I can't say I think much of the hotels here. They're very handsome to look at, but its hard work getting anything at 'em. The people here behaved so that Pop thought we'd been landed at Buckingham Palace by mistake, and asked if he might see the Queen and apologize for intruding, but the man never laughed a bit; just turned away tired. We got our rooms finally though and there isn't a bed in one of 'em without a canopy over it and all the wash-stands have bottles of patent tooth-powders on 'em with signs saying if you open this bottle it'll cost you a shilling. I opened two of 'em before I saw the sign and Pop says I'm out fifty cents for my curiosity, but I don't mind. It'll go on the bill and he'll pay it. We're off now to see the Tower of London. The next time I write I'll tell you all about it. I wish Sandboys was here. It would do these English hall-boys good to see how Sandboys does his work. It would take one of them English boys a year to carry up as much ice-water as Sandboys does in a night, but then they've got as much work as they can do looking after their buttons. I should think it would be a day's work buttoning up a hall-boy's coat over here. Ours has sixty between his chin and his waist. Yours ever BOB. THE VOYAGE OF HIRAM AND DAVE. BY A. J. ENSIGN. George Whittingham was staring at a Billingsgate fish-woman. She was glaring at George, and treating him to some of that wonderfully abusive language known to all Englishmen as "Billingsgate." George was just about to repeat the expedient of a noted English wit, and call her a "miserable isosceles triangle, a beastly rectangular parallelopipedon," when some one pulled his coat sleeve and said, "Mr. George, let 'er alone; she can beat you at that every time." George whirled around at the sound of a familiar voice, and exclaimed: "Hiram Wardell! Well, what on earth are you doing in London?" "Tryin' to find out how to get home, Mr. George. Me and Dave Hulick here ain't in London on a tour, I can tell you, and we don't want to stay here either." "Then it's lucky for you that my father is in the consular service here. I guess he can help you two boys. But, say, this is a funny case, isn't it? Only a year ago you fellows were taking me out fishing off Joppa, and now--How did you get here, anyhow?" "Well, Mr. George, this ain't a very good place for story-telling. Can't we go where it's quiet?" "You two boys come to my father's office with me," said George, "and then you can tell him and me the story at the same time. I think that will be the best way to manage it."