icuous solitude would not have had the same charms for
him."--_Merrie England._

"Au musee du Luxembourg, vient d'etre place, de M. WHISTLER, le
splendide _Portrait de Mme Whistler mere_, une oeuvre destinee a
l'eternite des admirations, une oeuvre sur laquelle la consecration
des siecles semble avoir mis la patine d'un Rembrandt, d'un Titien ou
d'un Velasquez."--_Chronique des Beaux-Arts._

MORAL.

"Modern _British_ (!) art will now be represented in the National
Gallery of the Luxembourg by one of the finest paintings due to
the brush of an _English_ (!) artist, namely, Mr. Whistler's
portrait of his mother."--_Illustrated London News._

[Illustration]

_A Zealous Inquirer_

"A brown-paper covered catalogue ... compiled by Mr. Whistler....

[Sidenote: _The World_, Mar. 23, 1892.]

"Several opinions (and his 'evidence at Westminster') are quoted of
'Mr Jones, R.A.,' in the year 1878. Who is Mr. Jones, R.A.? Mr. Jones,
R.A. (of whom the Duke of Wellington--but no matter...), died in 1869.
Mr Burne-Jones was not elected an A.R.A. until 1885. I am afraid I
expose myself, but I still venture to ask, who is 'Mr Jones, R.A.'?"

_Final Acknowledgments_

[Sidenote: _The World_, Mar. 30, 1892.]

Atlas,--Your correspondent proposes that "Mr. Jones, R.A." is not
R.A.--but _A._R.A.

_You_ know these things, Atlas--perhaps he is right, and curiously
microscopic--for surely here we have "a difference without a
distinction!"

However, R.A. or A.R.A., and, in my opinion he deserves to be both, I
personally owe Mr. Jones a friendly gratitude which I am pleased to
acknowledge; for rare indeed is the courage with which, on the first
public occasion, he sacrificed himself, in the face of all-astounded
etiquette, and future possible ridicule, in order to help write the
history of another.

These things we like to remember, Atlas, you and I--the bright things,
the droll things, the charming things of this pleasant life--and here,
too, in this lovely land they are understood--and keenly appreciated.

As to those others--alas! I am afraid we have done with them. It
was our amusement to convict--they thought we cared to convince!

_Allons!_ They have served our wicked purpose--Atlas, we "collect" no
more.

"_Autres gens, autres moeurs._"

PARIS, _March 26, 1892_.

[Illustration]

_FINIS_

_INDEX_

_Action, Th