EXAMPLE IV.--Treating of a passion which, in the well-meant process of making the best of it, unconsciously saddles its object with the somewhat harassing responsibility of competing with the Universal Provider. THOU art all the world to me, love, Thou art everything in one, From my early cup of tea, love, To my kidney underdone; From my canter in the Row, love, To my invitation lunch-- From my quiet country blow, love, To my festive London _Punch_. Thou art all in all to me, love,-- Thou art bread and meat and drink; Thou art air and land and sea, love,-- Thou art paper, pens, and ink. Thou art all of which I'm fond, love: Thou art Whitstables from RULE'S,-- "Little drops" with SPIERS AND POND, love,-- Measures sweet at Mr. POOLE'S. Thou art everything I lack, love, From a month at Brighton gay (Bar the journey there and back, love) To the joys of Derby Day-- From the start from my abode, love, With a team of frisky browns, To the driving "on the road," love, And the dry _vin_ on the Downs! Thou art all the world to me, love,-- Thou art all the thing contains; Thou art honey from the bee, love,-- Thou art sugar from the canes. Thou art----stay! I've made a miss, love; I'm forgetting, on my life! Thou art all--excepting _this_, love,-- Your devoted servant's wife! * * * * * CHARLES THE FIRST. SIR,--Did CHARLES THE FIRST walk _and_ talk half an hour after his head was cut off, or not? Yours, A VERIFIER OF FACTS. SIR,--CHARLES THE FIRST walked and talked _one quarter of an hour_, not half, as is erroneously supposed, after his decollation. We know this by two Dutch pictures which I had in my possession until only the other day, when I couldn't find them anywhere. Yours, HISTORIAN. SIR,--King CHARLES THE FIRST lost his head long before he came to the scaffold. I have the block now by me. From it the well-known wood-cut was taken. CONSULE PLAUCO. SIR,--It is a very curious thing, but all the trouble was taken out of CHARLES'S head and put into mine years ago by one of the greatest CHARLESES that ever lived, whose name was DICKENS; and mine, without the "ENS," is Yours truly, "Mr. DICK." P.S.--"'Mr. DICK sets us all right,' said My Aunt, quietly." * * * * * A CHAPTER OF DICKENS UP TO DATE. [Illustration] (_In which Mrs. Harris, assisted by a Carpet, is the cause of a division between Friends._) MRS. GAMP'S apartment wore, metaphorically speaking, a Bab-Balladish aspect, being considerably topsy-turvey, as rooms have a habit of being after any unusual ebullition of temper on the part of their occupants. It was certainly not swept and garnished, although its owner was preparing for the reception of a visitor. That visitor was BETSEY PRIG.