am sorry I am in a hurry and
cannot get you some bread, but here is sixpence for you to
buy some," and threw the ducks a sixpence, which one of them
gobbled up. At the office he very wisely told the story to
some gentlemen with whom he was to dine. There being ducks
for dinner, one of the gentlemen ordered a sixpence to be
put into the body of a duck, which he gave Charles to cut
up. Our hero, sur-prised at finding a sixpence among the
seasoning, bade the waiter send up his master, whom he
loaded with epithets of rascal and scoundrel, and swore
bitterly that he would have him prosecuted for robbing the
king of his ducks; "for," said he, "gentlemen, this very
morning did I give this sixpence to one of the ducks in the
Canal in St. James's Park."

~~232~~~ The party now seated themselves on one of the benches in the
Mall, opposite the spot where lately stood the Chinese or Pagoda bridge.
Tallyho had often animadverted on the absurdity of the late inconvenient
and heterogeneous wooden structure, which had been erected at a
considerable public expense; its dangling non-descript ornaments, and
tiresome acclivity and descent of forty steps each. "What," said he,
"notwithstanding the protection by centinels of this precious memento of
vitiated taste, has it become the prey of dilapidation?"

"Rather," answered Dashall, "of premature decay. Its crazy condition
induced the sage authors of its origin to hasten its destruction; like
the Cherokee chief, who, when the object of his regard becomes no longer
useful, buries him alive!"

Contrasting the magnificent appearance of the adjacent edifices, as
seen from the Park, with one of apparently very humble pretensions, Miss
Macgilligan inquired to what purpose the "shabby fabric" was applied,
and by whom occupied.

"That 'shabby fabric,' Madam," responded Dashall, "is St. James's
Palace, erected by Henry VIII., in which our sovereigns of England
have held their Courts from the reign of Queen Anne to that of his late
Majesty George III." {1}

1 The state apartments, now renovated, comprehend six
chambers. The first is the guard chamber, at the top of the
stairs: this has been entirely repaired, and on the right
hand there is a characteristic chimney-piece, instead of the
ill-shaped clumsy fire-place which previously disgraced this
approach to the grand rooms. The next room, continuing