right of supplying water throughout the land
of Routine. Meanwhile, they allowed their
works to fall into a ruinous condition. Fountains
were choked, pipes burst, and cisterns
became leaky; but the old rates for expenses
of buckets, badges, and other insignia of the
guild were still levied; and, indeed, increased
in amount, proportionately as the supply of
water diminished. The so-called watermen,
extended their organisation, and appointed
each other as chief overseers, surveyors of
cisterns, inspectors of pipes, and other
officials, too numerous to be mentioned. They
met together, dined, made speeches on the
fine qualities of their water, and defined the
proper shapes and sizes of buckets. As they
enjoyed wealth and leisure, they became
scientific and metaphysical; they analysed water,
discussed the conditions of its purity, and
found that the most essential was, that it
should be supplied by the men who wore the
badges. They instituted a course of lectures
on buckets, held discussions on the modes of
wearing the badge; and, at last, carried their
refinements so far as to assert, that the people
wanted, not more water, but a grand, original,
decorated water-company. So, in talk, at
least, there was a plentiful supply of the fluid.
It was—

"Water, water everywhere,
And not a drop to drink!"

But, while the guild was flourishing, the
people were again suffering from thirst, and
drinking from muddy streams. Several adventurers
went out to find the pure fountains
in the hilly country. They were simple, practical
men, rather rudely dressed, without
badges; and, having no permission to use the
original buckets, they carried the precious
fluid in all kinds of vessels—rude crockery,
tins, pans—anything that would hold water.
These irregularities offended the brethren of
the guild, who commenced actions of trespass
against the adventurers, criticised the new
buckets, laughed at the inelegant shapes
of the crockery, and cited several cases of
extremely old people, who had died some
few years after drinking the heterodox water.

It would be unfair to represent that the
old routiniers had been altogether idle and
indifferent during the time of general distress
from drought. It is true, they did not mend
their pipes and cisterns ; but they found
employment of another kind. Beside their
common quarrel with the Irregular Watermen,
they had among themselves a family-feud
between the two parties of Blue and Yellow,
so named from the colours of their respective
empty buckets; and it unfortunately happened
that, just in the time of the great
drought, this quarrel had become curiously
complicated and highly interesting. On the
outside of the Guild Hall, nothing could be
heard but loud complaints of the want of
water, and the ruinous condition of the
aqueducts: while, in the chamber, the blue and
yellow controversy seemed interminable. In
the street it was common to see some irregular
watermen, stopping a routinier to inquire
if anything had been done for the works, and
the latter would reply by 'giving the latest
news of a sub-division among the yellows.
By some chance, an irregular man gained
admission to the hall, and asked the
president to fix a time when the state of the
public waterworks would be considered. The
president—a jocular old gentleman—replied,
that that question must be postponed sine
die, or until the " yellow buckets shall have
ended their dispute;" and he added, with a
smile, "Though now in good health and
spirits, I can hardly hope to survive that
day." The complaints of the people at last
compelled the guild to go through the form,
of a discussion on the state of the water-
works; but it was so managed as to lead to
nothing more than the old question of blue
and yellow. The dwellers in the Land of
Routine rose in the morning, after the grand
debate, and eagerly perused their papers,
hoping to find some plan for mending pipes
and cisterns; but they found nothing better
than a blue speech of five columns all about
yellow buckets!

Here ends our parable; for it describes the
present state of the water-question in the
Land of Routine. If any reader doubts it,
let him visit the country (it is not far off),
and there, in the time of sultry weather, he
will see the broken pipes and leaking cisterns;
while, among these ruins, he will observe how
numerous are " the true original " (but very
dry) watermen, who wear badges, carry
empty buckets, and go about declaiming
against all irregular proceedings.

THE TERRACES.

IN a certain colony, the land was arranged
in terraces, or as steps, one rising a few feet
above another. The base was a level, having
a subsoil of clay, which received the drainage
from the terraces, and was, consequently,
very unwholesome. The safety of the whole
colony depended on the firmness of the dikes
or embankments, which held back an immense
body of water, and in old times had
been so well constructed that it was supposed
they would last for ever.

Each terrace was occupied by a certain
class of settlers: the people on the Clay Level
lived in mean cottages; above them, the
settlers on the first platform, styled Comfort
Terrace, inhabited rather small but convenient
houses, and were mostly employed in
trade. On the higher ground, Golden
Terrace had its mansions, gardens,
carriage- roads, and other signs of opulence. Above,
Rank Terrace was, in reality, not better than
the golden platform; but its occupiers were
allowed to wear certain badges, greatly
coveted by the Goldeners. On the highest
platform, Government Terrace, by its august
symbols of power and dignity, cast a shade
over all inferior grandeur.