No. 24. "You naughty boy! You've been making a snowball, and then tumbled down and hurt yourself!"
No. 779. The Timid Hare and the Terrible Tortoise.
OUT AND ABOUT.
Sir,—I have been about, according to your instructions, and I have come back with a mixed notion that somewhere in the dawn of history the Queen of Sheba, scantily dressed, and attended by her black Chamberlain, drove out on a four-horse parcel-post van to see an exhibition of paintings on china at Messrs. Howell and James's. It is perfectly true that in the course of my wanderings I had some champagne, but not a drop of chicken. Consequently, I have brought my critical faculty home with me entirely unimpaired. But to business.
Mr. E. J. Poynter has painted a noble picture of the meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and Mr. T. McLean exhibits it at 7, Haymarket. I once saw a picture of this Queen on an ancient corner-cupboard; that was in early childhood, and the Queen of those days was a very Dutch Lady. Mr. Poynter's is quite unlike that one; in fact, she is extremely beautiful. But why is she overcome? Solomon might have been pardoned for blushing when he saw her, but he takes it quite as a matter of course. The black Chamberlain is evidently not a lord, otherwise he would have been more careful about his Queen's dress. There are harps, peacocks, golden lions, luscious fruits, monkeys, marble steps, and gorgeous pillars, to complete the picture. Curiously enough, the other ladies do not seem to care for the newly-arrived Queen. Bravo, Poynter! A great picture!
After this I hurried to the painted China Exhibition at Howell And James's; very delicate, very graceful, and very refined. "A Wild Corner" by G. Leonce, "Blue Tits" by Miss Salisbury—sure to make her Mark(is),—two landscapes by A. Fisher (who needs no rod) struck me particularly, but did not hurt me much. And so to the wilds of Finsbury (14, Castle Street) where Messrs. McNamara were exhibiting the Postal Vehicles to be used at the Penny Postage Jubilee Celebration. I've already ordered two four-horse parcel vans, three two-horse, and two one-horse mail-carts for my private use, and have told Messrs. M. to put them down to you, Sir. I couldn't resist it. They said it would be all right. Please make it so. I am told, that no females are employed in these vehicles. Another injustice. I should like to ride in a lovely red carriage for ever.
Yours,