E-text prepared by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 34817-h.htm or 34817-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/34817/pg34817-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34817/34817-h.zip) [Illustration] [Illustration: TALES of the Wonder Club] TALES OF THE WONDER CLUB. by DRYASDUST. VOL. II. [Decoration] Illustrated by John Jellicoe and Val Prince, After Designs by the Author. Harrison & Sons, 59, Pall Mall. Booksellers to the Queen and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. All rights reserved. London: Printed By A. Hudson and Co., 160 Wandsworth Road, S.W. CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. 5 Buried Alive.--The Landlord's Story. CHAPTER II. 61 Der Scharfrichter.--The Artist's Second Story. CHAPTER III. 154 The Three Pauls.--The Artist's Third Story. CHAPTER IV. 238 The Waxen Image.--The Hostess's Story. CHAPTER V. 322 In which occurs Mr. Parnassus' Ballad--The Chieftain's Destiny. CHAPTER VI. 338 A Tale of the French Revolution.--The Barber's Story. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE ARTIST AND MODEL _Frontispiece_ PERSIAN GULF _Title Page_ BURIED ALIVE 5 EXECUTION 61 THE THREE PAULS 154 THE WAXEN IMAGE 238 CHIEFTAIN'S DESTINY 322 THE BASTILLE 338 [Illustration] CHAPTER I. BURIED ALIVE.--THE LANDLORD'S STORY. "Bravo, Oldstone! A very capital story!" cried several members at once. "It is a pity our host isn't here to have heard it." "I heard a good part of it, though, gentlemen," said a voice from a dark corner of the room (for the lights had been extinguished, though it was still murky without). "What, are you there, Jack?" cried Mr. Crucible. "We none of us saw you." "Well, sir," said the landlord, "finding that I was not wanted outside as I thought, I ventured to enter the room quietly, so as not to disturb the story." "Well done, Jack," said Hardcase, "and so you heard all, eh? Well, what do you think of it?" "Pretty nearly all, I guess, sir," replied the landlord, "and a curious one it is, too, and no mistake. But talk of being buried alive, I could tell you a queer adventure that happened to myself, if you gentlemen would care to hear it."