him any harm; but this was because the boas were half-torpid; wide-awake English snakes used to writhe about little Jollyman quite lovingly—a viper, whose poison-fangs he had removed as the Eastern serpent-charmers take the poison-fangs out of their snakes, and a harmless good-natured common snake, and a coronella, which, though unvenomous, would bite any one but little Jollyman pretty sharply if meddled with. Perhaps, however, little Jollyman's acquaintance wondered most at the impunity with which he handled his blind-worms, putting them into his shirt-bosom and his trouser-pockets. "Blind-worms" are not blind, and they are not worms but lizards without legs, and they are perfectly harmless; but many people call them "deaf adders" (though they can hear well enough), and fancy that they are chokeful of deadly poison. The only danger about them is that they may snap in two like a stick of sealing-wax if you hit them while you are trying to catch them.

Well, little Jollyman thought that he would utilise his taming skill, and form a Happy Family. He had to be very patient. Sometimes when he fancied he had got his boarding-house up to the pitch which human boarding-houses claim for themselves in advertisements, "a liberally appointed table, and cheerful musical society," the inmates would take it into their heads, as the inmates of human boarding-houses often do in another sense, to begin to pull one another to pieces. But at last he had persuaded to dwell together in tolerable unity a number of small birds, an owl, a cat, some mice and a rat, a snake, a frog, and a toad, a wild rabbit, a ferret, a sparrow-hawk, a pigeon, a mongrelpup with bull-terrier blood in him, a rook, a jackdaw, and a magpie.

Bob Grimstone had no objection to this exercise of his son's talents. He provided a cage for the Happy Family-intending to make his own profit out of it.

One evening, shortly after the "finishing" of the

Happy Family's education, one of Bob's chums stepped into the Club Row shop, with the rentcollector.

"I'm sorry to hil-convenience yer, mum," said the chum, addressing himself to Mrs Grimstone, "but I've got to hinform yer that your chap's off to Ameriky. I don't suppose you'll break your eart hover that, but 'e's sold me hevery stick an' bird an' think there is upon the premises-so you and your young 'un will 'ave to clear out. I don't want to be 'ard upon yer. You can 'ave a day or two to look about yer, an' ye're welcome to yer clothes, an' any stray coppers or four-penny bits yer can find-sover'inx ye're welcome to, if yer can find 'em-but I'm afeard yer won't find much o' any o' that. I'm 'sponsible for the bit o' rent that's due. Fortnitly it ain't much-I looked sharp arter that,” said the chum with a grin.

"And I looked sharper arter that, too," chimed in the collector, with a knowing grin to match.

The end of it was that Mrs Grimstone and little