should have thought this was an occasion-if ever there was onefor putting any private feelings aside, and rallying round him to show our respect and sympathy. But of course if you're going to let petty jealousies of this sort get the better of you, and leave me to do the 'ole thing myself, I've no objection. I daresay he'll value it all the more coming from me. Mr. Sibb. Well, he ought to, after the shameful way he's spoken of you to a friend of mine in the City, who shall be nameless. You mayn't know, and if not, it's only right I should mention it, that he complained bitterly of having to change his regular train on your account, and said (I'm only repeating his words, mind you) that Jerrymere was entirely populated by bores, but you were the worst of the lot, and your jabber twice a day was more than he could stand. He mayn't have meant anything by it, but it was decidedly uncalled for. Mr. Cocker. (reddening). I 'ope I'm above being affected by the opinion any man may express of my conversation-especially a cantankerous feller, who can't keep his temper under decent control. A feller who goes and breaks his umbrella over an unoffending official's 'ead like that, and gets, very properly, locked up for it! Jerrymere society isn't good enough for him, it seems. He won't be troubled with much of it in future-I can assure him! Upon my word, now I come to think of it, I'm not sure he shouldn't be called upon for an explanation of how he came to be travelling without a ticket; it looks very much to me as if he'd been systematically defrauding the Company! Mr. Filk. Well, I didn't like to say so before; but that's been my view all along! Mr. Balch. And mine. Mr. Sibb. Now perhaps you understand why we'd rather leave it to you to give him the arm-chair. Mr. Cocker. I give a man an arm-chair for bringing disgrace on the 'ole of Jerrymere! I'd sooner break it up for firewood! Whoever it was that first started all this tomfoolery about a testimonial, I'm not going to 'ave my name associated with it, and if you 'll take my advice, you'll drop it once and for all, for it's only making yourselves ridiculous! [His companions, observing that he is in a somewhat excited condition, consider it advisable to change the subject. OPERATIC NOTES. Tuesday, June 27.-Faust, in French. JEAN DE RESZKE was to have been Faust, but the "vaulting ambition" of the eminent Polish tenor led him to attempt a high jump with another Pole-the leaping-pole -and whether he had not his compatriot well in hand, or whether, "O my prophetic sole, my ankle!" "with love's light ON TICK. HERE's a hand, my fine fellows; in friendship you come, You and we, having struggled, shall always be friends. 64 Madame NORDICA happy as Marguerite-at least she looked it, for Sir ROBERT BILLESDON, Lord Mayor of London, in settling a dispute SKINNERS AND SKINNED.-One portion of the ancient award of even in the most tragic scenes there is always a sweet smile on her between the Skinners and Merchant Taylors, was, that these two dimpled cheeks. Mlle. BAUERMEISTER makes a Marta of herself as the merry old dame; Mlle. GUERCIA, as Siebel, is a Siebeline Companies should dine together once a year. Mr. Justice BRUCE, mystery; LASSALLE, as Valentine, pleases la salle; but Brother alluding to this at the banquet on Skinners Day, when, as was EDWARD" prends le gâteau" as Mephistopheles. natural, many lawyers were present, suggested that it would be a Wednesday.-Tristan und Isolde, which may be rendered Triste'un good thing if power were given to judges to condemn litigants to und I solde-not-so-many-tickets-as-usual, or Triste 'un und I'm dine together, and to order that the costs of the dinner should come Sold. The fourth of the WAGNER Cycle." If there are eight of out of the Consolidated Fund"-a very good notion. The idea them then this is the Bi-Cycle, but there's more woe than weal in might be extended to entertaining Wards in Chancery, of whom two it, and though extracts may be relished by the learned amateur, yet, as unhappy infants the other day were had up at the Police Court for a whole, WAGNER's Tristan does not attract our opera-going public. selves alive until they should reach the age when they would come picking and stealing, in order to feed themselves and keep theminto their Chancery-bound property of something like £20,000. The magistrate ordered an inquiry, but of "subsequent proceedings" we have not as yet seen any record. MEM-No Nursery of Music can possibly be complete without "Leading-Strings." THE RISING GENERATION. Host. "WHAT A SMART SET OF PEOPLE WE'VE GOT TO-NIGHT, DEARY!" Hostess. "YES. How I WISH ONE OF OUR DEAR GIRLS WOULD COME AND SIT BY US, AND TELL US WHO EVERYBODY IS!" "HYMEN HYMENÆE!!!" JULY 6, 1893. ["Bid her awake; for Hymen is awake!" Spenser's Epithalamion. "A contract of true love to celebrate; The eyes of Love to-day? No, let all slake Like the Venusian's "mountain stream that A deep-mouthed People lifts its voice, and In the Imperial pageant, but the swell Strikes sweeter-who dares doubt ?- [tell But the crowd's vigorous clamour has a Which the recipient's heart should more So Than all Cecilia's skill. rivals for Apollo's laurel wreath "To love, and young desire; But "bold and lawless numbers grow The people's praise, and give the crowd's free breath A "mastering touch of fire." And Hymen's here, kind eye on all to keep, In floral bonds and blossom-bridled, deep Take the rose-reins, young bridegroom; Sweet MAY, the new-made bride, Epithalamia seem out of date; Hymen cares not to-day Or hymn High Bridals with Spenserian state. "Hymen, O Hymen!" beauteous ladies Goodwill to goodness simply dedicate, cry, "Hymen, O Hymen!" loud Shout forth the echoing crowd [drums The city through; patricians perched on With the full sound of it. Fifes, trumpets, HORACE, "Ad Iulum Antonium,". Ode 2, high, And the plebeian patient plodding by, HORACE-ut supra. A TALE OF THE ALHAMBRA. 