must keep touch with O'Connell & Co., or quit office. . . Whigs, Whiggamores, Whiggissimi!" Nevertheless, reform was carried, and Rickman took a malicious pleasure in the discomfiture of the Whigs in the new Parliament "Our Pandemonium would be perfectly devilish and intolerable, did not the new Devils cuff and scratch and tear to pieces the Whig Devilry beautifully, by making speeches in close imitation of the factious speeches of the latter, and always refuting their arguments out of their own mouths, or of the former mouth of Lord Brougham. In time (how soon the tormented Whigs must decide) they must resist the Radicals and their enlisted Union, and I, willing to do good in the day of need, have sent in an easy plan for this purpose. It may lie unexecuted till remedy is too late; but I have done my devoir.... The Irish yells are so fierce and frequent that I can't abstract myself so as to write letters, &c., at the table." Perhaps Rickman's most grievous disappointment throughout was the weakness and foolishness, as he thought, of the Tories. My last quotation shall be his opinion, given in 1834, of the Duke of Wellington "As bad a statesman as he is a good general, and curiously substituting one character for the other in the stratagem of surprise whereby he carried the R. Cath. question, the grossest of all specimens of impropriety in civil government. His insult to Scotland in the promotion of Abercromby was not so bad. But the worst of proceedings from want of foresight or pure ignorance of the working of the English Government was the abolition of about 20 offices which produced a regular squadron in support of the Government in the Ho. Commons. At present this band of defence is reduced to about 20, they are low enough at 50, and the Government now lies open to defeat from any concert of 50 democrats on any question; and by multiplying such questions the Democrats and Radicals cannot but succeed in course of time. So much for the wisdom of the D. If we can arrive at a of W. good military Government, the only chance left, the said Duke will do well enough; till then he is best on the shelf." Such was our first census taker, one of the few Tories of his day who had studied with great assiduity economic and political questions. The statistical results of his population inquiries obscured at times the truth of his vision, but the universal testimony of his friends is that he was a man whose advice could unhesitatingly be taken. The amount of work he accomplished was enormous, though it brought him little reward, except that reward to him the greatestwhich is the consciousness of duty done. He was a sturdy Briton of the old school, rough externally, formal in his conversation, harsh at times, but exceedingly generous, and never too busy to do a service; impatient of dilettantism, but devoted to learning of all kinds; in himself not humorous, but thoroughly appreciative of such men as Lamb. He was the last Clerk at the Table to wear black knee-breeches and a stock. The value of his work on the census cannot be overestimated, and we are apt to forget that what is now the work of a civil department was originated and carried through by a single man and a band of clerks whom he himself instructed. ORLO WILLIAMS. TALES OF THE MERMAID TAVERN. BY ALFRED NOYES. II. THE FAERY BUCK. [Being the only true account of how WILL SHAKESPEARE went deer-stalking in Charlecote wood, where-unless by the eyes of the poet-no deer was ever to be seen.] SOME three nights later, if my memory hold, There, as they supped, I caught "Gabriel thought Twas wrong to change the old writers and create "Laws were made for Will, Not Will for laws, since first he stole a buck Laughed Ben, "unless it chewed the fern-seed, too, "Where never a buck chewed fern," "Bring me some wine," called Kit, And, with his knife thrumming upon the board, I. Will Shakespeare's out like Robin Hood To steal a deer in Charlecote wood II. He's hunted all a night of June, He's killed a buck by the light of the moon, III. He's carried it home with his merry, merry band, For this buck was born in Elfin-land IV. This buck had browsed on elfin boughs Of rose-marie and bay, And he's carried it home to the little white house Of sweet Anne Hathaway. V. "The dawn above your thatch is red! VI. "Roast it on a golden spit, And see that it do not burn; For we never shall feather the like of it VII. She scarce had donned her long white gown When the surly Sheriff of Stratford-town VIII. They have gaoled sweet Will for a poacher; With "When did you hear in Was it under a fairy briar your woods of a deer? IX. Sir Thomas he puffs,-"If God thought good Or He dropt me a buck in Charlecote wood, X. "If you would eat of elfin meat," Says Will, "you must blow up your horn! Take your bow, and feather the doe XI. "If you would feast on elfin food, XII. They're hunting high, they're hunting low, With horse and hound to feather the doe XIII. Sir Thomas he raged! Sir Thomas he swore! For there never was deer in his woods before, And, as I brought the wine-"This is my grace," Laughed Ben, "Diana grant the jolly buck That Shakespeare stole were toothsome as this pie.' THE INSPECTOR OF GOZ DAOUD. from him on the taxation of rain lands two or three months ago which was really excellent: the Sirdar thought it was quite a good scheme, and I believe it's going to be adopted. So I wrote to Aveling and congratulated him, and said I was glad he was taking such an interest in his job, and hoped he was getting to like the life here, and all that sort of thing. Because, you know, he always used to be so fearfully depressed: he did his work all right, but he never seemed to get any fun out of it, or out of anything else: and in this country a man doesn't do I. much good unless he's a bit enthusiastic. Well, the reason I want you to look him up is this. He wrote me a very nice letter, but a most awfully queer one. He said that he knew he had always been a bit of a wet blanket, but that the most amazing thing had happened to him which had made him the happiest man alive. He said he couldn't tell me the story then, but he hoped some day he might be able to explain it. I suppose it's all right, but it's a bit odd, isn't it? He used to be profoundly depressed, and now he's extremely cheerful: and the change, whatever caused it, has made him one of the keenest and best men we've got. But I must say that I should like to know a little more about it." "Why bother?" I said. "It's all to the good, isn't it?" "Oh, it's not idle curiosity," said Fortman. "But I rather distrust these sudden changes, especially in this country. The climate and the life have such a queer effect on some people ; and one has to keep an eye on fellows who are all by themselves, like Aveling. Of course, I don't want you to report, or anything of that kind: but you might just look him up, and tell me if you think he would be the better for a spell of civilisation. He's doing so well where he is that we don't want to move him. All the |