The Coming Census.—CARLYLE said, "The population of the British Empire is composed of so many millions, mostly fools." Will the Census be taken on the First of April?
KEPT IN THE STABLE.
OUR BOOKING-OFFICE.
The Baron can highly recommend The Wages of Sin, by LUCAS MALET. "I am informed," says the B. DE B.-W., "that this is the nom de plume of an Authoress. This MALET should be Femalet." Be this as it may, the Baron, who is discretion itself, will not attempt to penetrate beyond the veil. Some of the writing is a bit tall; but thank heaven, my old æsthetic friend, "O-the-pity-of-it" occurs only once; and O the pity of it when he does so, and gives a "MAUDLE and POSTLETHWAITE" tone to the passage in question. What does "huffle" mean? (Vol. III., p. 82.) Genius has a right to create words; and when Genius does so, the very sound of the word conveys its meaning with and frequently without the context. "But I'm huffled," says the Baron, "if I understand it here." Still "huffled" is a good-substitute for strong language, when you're ruffled. Don't let the light-hearted reader be deterred by the slow pace of Volume One; but stick to it, and avoid skipping. A selfish mean cuss is the "hero," so to style him; and personally, the Baron would consider him in Society as a first-class artistic bore. The character is drawn with great skill, as are they all. The description of Mrs. Crookendon's after-dinner party is as life-like as if it were a well-staged scene in a well-written and well-cast Drama.