men, nothing of the sort, I assure you," said our artist, "I
was only going to ask leave of the company to retire a moment to my
chamber to bring down an article indispensable to the song I am about to
sing."

"I believe he is going to sing in costume," said Mr. Blackdeed, "and
that he is going in search of some 'property.'"

"No, nor that either," said the painter. "The song I shall sing to you
this evening, gentlemen, is an ode that I composed myself to a skull
which I found among some ancient ruins in Rome, and out of which I have
made a drinking cup. As this is a drinking song, in which the cup is
often alluded to, it will be necessary that the goblet itself be
present."

"By all means," said several members.

"Let us see the precious relic," said the antiquary. "These things are
quite in my line."

"And mine too," said the doctor.

Our artist left the apartment and returned with the relic, which he
placed in the centre of the table for all to admire.

"There, Helen," said he, "that cup was once a man's head, who laughed,
sang, and told stories, too, I've no doubt, like the best of us."

"And you use it to drink out of!" exclaimed the girl, in extreme
disgust. "What a horrible idea."

Mr. Oldstone put on his spectacles and bent over the table attentively
to examine it. Dr. Bleedem took it up, tapped it, looked at it all over,
and declared that it was different in form to the skulls of the present
day, observing that it was evidently of great antiquity, as the enamel
had worn away. The bone, he said, was of great thickness.

The object of general curiosity was handed round the table from one to
the other. At length Mr. Blackdeed took it up, and striking into a
Hamlet-like attitude, quoted at full length the well-known passage:

"'Alas! poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of
most excellent fancy,' etc., etc."

Applause followed the quotation.

"The song! the song!" cried others, impatiently.

"Composed by himself; mark that, gentlemen," said Mr. Parnassus. "A
brother poet! Hear, hear!"

The company then drew themselves eagerly round the table, while our
artist filled the human goblet to the brim, and after taking a sip from
it, stood up, and holding it aloft, sang in a clear rich voice the
following words:--

LINES TO A SKULL.

Stern relic of a bygone age,
What changes hast thou seen ere now?
Wert thou a warrior or a sage,
And did the laure