Ring. But Thackeray produced them regularly for some
years, and we may couple them with his verses to illustrate
the abundant fecundity of his genius.

Like many good prosemen, Thackeray, when he wrote
verse, wrote light verse. When he wanted to express himself,
he used prose. When he wanted to be gay, he might use
prose or verse or make little drawings. Some of his verses,
lake Little Bill-ee, have become part of the delightful furniture
of the English nursery mind. Otherwise, they have been
forgotten.

So has another piece which once found favour. We live
in an age when travel books are a favourite form of publish-
ing and travel books of all times are enjoyed. But Thackeray
Cornhill to Cairo is almost and rightly forgotten. Like the
Christmas books, it was in response to a popular publishing
kind. Like them, it appeared in an attractive format,
expensively illustrated. Only the strongest appetite for
travel books can make it readable today.

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