Said SPENCER to GRANVILLE, "Like strokes on an anvil." Said GRANVILLE to SPENCER, "He'll catch influenza." Young HERBERT, brow mopping, Cried, "Letter from Dopping!" Growled GLADSTONE, not stopping In chopping, "Blow Dopping!" And so went on lopping. * * * * * "REFUSAL TO PAY A LEVY IN IRELAND."--This was what Mrs. RAM saw as the heading of a paragraph in an evening paper. "Well," said the good lady, "if they won't pay a LEVY, why not send a MOSES, and see if _he_ will get it." * * * The Plentiful Lac. [The Rajah of Kupurthala, emulating the Nizam, has offered five lacs towards the defence of the frontiers of India.] The Laureate, patriot of sense, Writes with a pungent pen Of "That eternal lack of pence Which vexeth public men." But India's public men, with pride, In Princes such as these, Will find their "lack of pence" supplied By--a lac of rupees! * * * * * VOCES POPULI. SCENE--_The Thames Embankment. Crowd discovered, waiting for Lord Mayor's Show._ _Female Pleasure-seeker (whose temper is apt to be a little uncertain on these occasions, to her husband)._ We ought to have started at _least_ an hour earlier--just look at the number of people here already! You _would_ dawdle--and it wasn't for want of speaking to, _I'm_ sure! _Her Husband (mildly)._ It certainly was _not_. Only, as the Show can't possibly pass for two hours, at least---- _She._ _Two hours!_ Am I to stand about in this crowd all _that_ time? _He (with a feeble jocularity)._ Unless you prefer to climb a tree. _She._ Then, John, all I can say is, I wish I had stayed at home! (_John murmurs a silent, but fervent assent._) _A Practical Pleasure-seeker._ Now I tell you what we'll _do_, MARIA--you take WEETIE, and keep close to me, and I'll look after DUGGIE, and we'll just stroll comfortably up and down till the very last minute, and drop comfortably into front places, and there we are! _Patriotic P._ What I like about occasions like this, is the spectacle of a thoroughly good-humoured, well-behaved British crowd--you don't see that on the _Continent_, y'know! _More Patriotic P. (thoughtfully)._ No, that's perfectly true; and what I say is--we don't want all these police about. Trust more to the general spirit of decency and order--let the people feel they _are_ trusted!