1869-71 THE MAGIC CRYSTAL 195 



candles, and fitfully illuminated by the incense- 

 burning brazier. 



* Each put his question. Being appealed to, 

 I said there were three people I should like to ask 

 about, but would take one of them, Archbishop 

 Manning. " What was Manning doing ?" What 

 do you suppose was the answer ? " Nursing his 

 baby " ! ! (quite seriously given by the boy, who 

 saw it, he said, in the magic glass, and gravely 

 translated by the beneficent Bey, who in Nubar's 

 absence acted as host.) 



' The only good shot was a question about 

 the Prince of Wales, but I could see the old 

 impostor, muttering so that the boy might hear, 

 " He was neither short nor tall, was on the 

 sea, and had a lady with him." 



' After a few very bad guesses the conjurors 

 were dismissed with a couple of sovereigns.' 



The next day Owen visited the Suez Canal in 

 a small screw steamer with a little cabin. 



' . . . The canal is not as broad as the 

 Thames at Hampton, usually with high banks 

 made of the stuff dredged or dug out. Occa- 

 sionally we had views of the Desert on each 

 side. . . .' 



He then gives an amusing account of the way 

 in which M. de Lesseps played a little trick upon 

 him : ' The steamer had taken us to sea, so 

 that we might view the piers of huge artificial 

 blocks of stone intended to keep open the entry 



o 2 



