St. Cecillia.
THE "PALACE OF ART."
Tennyson.
By Dante G. Rossetti.
By permission of Messrs. Macmillan & Co.
Though we never had any personal interview with Rossetti's sister, Miss Christina Rossetti, we had considerable correspondence with this gifted lady, extending over several years, she having written some short poems which helped to adorn the pages of one or more of our Fine Art Books. We also published her charming little Nursery Rhyme Book, "Sing Song," which was very tastefully illustrated by Arthur Hughes. The manuscript of this book was somewhat of a curiosity in its way. On each page, above the verse, was a slight pen sketch, drawn by Miss Rossetti, suggesting the subject to illustrate, but of these Mr. Hughes made very little use, and only in two instances actually followed the sketch. The book was published on our behalf by Messrs. George Routledge & Co.
On one occasion when Mr. Arthur Hughes sent in some of the drawings which he had made, one of the pages of manuscript was missing, and on this being pointed out to him he sent the following note:
"July 31, '71.
"Dear Messrs. Dalziel,—I am sure that I put in the rhyme of 'Dancing on the hill tops.' I am very careful with them—going two or three times through them before packing up. I don't remember which was 45, but the four figures representing the Seasons is to the poem of the Months, beginning 'January, cold, desolate'; and as well as I can remember the poem for the drawing of a man with fagot and basket meeting his child—it goes thus:
