There must have been moments when NAPOLEON found St. Helena a little quiet for a man of his temperament; when the monotony of his life there pressed somewhat hardly upon him. On these occasions I like to think of him saying philosophically to himself, as he remembered what Mr. RUDOLF PICKTHALL calls "the last phase but two," "Well, after all, this isn't Elba. I've got that much to be thankful for." In _The Comic Kingdom_ (LANE) Mr. PICKTHALL shows how everybody on the island struggles to make a bit out of their visitors. Little children rallied round with posies of wild flowers, demanding large sums in payment. Bogus monks waved crosses at him, and, if he pretended not to notice them, rolled in the dust under his carriage wheels. There was never a moment when somebody was not calling with a bust of the Emperor or Empress, price three hundred francs. And itinerant bands played under his windows into the small hours of the morning. I can imagine him saying, in the words of ORESTES, "Dis is a dam country." ORESTES was the guide who conducted Mr. PICKTHALL through the island. It revolted him, but he did it. "I tink we better leave to-morrow," was a sort of refrain with ORESTES. He had a poor opinion of Elba, which I for one do not share. After reading _The Comic Kingdom_ I feel that one of my coming holidays must be spent climbing its hills and supplying its thirsty inhabitants with wine. The scenery is apparently worth while, and the natives appear a friendly lot. I like their enthusiasm for literature. They turned out in their hundreds and insisted on Mr. PICKTHALL'S standing treat, just because they mistook him for a great historian. When I tell them I write for _Punch_ they will be all over me. * * * * * [Illustration: A WORLD'S WORKER. LADY OF TITLE TAKING LESSONS IN BUILDING-CONSTRUCTION PRIOR TO PERFORMING THE CEREMONY OF LAYING A FOUNDATION-STONE.] * * * * * From a notice of "The New Standard Dictionary" in _The London Teacher_:-- "The Dictionary is arranged in alphabetical order, thus being a great time saver, and one can find what is required with the greatest ease." Otherwise it is so awkward, when you want to know how to spell "parallel" in a hurry, to have to go through one volume after another until you come to it. * * * * * Transcriber's note: Changed "there" to "three" in the second to last paragraph of "At the play" on page 195.