'. : (Evening -Standard.) If the historian could lay hie hands on the material necessary to depict the part whioh the,' tea-table has played in the social life of the Engliah people, he would find ifc among. the most instructive with which be baa ever been called on to deal. But unfortunately, it is nob accessible. Ib is not recorded in books and it is intangible. It is, in a word, not material in a material cense. ** * Around the tea-table reputa tiona 'have been seldom made and often lost. w; the,'": round iabie of tfie.i MtterHosid of gSseip^/* ; the central ■epob of 5 ; every -Biihool for scandal. Helre meet tbbse who do not necessarily intend, to do harm totheir fellowß, but who, nevertheless, prattle in a way to work infinite prejudice to those whose buaineoß they discuss. Every scrap of information acquired, by whatever means, every pre conceived notion, bred of stupidity and born of jealousy, every little suggestion likely to flutter the company, is advanced with an utter disregard of the conßeqnences. The American satirist puts the case epigrammatically wheh he saya :— '"Tis well tb know, -where'er you go And feel its brightening power, The light that lies in gossip's eyes Is twenty-scandal power." Gossip ia the presiding genius of the tea table, and unlucky ia the individual who may be on the tapiß. The scandalmonger never has mor;e excellent opportunities, and never takes fuller advantage of them. And bow helpless is the. viafcim ! A stab in the baok is almost honourable and! courageous compared with this insidious treachery. Over the teacups the talk is j juat as wild and irresponsible as any which comes from indulging too freely in those other cups which cheer and inebriate alßOi Its deadly effect is as certain bb it is mysterious. The victiwffi»yJ6»^t^fit some f^U i^^nco

has entered into Ma life, but be kaowa not whence it came, what stuff 'tis made of, whereof 'tis born. And the chances are a thousand to one against his discovering the cause in time to adopt means of counteracting the consequences. He fights a ghost, & malefioent something which eludes him always. 