The catalogue was never ended, for the
busy Drop was suddenly entangled among
hair upon the corpse of a dead cat, which
fate also the fairy narrowly escaped, to be
in the next minute sucked up as Nubis had
been sucked, through pipes into a reservoir.
Weary with the incessant chattering of his
conceited friend, whose pride he trusted that
a night with puss might humble, Nephelo
now lurked silent in a comer. In a dreamy
state he floated with the current underground,
and was half sleeping in a pipe under some
London street, when a great noise of trampling
overhead, mingled with cries, awakened him.

"What is the matter now?" the fairy cried.

"A fire, no doubt, to judge by the noise,"
said a neighbour quietly. Nephelo panted
now with triumph. Cirrha was before his
eyes. Now he could benefit the race of man.

"Let us get out," cried Nephelo; "let us
assist in running to the rescue."

"Don't be impatient," said a drowsy Drop.
"We can't get out of here till they have found
the Company's turncock, and then he must go
to this plug and that plug in one street, and
another, before we are turned off."

"In the meantime the fire—"

"Will burn the house down. Help in five
minutes would save a house. Now the luckiest
man will seldom have his premises attended
to in less than twenty."

Nephelo thought here was another topic for
his gossip in the Thames. The plugs talked
of with a constant water-supply would take
the sting out of the Fire-Fiend.

Presently, among confused movements,
confused sounds, amid a rush of water, Nephelo
burst into the light—into the vivid light of a
great fire that leapt and roared as Nephelo
was dashed against it! Through the red
flames and the black smoke in a burst of
steam, the fairy reascended hopeless to the
clouds.

CHAPTER THE FOURTH.
Rascally Conduct of the Prince of Nimbus.

THE Prince of Nimbus, whose goodnature
we have celebrated, was not good for nothing.
Having graciously permitted all the suitors of
the Princess Cirrha to go down to earth and
labour for her hand, he took advantage of
their absence, and, having the coast clear,
importuned the daughter of King Cumulus
with his own addresses. Cirrha was not
disposed to listen to them, but the rogue her
father was ambitious. He desired to make
a good alliance, and that object was better
gained by intermarriage with a prince than
with a subject. "There will be an uproar,"
said the old man, "when those fellows down
below come back. They will look black and
no doubt storm a little, but we'll have our
royal marriage notwithstanding." So the
Prince of Nimbus married Cirrha, and
Nephelo arrived at the court of King Cumulus
one evening during the celebration of the
bridal feast. His wrath was seen on earth in
many parts of England in the shape of a
great thunderstorm on the 16th of July. The
adventures of the other suitors, they being
thus cheated of their object, need not be
detailed. As each returns he will be made
acquainted with the scandalous fraud practised
by the Prince of Nimbus, and this being the
state of politics in Cloud-Land at the moment
when we go to press, we may fairly expect to
witness five or six more thunderstorms before
next winter. Each suitor, as he returns and
finds how shamefully he has been cheated,
will create a great disturbance; and no
wonder. Conduct so rascally as that of the
Prince of Nimbus is enough to fill the clouds
with uproar.

A CHRISTIAN BROTHERHOOD.

THERE is an establishment in Paris, for
providing instruction for artisans of all ages
and others employed during the day, which is
well worthy of imitation in this country.
It has occasioned the establishment, in all parts
of France, of a number of evening schools, at
which instruction is given without charge to
the pupil. We are by no means clear that in
this respect a sound principle is observed;
holding it to be important that those who
can pay anything for the great advantages of
education should pay something, however
little. But into this question we do not now
propose to enter.

The institution was originated in 1680, by
Dr. J. Baptiste de la Lulli, Canon of Rheims,
lingered on till 1804, but was revived and
brought to its present condition of efficacy in
1830. It consists of a parent or training
establishment in Paris (Rue Plumet, 33)
from which teachers are provided for any
locality, in any part of France, or even Italy,
for which an evening school may be petitioned
by the residents. There are connected with
it at present no fewer than five thousand
teachers, who call themselves "Brothers of
the Christian Schools" (Frères des Ecoles
Chrétiennes). Four thousand are employed
in France, and one thousand in Italy. They
are not a Church, but a Lay Community
(Religieux laïques). A certain number remain
ready at the central establishment to obey
any call that may be made for their services.

Before such a requisition is made, the
municipal authorities, or any number of
benevolent individuals who may choose to
subscribe, must have provided a house and
school-room, with all proper accommodations,
and must certify that a certain number
of pupils are willing to enrol themselves.
On application to the central establishment
three qualified Christian Brothers are sent
down, at salaries not exceeding six hundred
francs, or twenty-four pounds per annum
in the provinces, or thirty pounds a year
in Paris. Fewer than three Frères are
not allowed to superintend each school; two
for the classes, and a probationer to perform
the household duties; but, when the schools