There are who deem it vulgar fun For dressy bachelors to run Themselves to stop thee; I'm not one So nicely silly: _I_'m not ashamed to track thy way, And test the triumphs of thy tray, And bring them back in paper, say, To Piccadilly. Yes, heedless of a gibing town, To hand them PHYLLIS, sit me down, And wait, till they come up in brown And glossy sections. Then, brew my cup--the best Ceylon-- And, bidding care and chill begone, Concentre heart and mouth upon Thy warm perfections. * * * * * MONTECARLOTTERY. [It remains true that for those who want a brief and exhilarating change, and are glad to reap for the nonce the harvest of a quiet eye, there are spots within the borders of England which, both in climate and in scenery, can vie with the proudest and most vaunted watering-places of the Sunny South."--_Daily Paper._] _Damon on the Riviera, to Pythias at Torquay._--"Here I am, by the blue Mediterranean! At least, the attendant of the sleeping-car says the Mediterranean is somewhere about, only, as a violent rain-storm is going on, we can't see it. Very tired by journey. Feel that, after all, you were probably right in deciding to try the coast of Devonshire this winter, instead of Riviera." _Pythias at Torquay, to Damon at Nice._--"Coast of Devonshire delightful, so far. Pleasant run down from London by G. W. R.--only five hours. Thought of and pitied your crossing to Calais, and long night-and-day journey after. You should just see our geraniums and fuchsias, growing out-of-doors in winter! Mind and tell me in your next how the olives and orange-trees look." _Damon to Pythias._--"Olives all diseased--have not seen an orange-tree yet--there is my reply to the query in your last. Hitherto I have not had much opportunity of seeing anything, as the mistral has been blowing, and it has been rather colder than England in March. Wretched cold in my head. No decent fires--only pine-cones and logs to burn, instead of coal! Wish I were at Torquay with you!" _Pythias to Damon._--"Sorry to hear that Riviera is such a failure. More pleased than ever with Devonshire. Glorious warm sunshine to-day. Natives say they hardly ever have frost. Children digging on sand on Christmas Eve--too hot for great-coat. Rain comes down occasionally, but then it dries up in no time. Quite a little Earthly Paradise. Glad I found it out." _Later from Damon._--"Riviera better. Mistral gone. Sun warm, and have seen my first orange-tree. Have also found that there's a place called Monte Carlo near Nice. Have you ever heard of it? There's a Casino there, where they have free concerts. Off there now!"