different to the means used for an end; but as Public
Cyclist of the Royal Society of Noviomagus his experience must be
opposed to any such bluff as going his entire pile on a left bower
only!

When I recovered my courage--what did I find?--first my unimpaired
intelligence, and then my memory.

Now, to my intelligence, it becomes patent that the chairman of a
Clapham School-board, proposes by his figures to prove, that the
income of the sacrificed Society had of late years steadily
increased:--"In 1881, under L5000; 1882, under L6000; 1883, under
L7000; 1884, under L8000," until, under the baneful reign of terror
and Whistler in 1885--"the first year" of the sacrilegious era--the
receipts fell to L4000--and have continued to decrease until, in this
present year, they fall to the miserable sum of under a thousand
pounds--a revelation! discreet, statesmanlike, and worthy the orator
at his best!

Unfortunately for the triumph of such audacious demonstration, my
revived memory points out that Mr. Whistler was only elected President
in June 1886, and, in conformity with the ancient rules and amusing
customs of the venerable body, only came into office six months
afterwards--that is, practically, in January 1887. Again, with this
last exhibition, he, as everybody knows, had nothing whatever to do.

Immediately, therefore, the conclusion is "quite other" than that put
forth by the Cyclist of his suburb, and we arrive at the, for once, not
unamusing "fact" that the disastrous and simple Painter Whistler only
took in hand the reins of government at least a year after the former
driver had been pitched from his box, and half the money-bags had
been already lost!--from L8000 to L4000 at one fatal swoop! and the
beginning of the end had set in! Indeed, this may have been one of the
strong reasons for his own election by an overwhelming minority of
hysterical and panic-stricken passengers.

Now, though he did his best, and cried aloud that the coach was safe,
and called it Royal, and proposed to carry the mail, confidence,
difficult to restore, waited for proof, and although fresh paint was
spread upon the panels, and the President coachman wore his hat with
knowing air, on one side and handled the ribbons lightly, and dandled
the drag, inviting jauntily the passer-by, the public recognized the
ramshackle old "conveyance," and scoffingly refused to trust
themselves in the hearse.

"Four thousand pounds!" down it went--L3000-