Concerning the Colour of Men's Hair It was a maxim of my Uncle William's that no man should pass through Paris without spending four-and-twenty hours there.

My uncle spoke out of a ripe experience of the world, and I honoured his advice by putting up for a day and a night at "The Continental" on my way to--the Tyrol.
I called on George Featherly at the Embassy, and we had a bit of dinner together at Durand's, and afterwards dropped in to the Opera; and after that we had a little supper, and after that we called on Bertram Bertrand, a versifier of some repute and Paris correspondent to _The Critic_.

He had a very comfortable suite of rooms, and we found some pleasant fellows smoking and talking.

It struck me, however, that Bertram himself was absent and in low spirits, and when everybody except ourselves had gone, I rallied him on his moping preoccupation.

He fenced with me for a while, but at last, flinging himself on a sofa, he exclaimed: "Very well; have it your own way.