembling hands of MISS SMUDGKINS' Uncle a parcel that contained some of MASTER TOMMY'S cast-off clothes, linen, and other necessaries, together with a bad half-sovereign, the property of which had been originally vested in the REV. ZENOTHELUS POTTS himself. The worthy old gentleman received these presents with gratitude, and almost with tears of joy, and, on looking up into his benefactor's face, protested that MASTER HARRY'S countenance, which the demands of truth compelled him to describe as plain, if not positively ugly, now appeared to him to wear such an angelic expression as he had only seen in picture-books, sculptured on tombstones, engraved on ancient door-knockers, or portrayed in bright colours on the outer coverings of sentimental ballads. Mr. Barlow. I see, HARRY, that you are a boy of a noble and You are better and wiser than all these fine young gentlemen and ladies, though you do not curl your hair. You cannot at this moment act more in accordance with the dictates of philosophy and prudence, than by confiding to my eare the amount of money which you have won from this estimable but unhappy gentleman.

The Last Evening spent by MR. BARLOW and MASTERS HARRY SAND FORD and TOMMY MERTON at Torcombe Abbey Boarding-House. But now the attention of all the Boarders at Torcombe Abbey Boarding-House was fixed upon making preparations for a ball, which the worthy proprietors of this establishment had detergenerous spirit, and I highly approve of everything you have done. mined upon giving, in order to celebrate, in a becoming manner, the last evening which MR. BARLOW and MASTERS HARRY SANDFORD and TOMMY MERTON (whose father, they had heard, was an exceedingly wealthy man) would pass among them.

The whole house was full of milliners, dressmakers, shoemakers, tailors, barbers, and dancing-masters; and all the young ladies and gentlemen were employed in giving directions for their clothes, awaiting their turn with the curling tongs, or with the machinery for hair-brushing, which MASTER TOMMY had insisted upon having erected in the grounds of the house at his own expense, or in practising the steps of the different dances.

Harry. Your remark, Sir, reminds me of the story of Zero and the Selfasserting Plumber, which, as you have none of you heard it, I will now proceed to narrate. You must know, then

But at this moment the gong summoned them to the ball-room, whither MISS SMUDGKINS insisted upon MASTER HARRY conducting her.