attention to Sir Harold's guest and followed him out of the room.

The moment they were gone Lord Willie leant back in his chair and laughed.

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"Astute fellahs!" said he. He'll rummage through all your rooms till he's tired." "He won't go to my bedroom, will he?" said Lady Borthwick. "Oh, won't he? He'll hunt everywhere." He'll hunt everywhere." She jumped to her feet.

"I'm not going to have him rummaging through my bedroom," said she, with righteous indignation. “I'll soon put a stop to that! There is a limit to friendship."

She went to put a stop to it, without a moment's delay.

The instant the door had closed Lord Willie looked across at Dickson, standing there as far in the shadow of the corner as he could. “Dickson," said he, sharply, "how did that warder come? Was he walking?" No, my lord; he was on a bicycle." "Good!"

He rose quickly to his feet.

"Where did he leave it?

"Just outside the door, my lord." "Good again! He's a thoughtful fellah. Now, Dickson, if it's known that your master has been shielding me, he may get into trouble. You might get into trouble, Dickson, for lending me your wig."

Wouldn't be no fault of mine, my lord," said Dickson, quickly. "I wasn't allowed to do nothing else-not to say allowed."

· All Queen Anne, my lord."

"Beautiful. Now, out with those electric lights. I'll blow out these candles. Then I'll hide the silver under the table. They won't think of looking for it there or looking for it at all. The warder will be after me. They'll never know the story isn't true, and I shall be out of the country in these clothes by to-morrow morning."

He blew out the candles. "Now the electric light."

Dickson obeyed-the room was in utter darkness. In that sudden transition of light the butler could see nothing.

Lord Willie still continued his flow of conversation.

"Now I'm hiding the silver under the table," said he; "but as soon as I go and you hear the hall door bang you switch up the lights and call for help. They can't catch me then. I shall have a disguise; I shall have a bicycle; I shall have two minutes' start of 'em." A thought suddenly occurred to him. Sir Harold hasn't got a car here, has he?"

Well, he has, my lord, but it's gone to Exeter for repairs. It comes back the day after to-morrow."

Well-a bicycle's better than nothing." "But how about my wig, my lord? Dickson-you must take my word for it that you shall have it back by post the moment I'm out of the country. I can't do better than that. Now I've hidden all the silver. I'm off now, and as soon as you hear the door bang-up with the lights and call for help."

Dickson waited in the darkness. His mind was so confused, he had no time to reason all these things out. It seemed a good scheme to him. The hall door banged; even the windows rattled in their sashes. He switched on the lights, calling" Help! Help!"

Then he looked about him-peered under the table to see that the silver was well hidden away, with no likelihood of discovery.

There was no silver. With the exception of the candlesticks it was gone-snuff-boxes, spoons, and forks-all gone! And his wig! "Help!" he yelled. "Help!"

226. THE IRON CHAIN.

Two pieces of iron chain were picked up in the battlefield after the fighting on the Marne. What purpose they had originally served is not certain and does not immediately concern us. They were formed of circular links (all of the same size) out of metal half. an inch thick. One piece of chain was exactly three feet long and the other twenty-two inches in length. Now, as one piece contained six links more than the other, how many links were there in each piece of chain?

227. THE HUMANE ARAB.

AN Arab came to the river-side
With a donkey bearing an obelisk,
But he did not venture to ford the tide,
For he had too good an *.

So he camped all night by the river-side,
Secure till the tide had ceased to swell,
For he knew that whenever the donkey died,
No other could be its .

*Find a word for this.

|| Place a suitable word here.

228.-CHARADE.

WHEN yon fine vessel on the ocean speeds,
Unto my first the watchful tar's attending;
And yet my second oft employs his thoughts
When at my whole his powerful form is bending.

229.-NEW CARD MAGIC SQUARES.

THIS new puzzle employs a complete pack of playingcards. We call the knave 11, the queen 12, and the ing 13, thus giving every card a numerical value. Now, arrange the fifty-two cards on the table so as to form two magic squares, all the rows and columns and two long diagonals in one case summing to 36 and in the other case to 37. There are, of course, many ways of doing it. Can you find one of them?

230.-LONGFELLOW'S BEES.

THE poet Longfellow was at one time Professor of Modern Languages at Harvard College. At that period he was considerably interested in mathematics, and used to amuse himself by propounding more or less simple arithmetical puzzles to students. The following is an example that has been preserved. Though it is quite an elementary thing, its source gives it interest. The flowers mentioned are certainly not very familiar to the British floriculturist.

If one-fifth of a hive of bees flew to the ladamba flower, one-third flew to the slandbara, three times the difference of these two numbers flew to an arbour, and one bee continued to fly about, attracted on each side by the fragrant ketaki and the malati, what was the number of bees?

