Various

“ The immense development of the face below the brow, its enormous width between the cheek-bones, the absolute and sickening plausibility of the whole expression, the great lower jaw, the cruel callous mouth (look at this mouth closely) , and the peculiarly uncanny light blue eyes, are a collection of danger-signals that are rarely seen in one face. But his victims were probably deceived by this wretch's fat, easy, and bland manner—they stifled their instinct, and were duly poisoned. ”

“ Of the millions of people who drink tea, very few seem to know how it is grown or manufactured.
They would hardly believe that there are just on 800,000 acres of land planted under tea in India and Ceylon, employing over one million people—all British subjects. Just imagine employing a fifth of the population of London for the production of one article! Then, again, look at the thousands of people who are employed in the tea trade at home—merchants, dealers, brokers—all dependent on this one article of consumption for their bread-and-butter! ”

“ I do not now refer to persons tricked into committing murder by the perfidy of circumstances (such persons, for example, as the old man Viney and the young woman Shoosmith, both lately respited) , to many of whom a fatal provocation has come at a moment of weakness or of passion, and who, but for that unsought provocation, would have been free from murder; but I do now refer to those men and women who are by nature and inclination callous, scheming, unscrupulous, and insensitive to any pain or injury inflicted by them upon their fellow-creatures, and who are merely human beasts of prey. ”

“ Mechanically I turned to follow after her, when she was joined by the lady who had been with her at Felixstowe, and the two, hailing a hansom, were driven away rapidly, leaving me staring stupidly after the fast disappearing vehicle.
As I was retracing my steps I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning, I perceived a tall man of about thirty-five or forty years of age, his keen grey eyes surmounted by heavy black eyebrows and lashes, while a big moustache almost hid his firm mouth, and drooped down to his heavy square chin. ”

“ MY LADY CHRYSANTHEMUM'S TOILET TABLE.
The imperfect petals underneath having gone, those outside readily respond to the touch of the instrument and spring into regular formation, while those at the top of the bloom are carefully curled to a common centre and effectively conceal all that was left of the seedy eye.
Under the deft touches of the master hand, the ragged bloom rapidly develops into a thing of greatest beauty. Each curl marks a great improvement, and when it is finished one readily realises how much there is in this as in other things for the amateur to learn. ”

“ Illustrated with novel Photographs from life by Arthur Ullyett, Ilford.
"Wake up, Lessels!" said Stanley, in a hoarse whisper, shaking his younger brother as he spoke. "I've got a grand idea!"
"'WAKE UP, LESSELS! I'VE GOT A GRAND IDEA!'"
"'I'M OFF TO KLONDYKE, AND YOU'VE GOT TO BE MY PARD.'"
"Gimme a little bit then," answered Lessels, drowsily. "You had some of my chocolate cweam last night."
"You goose! Don't you know what an idea is?" retorted the elder boy, disdainfully. "It isn't anything to eat. It's a notion."
"Then you can have it all yourself," remarked Lessels, indifferently. ”

“ The old gentleman who takes the air every evening along a beat of a hundred yards or so of pavement in Phillimore Place halted and looked inquiringly at the boy on the basket, disgustedly at the workman clinging to the railings. Then, over the shoulder of the workman the old gentleman caught sight of the policeman, who was now standing in full light back to the window; while Susie, bending down with tape-measure to calculate the amount of carpet required, could be dimly seen by those outside to be busied with something on the floor. ”

“ We are, I suppose, so accustomed to regard as sufficient a due attention to social conventions, that we have lost the more primitive sense of self-protection that, in more primitive conditions of society than our own, would be actively used by us for our own protection. Moreover, we have become accustomed to look to the law for protection, and this is, perhaps, another reason why our instinctive recognition of Nature's danger-signals has become dulled, and is now so much less effective than the instinct for danger which some of the lower animals possess in a high degree. ”

“ Lady Forsyth, returning to her charge as they steamed away into the Mediterranean, found her engaged in what appeared to be a very promising flirtation, such as would surely have delighted the heart of clever Mrs. Bladon.
She was secretly charmed with Lumsden, whom she had not noticed at Paddington, and to her letter to Mrs. Bladon, which she was writing to post at Naples, she added a postscript which filled that lady with unholy joy:
"Be quite easy about Nancy; I think all danger is over. A flirtation is in grand progress, and, between ourselves, the man is charming." ”

“ I commenced, by no means convinced.
"There are always the Anarchists," said my companion, "and London, thanks to the British Government, is known to be a hot-bed of them. Her Highness has several times received threatening letters, and for the rest the thing is easy. Come," he said, smiling, "you are on her side now, and she sorely needs help. Meet me in Great Coram Square to-night at ten, and bring a sword. A long cloak and a hansom will hide the incongruity of the weapon in modern London. There may be use for it, and for obvious reasons they will not use firearms." ”

