LOLLING AND LOAFING 43 



be, the remainder of our small colony betook them- 

 selves to the sea, to the small extent of a trip to 

 Swanage, and there we rambled on the cliffs, 

 visited Mr. Burt's Great Globe, and loafed about, 

 acting on the principle so pleasantly indicated 

 in the above lines, taken from " A Tale of the 

 Thames," by Mr. Ashby-Sterry. 



" A Tale of the Thames," I may inform my 

 readers, tells of the various adventures which 

 befell two young and lively bachelors who had 

 determined to explore and discover the source 

 of the Thames, and having found that source 

 (by a singular incident), to follow its course 

 afoot until it became navigable, and then to 

 sail on its waters to the great Babylon. It is 

 by no manner of means a dry guide-book; the 

 author describes every point of interest with the 

 heart of a poet, the eye of a painter, and the 

 pen of a charming writer. A happy vein of 

 quiet humour pervades every page of the book; 

 several young ladies become by turn the heroines 

 of the voyage. The work is written very much 

 in the style of William Black's " Adventures of a 

 Houseboat," and is just as bright and attractive. 

 The volume I am possessed of is a new edition, 

 and may be found on any bookstall at the popu- 

 lar price of sixpence. 



What a glorious sea-view one gets from these 

 cliffs on such an ideal summer evening the 

 bright blue sea, and away off the Needles and 



