Nothing the Captain liked so much as quiet, while he read some abstruse work on Gunnery, or some scientific voyage; but I am sorry to say he had got very little quiet of an evening since Alice came home, and Jim had got some one to chatter to.

This evening, however, seemed to promise well, for Alice brought out a great book of coloured prints, and the three sat down to turn them over, Jim of course, you know, being in the middle.
The book was "Wild Sports of the East," a great volume of coloured lithographs, worth some five-andtwenty guineas.

One never sees such books as that now-a-days, somehow; people, I fancy, would not pay that price for them.

What modern travels have such plates as the old editions of "Cook's Voyages"?
The number of illustrated books is increased tenfold, but they are hardly improved in quality.
But Sam, I think, would have considered any book beautiful in such company.

"This," said Alice, "is what we call the 'Tiger Book'-- why, you will see directly .-- You turn over, Jim, and don't crease the pages." So Jim turned over, and kept them laughing by his simple remarks, more often affected than real, I suspect.