be severely punished. Upon this, Tozer, who was a big, hulking fellow, seized the lad with one hand, while with the other he gave him a violent box on the ear.

"Leave that boy alone," said Smith, looking up from the camp bed on which he was sprawling, reading a book.

"What's that you say?" bellowed the Corporal. "I said, 'Leave that boy alone,' and I say that, if you don't, it will be the worse for you."

The only answer, and that a brutal one, was another buffet upon the boy's head. In a moment Smith had sprung from his bed, and with a wellplanted blow had felled the Corporal to the ground. The brute rose, and muttering, "I'll make you pay for this," shambled out of the room. The boy's gratitude knew no bounds, and the other men, crowding about Smith, congratulated him on the discomfiture of the bully. Next day-for rage, like love, makes men blind-Tozer had the almost incredible folly to report Private Smith for striking him. An investigation followed, and it being conclusively proved that Smith had struck the blow in defence of a lad who had refused to do an illegal act, he was at once acquitted, and the stripes being cut from Tozer's arm, the bully was reduced to the

ranks. In a few days Smith was himself made Corporal. After this, the young fellow grew daily in the affection of his comrades. Never shirking his own duty, he was always ready to take upon himself that of another. He sang well, too, and in the barrack-room was the prince of story-tellers. Sometimes he even aspired to verse, and his ballads, set to music by the bandmaster of the regiment, were sung by himself and comrades upon the line of march. On the first occasion that Corporal Smith came under fire, he had a narrow escape of his life. A detachment of his regiment had received orders to eject a strong party of Afghans from an almost inaccessible position which they held on high ground to the right of the pass by which they were proceeding to Candahar. As Smith was advancing, a mounted Afghan fired at him point blank, and the shot striking him in the region of the heart, he fell off his horse to the ground. The man was rushing forward, thinking he was dead, when, no doubt, much to his amazement, Smith rose to his feet and shot him dead with his revolver. The ball had struck the brass cross upon the little Prayer Book-which, as his sister's last gift, Smith always carried inside his uniform, upon his breast-and, glancing off, gave him a slight flesh wound in the left arm, while the shock of the concussion brought him to the ground. A similar escape is said to have

occurred at the battle of the Alma. It was upon the afternoon of August 31st that Corporal Smith won for himself the proud distinction of the Victoria Cross. He had taken part in the reconnaisance of the position of the enemy which was made by the entire Brigade of Cavalry, and the object of the movement having been effected, he was retiring with the rest of his own troop, when a young officer was struck by a ball, and was left upon the earth for dead. Smith, observing this, galloped alone out of the English ranks, reached the place where the fallen officer was lying, and, finding he was still alive, put him upon his own horse, and was leading him back to the English ranks, when two mounted Afghans swooped down upon him. As the first of these neared him, Smith shot him dead, and with a second shot brought the horse of the second Afghan to the ground. Urging the wounded officer to continue his course to the British ranks, he engaged in a hand-to-hand fight with his dismounted adversary, and, after a sharp encounter, succeeded in disabling him; then, catching the horse of his first assailant, he mounted it, overtook his own horse with its burden, and returned with it triumphantly to his regiment. The officer's thigh was broken, and he would undoubtedly have been killed, had he not been rescued by the gallantry of the brave young Corporal.

VT will be remembered that the members of the female Vehme-Gericht had dispersed after having deputed Lady Lavinia Gathercole to despatch a letter to the Duchess of Ribblesdale. This she accordingly did, and in fact for some time her Grace was positively overwhelmed with letters, which, along with their answers, are here inserted as nearly in due order as possible.

The Palace.

DEAR DUCHESS OF RIBBLESDALE,

The more than maternal solicitude

which your Grace has from the first exhibited towards the Last Importation into our hitherto

eminently Proper Coterie, imposes on me the painful task of informing you that the Young Person in question is altogether unworthy of your countenance and regard. She was this day descried by two unimpeachable witnesses, as well as by the General Public, walking in the Royal Park of Bushey hand in hand with a Horse Soldier, and with his arm unblushingly placed around her waist. These Persons were afterwards seen embracing each other on the Public Turnpike, and in immediate propinquity to no less than Six Pleasure Vans, filled with a crowd of Londoners of both sexes. When I add that this revolting scene, which, for the credit of the Morality of our Common Nature, I trust was altogether unexampled in the annals of Brazen Effrontery, was ocularly witnessed by our friends Lady M'Adam and Miss Helen Scheimes, your Grace, I feel sure, will appreciate the Extreme Gravity of the situation, and will not hesitate to pluck out the Viper which you have inadvertently cherished in your tooconfiding bosom. I am, my dear Duchess, your Grace's faithful servant,

LAVINIA GATHERCOLE.

P.S.-Such occurrences as these are indeed calculated to impress one with the conviction of the unregenerate condition of the Mass of Mankind.