7ML QULEER SNIDE O 1THINGS. 541

that when any two or three of those that wrote puffs in the newspapers should meet together they would sav, the onc to the other, “ For he s a jollv good fellow !

And these also were greathy comforted and full of jov.

Then he that had the bright eve. even he that shook hands m so affable a wav. got imtroduced to the wives and familics of them that wrote puffs in the newspapers: and. that the wives and families also might not fecl loncsome and out in the cold, he gave them little things, both this little thing and the other little thing @ so that there was no end of the hittle things which he gave them o for he would give them all manner of hittle things, cven peaches and peppermint-drops. and parasols, and books, and birthday cards, and bric-a- brac. And their babices also would he treat with great honour, pre- senting them with corals and tecthing -rings, And these per- sons also werce

content. And it came to pass that,

after a while, those that wrote pufls in thenewspapers became so filled with a sense of the affability of him of the bright cye, that when they sat at their desksa-writing pults torthenewspapers, thevwould savwithim themselves: & As he s so affable, 1t stands to reason that the work of his hand must be very good and clever.” S0 thev did not examine his work (for 1t was not therr busiess to examime any man’s work . their business was to write pulls), but straightway set down in the newspaper: “His work 1s very clever: he s a great man ” : yet they said no word n the news- paper concernimg his affability, nor of his ask- ing after the health of thenr wives and families.

TOOnAEs ANE TRFRELHING-RINGS

And this thing grew upon them so that at length they could not forbear from putting mention of him into all subjects of which they wrote, even though these subjects had no connection with him ; as, for mstance, thev would say: * The Quceen held a Drawing Room on such a dav. He of the knowing eve did not attend 7: or, “So-and-so was con- demned to penal servitude at the Central Criminal Court : but he of the knowing eye (whosce work 1s so clever) had nothing to do with the case, and was not present” : or, “Shares are dull, but he 1s never dull,” and so forth.

And these mentions were meant to be recad by the Public, and the Public read them @ and, morcover, they that wrote the puffs 1 the newspapers would often look out from the door of the newspaper office as the Public went by and call out: “He of the knowing eyc 1s

a very great man ”; and yet they never

spoke of his beingso affable and inquiring ; nor did they call out to the Public from the door of the private bar. But 1t s needful to ex- plain who thc Public

were. They were a class or sect

whose duty it wits to be mno- cent and help- and - castly taken o, and there was checedimg great care exercised e the selee- tion of those who were to be members of the Public o for the moment that one of them showed anv aptitude for helping himsell (espeerdly anv aptitude for helping hinsell to that which belonged to others) he was straightway cast out from being a member of the Public and was compelled to become o member of the T.egislature, or of a county council, or of a vestry, or to take up some other capacity i which it was his duty to defraud the Publico And ot was the duty

oss