My faithful "Co." has been rather startled by a volume called _The Decline and Fall of the British Empire_, written by "Anonymous," and published by the Messrs. TRISCHLER. The tome deals with Australia, rather than England, and is dated a thousand years hence; so those who have no immediate leisure will have plenty of time to read it before the events therein recorded, so to speak, reach maturity. I notice an advertisement of a book by Major ELLIS, entitled _The Ewe-speaking People of the Slave Coast of West Africa_. These Ewe-speaking folk must be a sheepish lot. Black-sheepish lot apparently, as being in West Africa. Major ELLIS is the author also of _The Tshi-speaking People_. These last must be either timidly bashful, or else a very T-shi lot. After this, there's nothing ELLIS this week, says THE BARON DE BOOK-WORMS. * * * * * "QUITE A LITTLE (ROMAN) HOLIDAY." (_An Intercepted Letter_.) [Illustration] DEAREST BECKY,--I have had _such_ luck! Oh, _so_ fortunate! Fancy, we _did_ get in, after all! You know Mr. TENTERFORE, of Somerset House, has a friend a barrister, and this friend said, if we would be by the door of the Court at eleven, he _thought_ he could slip us in. And he did, my dear--he did! We got _capital_ places, and as we had brought with us some sherry and sandwiches, we had "a real good time of it," as your brother calls it! We had our work, too, and so were _quite_ comfortable. The night-charges were _such_ fun! A lot of men and women were brought before the Magistrate for being "drunk and incapable" (that's a legal term, my dear), and got so chaffed! One of the women was very old--such a silly frump!--she was still dreadfully intoxicated I am afraid! Very sad, _of course_, but we couldn't help laughing! She was _such_ a figure before they got rid of her! But this was only the overture to the drama. After the night-charges were over, the Court was cleared, but we were allowed to remain, as Mr. WIGINBLOCK (our barrister friend) declared we belonged to the Press! He said that MARY contributed to the _Blood and Thunder News_, and I to the _Murder Gazette_! I am sure it must have been in _fun_, for we have never _seen_ the papers. When lunch was over, in came the Magistrate with _a number_ of the "_smartest_" people! Really, I was _quite delighted_ to be in such _good_ company. All sorts of _nice_ people. And then--oh--it was _lovely_! We saw _her quite_ close, and could watch the colour come and go in her cheeks! She is rather pretty! She was wearing her _ordinary_ clothes; not the workhouse, nor the ones _with the blood on them_, but some that had been sent in to her since the inquest. I tried your opera-glasses. They are _simply capital_, darling! We were much amused with _his_ evidence; and it was really _excellent_ fun to listen to the howls of the crowd outside! But I am not sure _he_ cared for them! We got away in _excellent_ time, and I hope to go again.