gn presences: he and his chief are
inwardly shocked by a new perception; What if, now that we have the
populace for paymaster, subservience to the literary tastes of the
populace should reduce the nation to its lowest mental level, and render
us not only unable to compete with the foreigner, but unintelligible to
him, although so proudly paid at home! Is it not thus that nations are
seen of the Highest to be devouring themselves?

'For,' says Dr. Gannius, as if divining them, 'this excessive and
applauded productiveness, both of your juvenile and your senile, in
your modern literature, is it ever a crop? Is it even the restorative
perishable stuff of the markets? Is it not rather your street-pavement's
patter of raindrops, incessantly in motion, and as fruitful?' Mr.
Semhians appeals to Delphica. 'Genius you have,' says she, stiffening
his neck-band, 'genius in superabundance':--he throttles to the
complexion of the peony:--'perhaps criticism is wanting.' Dr. Gannius
adds: 'Perhaps it is the drill-sergeant everywhere wanting for an
unrivalled splendid rabble!'

Colney left the whole body of concurrents on the raised flooring of a
famous New York Hall, clearly entrapped, and incited to debate before
an enormous audience, as to the merits of their respective languages.
'I hear,' says Dr. Bouthoin to Mr. Semhians (whose gape is daily
extending), 'that the tickets cost ten dollars!'

There was not enough of Delphicafor Nests.

Colney asked: 'Have you seen any of our band?'

'No,' she said, with good cheer, and became thoughtful, conscious of a
funny reason for the wish to hear of the fictitious creature disliked by
Dudley. A funny and a naughty reason, was it? Not so very naughty: but
it was funny; for it was a spirit of opposition to Dudley, without an
inferior feeling at all, such as girls should have.

Colney brought his viola for a duet; they had a pleasant musical
evening, as in old days at Creckholt; and Nesta, going upstairs with the
ladies to bed, made them share her father's amused view of the lamb
of the flock this bitter gentleman became when he had the melodious
instrument tucked under his chin. He was a guest for the night. Dressing
in the early hour, Nests saw him from her window on the parade, and soon
joined him, to hear him at his bitterest, in the flush of the brine.
'These lengths of blank-faced terraces fronting sea!' were the
satirist's present black beast. 'So these moneyed English shoulder
to t