15. Meantime the grapnel iron has been lowered, and is dangling down at the end of a strong rope a hundred and fifty feet long. It is now trailing over the ground. Three bricklayers are in chase of it. It catches upon a bank; it tears its way through. Now the three bricklayers are joined by a couple of fellows in smock frocks, a policeman, five boys, followed by three girls, and last of all a woman with a child in her arms; all running, shouting, screaming, yelling, as the grapnel iron and rope go trailing and bobbing over the ground before them. At last the iron catches upon a hedge, grapples with its roots; the balloon is arrested, but struggles hard: three or four men seize the rope, and down we are hauled.

HEADS FOR COMPOSITION.

I. AN AËRIAL FLIGHT: what one expects first to feel-one's real experience-an author's amusing illustration - what he thought about Vauxhall Gardens.

II. FIRST IMPRESSION AND BEHAVIOR: impression of quietude and silence-what one up in a balloon first does.

III. VIEW FROM A BALLOON: novel appearance of objects owing to vertical position of the observer-diminishing size but increasing distinctness-final disappearance of objects in floating clouds.

IV. SENSATIONS OF A BALLOONIST: serenity due chiefly to the silence-sense of cold- of hunger.

V. THE COMING DOWN: effect of pulling the valve line-dark masses come into view - the bags of ballast — other details.

This amusing sketch is from "Pickwick Papers," the earliest no of Charles Dickens, and the one to which he owed his first popular Written to exhibit the adventures of a party of Cockney sportsm it caricatures in a ludicrous manner the weaknesses, ignorances, peculiarities of the members of a club of which Mr. Pickwick is amiable chief.

1. "Now," said Wardle, after lunch, "what say y to an hour on the ice? We shall have plenty of tim

'You skate, of course, Winkle?" said Wardle. "Ye-yes; O, yes!" replied Mr. Winkle. "Iam rather out of practice."

2. "O, do skate, Mr. Winkle!" said Arabella. like to see it so much!"

"O, it is so graceful!" said another young lady. A third young lady said it was elegant, and a fou expressed her opinion that it was "swanlike."

"I should be very happy, I'm sure," said Mr. Win reddening; "but I have no skates."

3. This objection was at once overruled. Trun had a couple of pairs, and the fat boy announced t

there were half a dozen more downstairs; whereat Mr. Winkle expressed exquisite delight, and looked exquisitely uncomfortable.

4. Old Wardle led the way to a pretty large sheet of ice; and, the fat boy and Mr. Weller having shoveled and swept away the snow which had fallen on it during the night, Mr. Bob Sawyer adjusted his skates with a dexterity which to Mr. Winkle was perfectly marvelous, and described circles with his left leg, and cut figures of eight, and inscribed upon the ice, without once stopping for breath, a great many other pleasant and astonishing devices, to the excessive satisfaction of Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Tupman, and the ladies.

5. All this time Mr. Winkle, with his face and hands blue with the cold, had been forcing a gimlet into the soles of his feet, and putting his skates on with the points behind, and getting the straps into a very complicated and entangled state; with the assistance of Mr. Snodgrass, who knew rather less about skates than a Hindu. At length, however, with the assistance of Mr. Weller, the unfortunate skates were firmly screwed and buckled on, and Mr. Winkle was raised to his feet. 6. "Now, then, sir," said Sam, in an encouraging tone, "off with you, and show 'em how to do it."

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Stop, Sam, stop!" said Mr. Winkle, trembling violently, and clutching hold of Sam's arms with the grasp of a drowning man. "How slippery it is, Sam!"

"Not an uncommon thing upon ice, sir," replied Mr. Weller. "Hold up, sir."

7. This last observation of Mr. Weller's bore reference to a demonstration Mr. Winkle made, at the instant, of a frantic desire to throw his feet in the air, and dash the back of his head on the ice.

8. "Now, Winkle," cried Mr. Pickwick, quite unconscious that there was anything the matter.

the ladies are all anxiety."

"Come:

"Yes, yes,” replied Mr. Winkle with a ghastly smile, "I'm coming."

"Just going to begin," said Sam, endeavoring to disengage himself. Now, sir, start off."

9. "Stop an instant, Sam," gasped Mr. Winkle, clinging most affectionately to Mr. Weller. "I find I've got a couple of coats at home that I don't want, Sam. You may have them, Sam."

"Thank 'e, sir," said Mr. Weller.

10. "Never mind touching your hat, Sam," said Mr. Winkle hastily. "You needn't take your hand away to do that. I meant to have given you five shillings this morning for a Christmas box, Sam. I'll give it you this afternoon, Sam."

"You're very good, sir," replied Mr. Weller.

11. “Just hold me at first, Sam: will you?" said Mr. Winkle. "" 'There, that's right. I shall soon get in the way of it, Sam. Not too fast, Sam; not too fast!" 12. Mr. Winkle, stooping forward, with his body half doubled up, was being assisted over the ice by Mr. Weller, in a very singular and unswanlike manner, when Mr. Pickwick most innocently shouted from the opposite bank,

"Sam!"

"Sir?" said Mr. Weller.

"Here! I want you."

"Let go, sir," said Sam: "don't you hear the governor calling? Let go, sir."

13. With a violent effort, Mr. Weller disengaged