A

STORY
FOR

CHILDREN

Translated from

the French by

E. DYKE.

Illustrated
by
H. R.
Millar.

INCE upon a

lived a very powerful king who had conquered all the other kings and princes in his neighbourhood. Each of these unfortunate royal persons was ordered to send his eldest to the conqueror's Court, to be his servant for ten years.

One king there was who had been in his youth the bravest of warriors; but when he grew old and his strength began to fail he, like the rest, had to submit to and obey his strong neighbour. Yet how could he send a son to the Court? He had no son. only

VOL xlix.-15.

three daughters. So the poor man felt very uneasy, for he greatly feared that the victorious king would punish him for his disobedience by driving him from his throne.

His three daughters, who loved him dearly, noticed his sadness, and asked the reason of it. He did not wish to tell them, but they gave him no peace until he did so.

Father," then said the eldest girl, "let me go to the king's Court, as if I were your son. I will dress myself as a man, and my conduct shall be such as to do you honour."

"My poor child," replied the king, "that is an impossible plan. You would meet with too many difficulties on the road."

"I promise you, father, that you shall have no cause to blush for me. Do let me go!"

And so the king gave in, and let the girl have her way. In the highest spirits she began the preparations for her journey. She danced all over the palace, making a thousand plans, selecting splendid garments and a richly-caparisoned horse, and providing herself with a large sum of money. Then, after receiving her father's blessing, she mounted her horse (which, eager as herself, was quivering with impatience) and rode out of the

town.

The king, her father, set out also, but secretly. Taking a "short cut," he outstripped the princess, and arrived first at the frontier of his kingdom. An old fairy, the friend of his parents, had endowed him with the power of changing himself at pleasure into the form of any animal. He had not used this gift for a long time past, but the idea now occurred to him that by its means he might test the courage of his daughter.

The king took the form of a wolf, and crouched under a bridge over which the young princess would have to pass. As soon as she came in sight the wolf, with flaming eyes, bristling hair, and wide-open jaws ready to devour his prey, sprang out upon her. The girl, horribly frightened, fainted. When she recovered her senses the wolf had disappeared. But she had lost her nerve. She gathered up her broken reins, put spurs to her horse, and fled home to her father.

"Did I not tell you so, little one?" said the king, gently. "Go back to your spinningwheel, and may Heaven protect us!"

The next day the second girl came to her father, beseeching him to let her go, vowing that she would not, like her sister, be put to flight by the first obstacle she met.

The king allowed this daughter also to have her way. She, too, set out on horseback in male attire, and everything happened as before. She returned at a gallop, frightened and trembling, with her hair hanging loose about her.

"Well, my child," said the king, " did I not warn you ? Go back to your sister and your spinning."

A few days later, as the king and his daughters were sitting at table, Ileane, the youngest of the three, said to her father :

"I, in my turn, would like to try to help

you out of your difficulty. Do, please, let me go!"

You, my little girl!" exclaimed the king, in surprise. What folly! How can you hope to succeed when your elder sisters have failed?'

"For love of you, father dear, I would fling myself into the fire! I have a strong wish to attempt this adventure. If Providence favours me, all will be well, my courage will not fail; if not, at the worst I shall return without dishonour."

The princess had to plead for a long time. before she could gain her father's consent. But she got it at last, and felt very happy as she made ready for her journey. She put on a plain suit, then went to the stables to choose a horse. After inspecting the proud chargers, she bethought herself of an old horse which, in her father's more fortunate days, had often borne him to victory. For a long time she looked about for this animal, and discovered him at last lying in a corner on some dirty straw.

66

"I am

Poor creature!" said Ileane. sorry to find you in such a sad condition." 'My sweet mistress!" said the horse. "What a noble hero your father was, so long as youth and strength were his! To-day, alas! the snow of age covers his head, and I, his old comrade, languish here uncared for, awaiting death. Ah! if only I could have proper attention for ten days, I should recover my former vigour and be stronger than ten thoroughbreds put together!"

"What ought to be done for you ?” asked Ileane.

"Every day I should be bathed in fresh water, and should be fed with a bushel of barley boiled in sweet milk."

"I will see to that," said the princess, and in return you shall teach me how I may succeed in my adventure."

Ileane kept her promise. At the end of the tenth day the horse rose from his straw. His coat was beautifully glossy, his eyes glowed like fire. He seemed stronger and more impetuous than a young colt. Ileane stared at him in glad surprise.

My dear mistress," he said, " may Heaven reward you for your kindness to me! Now I am lively and strong, as well as ever I was in the old days. Tell me your plans, and what you expect of me."

"I ought," replied Ileane, "to present myself at the Court of a powerful king. I need a faithful counsellor and guide. Do you know of one?"

"If you will take me with you," said the