“ How art may assist nature is admirably shown in the accompanying photographs illustrating My Lady Chrysanthemum in her natural state, and the same bloom dressed and cupped for show purposes. It will probably never have occurred to the majority of people that such dressing is a most important matter in preparing blossoms for exhibition, and it will be news to them that the preparation of this toilet is a matter requiring the greatest skill, and is only to be undertaken with complete success by the horticulturist who has made a special study of chrysanthemum growing and showing. ”

“ Climatic influence plays an important part both in the quality of leaf and during manufacture. Sometimes it is impossible to get your leaf to wither and ferment, flirt with it as you will; at others the change is so rapid that it is almost impossible to cope with it. Nothing is so disappointing as the manufacture of tea, for, having done all in your power, and watched each process carefully with untiring energy, under most unfavourable circumstances, you possibly receive a broker's report on the samples, with a polite letter from your agent telling you that the tea is unsatisfactory. ”

“ In another minute, she had crossed the terrace, run down the steps, and was speeding quickly down the avenue. She had gone barely a dozen paces when her eye caught sight of a tiny patch of white ahead of her. It grew bigger, and she realised that it was coming towards her. A few yards more and she almost ran into the arms of the Count. He was in evening dress, and in one hand held a short, heavy-looking stick. With the other he was attempting to slip something into his pocket as he ran. As he met Olive, he drew back with a nervous start, and it slipped through his fingers to the ground. ”

“ As she did so, the electric light in her room was suddenly extinguished, while mine became a blaze of light, and at the same time the heavy curtains dividing the rooms rolled wide apart.
The Duchess regarded me for a minute with a quiet smile, then—
"Good evening, Mr. Darcy," she said; "our poor houses seem to have an attraction for you; but may I venture to point out that private houses in Bloomsbury are not such public property as the walks at Felixstowe. ”

“ These men may be honourable and excellent men, but they are essentially practical, and are guided by their head rather than by their heart, and they are often of immense service to the nation. Lord Kitchener has splendidly resolute blue eyes of this sort, but they are entirely different from the sinister blue eyes that are in nearly all the faces now shown. The one sort inspires you with confidence, the other with aversion. ”

“ These exhibition cages are packed together in a live-stock box, and on their arrival at their destination are taken charge of by special stewards, who see to the feeding arrangements and place them in their right classes.
Great interest is taken in the judging of these tiny creatures, and the judge is always surrounded by an eager crowd of spectators. Usually he contents himself with a glance in the box, shaking it up if the occupant is of a lazy disposition. When it comes to taking stock of a particularly good exhibit the mouse is taken out of the cage and examined. ”

“ He pressed her gently to him and kissed her lips.
"I hope so, too," he said; "she is a good woman."
Events happened as they wished; for, a year later, the engagement of Lady Dorothy to Lord Scaife was announced.
"Awfully glad, old chap," remarked Julia Crofton, as she tendered her congratulations; "you didn't go particularly strong at the start, but you picked up splendidly at the finish. I didn't think you had it in you," she added, candidly.
"Oh," replied Bobbie, with a happy laugh, "as with those successful fellows from South Africa, it's the 'grit' that tells." ”

“ It is equally foolish to distrust all men, as the cynics do, as it is to trust all men, as the imprudent do. In giving these necessarily scanty notes upon faces which contain some of Nature's most obvious danger-signals, my purpose is to warn people off the bad faces, and at the same time to encourage a belief in good faces; but in both instances, I suggest, let instinct be your guide, for in this matter instinct is often a far surer guide than reason.
Note.—These photographs have been specially taken from the models in Madame Tussaud's Exhibition. ”

“ Without warning, the mouse fancy has sprung into general popularity, and the craze for rearing and showing the tiny creatures has assumed the proportions of an important and fashionable hobby.
There is a National Mouse Club, a National Mouse Show, and a hundred others of less importance. Nor is there lack of prizes. The Mouse Challenge Bowl is a trophy worthy of consideration by a Derby winner; and there are pots and medals and specials galore for competition by enthusiastic members of the fancy. ”

“ For several days we had been battling against the icy wind that blows from the Caucasus, dressed always in the light summer clothes which we wore in the smiling valleys of Roumania. The road was so sandy as to render riding impossible. We forced our way along, pushing our machines, through a blinding sandstorm, till at last we had to take to the railway track. ”

“ Well, of all the useless, incompetent people in the world, I really do think the London police bear away the palm. And why on earth don't they keep the crowd away? Where are the police? Here, someone go and call a constable. ”