_Punch_ found no traces of a Golden Age in the 'nineties, though he admitted they were Yellow enough. For these were the years of the _Yellow Book_--alternately regarded as typical of _fin de siècle_ decadence (in _Punch's_ view) or as a symbol of literary renascence--of the now forgotten "emancipation novel," _The Yellow Aster_; to say nothing of the Yellow Peril and the Yellow Press. The _Daily Mail_, by the way, was not founded till 1896. As a social satirist _Punch_, throughout all this period, is much more concerned with the material or physical than the mental or spiritual vagaries of the rich and well-to-do. But a notable exception must be made in favour of that famous--or shall I say notorious?--coterie known as "the Souls," who are frequently referred to in 1893 and 1894. Readers anxious for "inside" information may be recommended to consult the _Autobiography_ of Mrs. Asquith, who was one of the number. [Illustration: KEEPING CHRISTMAS--OUT BUTLER OF MODERN ENGLISH HOME: "Not at ome. Her Ladyship is at Monty Carlo; the young gentlemen are in the Halps; and Sir John has taken the other members of the family to the Restorong."] [Illustration: MRS. MONTMORENCY-SMYTHE: "And what were you reading when I came in, my dear? Shakespeare! Ah! What a wonderful man! And to think that he wasn't exactly what one would call a gentleman."] [Illustration: CULTURE BY THE SEA "Have you Browning's works?" "No, Miss. They're too difficult. People down here don't understand them." "Have you _Praed_?" "Prayed, Miss? Oh, yes; we've tried that, but it's no use!"] [Sidenote: _The "Souls"_]