has gone;
White was his [or her] hair and kind was his [or her] heart,
Oh why, we all sigh, were we made thus to part?'

_For an Aunt, (Suitable verses for Uncles at same rates.)_

'Even our own sweet mother, who is so kind,
Could not wring our hearts more if she went and left us behind;
A halo of glory is now on thy head,
Ah, sad, sad thought that good auntie is dead.'

_For a Father or Mother,_

'Oh children, dear, when I was alive,
To get you bread I hard did strive;
I now am where I need no bread,
And wear a halo round my head.
Weep not upon my tomb, I pray,
But do your duty day by day.'

The last but one was still more beautiful,--

_For a Child who suffered a Long Illness before Decease_.

[I remarked casually that a child could not suffer even a short illness
_after_ decease. Bilger smiled a watery smile and said 'No.']

'For many long months did we fondly sit,
And watch our darling fade bit by bit;
Till an angel called from out the sky,
"Come home, dear child, to the Sweet By-and-By.
Hard was your lot on earth's sad plain,
But now you shall never suffer again,
For cherubims and seraphims will welcome you here.
Fond parents, lament not for the loss of one so dear."'
[N.B.--"_These are very beautiful lines_."]

The gem of the collection, however, was this:--

_Suitable for a child of any age. The beautiful simplicity of the words
have brought us an enormous amount of orders from bereaved parents_.

'Our [Emily] was so fair,
That the angels envied her,
And whispered in her ear,
"We will take you away on [Tuesday] night."'

["_Drawing of angels carrying away deceased child, is. 6d. extra_."]

The old imbecile put his damp finger upon this, and asked me what I
thought of it. I said it was very simple but touching, and then, being
anxious to get rid of him, ordered two dozen of Kate's fancy. He thanked
me most fervently, and said he would bring them to me in a few days. I
hurriedly remarked he could post them instead, paid him in advance, and
told him to help himself to some more whisky. He did so, and I observed,
with some regret, that he took nearly half a tumblerful.

'Dear, dear me,' he said, with an apologetic smile, 'I'm afraid I have
taken too much; would you kindly pour some back. My hand is somewhat
shaky. Old age, sir, if I may indulge in a platitude, is--'

'Oh