shortly after roe to go. were leaying the room the young foreigner respectfully but firmly button-holed my father, whose nerves were alrendy terribly shat tered. "Why," said the stranger coldly and mercilessly, "'why was Nebuchaduezzar's golden image like your Geraint and Enid?"
"A conundrum?" moaned my father, never had any head for conundrums, Spare an old man, kind Sir, who hus not many years of life before him,"
cause it was an Idol of the King," exclaimed the young man triumphantly. Then turning on me and seeing my looks of indignation at this fiendish outrage, he went on, Don't look so furious, Honourable Mister.' You don't suppose I'w Maud by your anger."
But this is unpardonably offensive," I cried, and brutal to best. Took at that poor old man, your host, stricken down by your outrageous jests. Have you no compunetion, no reniorse "Keep your hair on, Hallam; you'll want it all some day if your father's noble brow is hereditary," said the elder mau, "and excuse my young friend if he as just given you a proof of the perfect command he jas over the English language. It is my own idea, you know, What Teall the "Pun nuastery system" for learning foreign Innguages. As soon as you can pun gracefully "and easily in any alien tongue you may be considered to have mastered it, Splendid theory, isn't it? I applied it to "Oh! go to Hongkong with your Chinese and your Oriental pun-makers," I said, I fear with an exhibition of impatience. But my father's state. was critical and TI had no pity for those who had brought him to it. I escorted them with all speed to the front gate and bade them not xt all reluctant farewell. They were, I thought, fairly on their way, when the younger man suddenly turned back, pushed the gate open, and saying. "I thought had forgotten something; I always intended to take some souv of our pleasant visit," broke off the of my father's favourite standard rosebush. da das he rushed through the gat his memento of the Laureate; you may on the stump as a memento Mori." That the last I saw of them, but my father never
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.