66 64 66 MONS. JACOBI is a wonderful man. The undefeated hero of a hundred balletsthere or thereabouts-still beats time and the record with his bâton at the Alhambra; and his music, specially composed for Fidelia, is to be reckoned among his ordinary triumphs. Fidelia is a new Grand Romantic Ballet," in four tableaux, and its performance justifies its promise. It is new," it is decidedly 'grand," it is absorbingly "romantic," and there's no denying that it is a Ballet d'action. But, as in the oft-quoted reply when little Peterkin asked what it was all about," so will the ballet-case-hardened spectator say, Why that I cannot tell,' quoth he, 'But 'twas a spendid victory!"" Somebody, possibly one Tartini, played by Signorina CORMANI, is in love with Fidelia, Signorina POLLINI, as naturally anyone would 646 66 Scene from New Ballet. Conductor Jacobi Demonio charming the public to the Alhambra. OUR BOOKING-OFFICE. MADAM DARMESTETER'S Retrospect and other Poems is turned out by FISHER UNWIN in that dainty dress with which he has made attractive his Cameo Series. We used to know Madam DARMESTETER as Miss MARY F. ROBINSON, a writer of charming verse. That in her new estate she has not lost the old touch is witnessed by several pieces in this volume, notably the first, which supplies the title. The penultimate verse of this little lyric is most musical. There are several others nearly as good. But occasionally Madam writes sad stuff. Of such is The Death of the Count of Armaniac, of which this verse is a fair sample: "ARMANIAC, O ARMANIAC, Why rode ye forth at noon? No morning cool and boon?" My Maniac, O my Maniac, No water in the sieve? Three be; when a comic servant, Mr. GEORGE LUPINO, 18 frightened by a Demon Fiddler with his fiddle (both being played by PAGANINI REDIVIVUS) who either assists the lovers or does his best to prevent their coming together, I am not quite clear which. Up to the last it seemed doubtful whether the Demon Doctor was a good or bad spirit, or a little mixed. His appearance is decidedly against him, as he looks the very deuce. But I am inclined to think that he was "bon diable," and was doing everything, as everybody else on the stage and in the orchestra does, for the best. After all, and before all, the show is the thing, and this will rank, as it does now, among the best of the greatest attractions hitherto provided by the Alhambra Company for an appreciative public and for YOUR REPRESENTATIVE. 1774. Altogether a delightful book that will, my Baronite says, WEAR AND TEAR IN AFRICA. [In the report on the proposed Mombasa Railway, it is suggested that the station-buildings should be enclosed with a strong live-thorn palisade, impenetrable to arrows.] SCENE-A Station on the Mombasa Railway. New Station-Master (to Telegraph Clerk). Did you send my message this morning, asking for a consignment of revolvers and arrow-proof shields P Telegraph Clerk. Yes, Sir. I can't make out why we haven't had an answer. Something may have gone wrong with the wires. I sent one of the porters to examine them. Ah, here he comes. A Porter arrives. Porter. Just as I thought, Sir. Them blessed niggers have run short of cash, and they've bin and took a mile of our best wire. Station-Master. Taken a mile of wire? What the deuce do you mean? Porter. Ah, Sir, you're new to this 'ere job. Fact is, they can all buy theirselves a wife a-piece for two yards of our wire; and as there was a raid last week, and all their wives was made off with, they've just bin and took our telegraph wire to buy theirselves a new lot. Station-Master. Dear me, how very provoking, I must make a report of this occurrence immediately! But what does this crowd in the distance mean? Porter. Why bless my heart, it's a Wednesday, and I'd quite forgotten all about it. They always attacks us of a Wednesday, but they 're a good half hour earlier than last week. Station-Master. This is very strange, very strange indeed. I doubt if the directors will approve of this. (An arrow pierces him in the calf of the leg.) Oh, I say, you know, this will never do. Close the points-I mean shut the doors and barricade the windows. Let us at least die as railway men should. years ago an American firm issued a princely edition of The Memoir of Horace Walpole, written by AUSTIN DOBSON. It was too expensive for mere Britishers, and only a small number of copies found their way to this country. But the A Clerk in Our Booking-Office. literary work was so excellent, that it was pronounced a pity it should be entombed in this costly sarcophagus. Messrs. OSGOOD, MCILVAINE, & Co. have now brought out an edition, in a single handsome volume, at a reasonable price. HORACE WALPOLE has often been written about since he laid down the pen, but never by a more sympathetic hand than Mr. DOBSON's, nor by one bringing to the task fuller knowledge of WALPOLE's time and contemporaries. The charm of style extends even to the notes, usually in books of this class a tantalising adjunct. Mr. DOBSON's are so full of information, and so crisply told, that they might with advantage have been incorporated in the text. The volume contains facsimiles of HORACE WALPOLE's handwriting, an etching of LAWRENCE's portrait, and a reproduction of the sketch of Strawberry Hill which illustrated the catalogue of off it. Porter. Lor' bless you, Sir, we shan't die. We've only got to pick off two or three dozen of 'em, and the rest will skip in no time. [They retire within the palisade, and during the next half hour fight for their lives. Telegraph Clerk (plucking three arrows out of his left leg). Things are getting a bit hot. Hurrah! here's the 5.30 down express with revolvers and ammunition. Now we shall settle 'em. [Arrival of the express. Retreat of the natives. Station-Master. I don't think I quite like this life. I'm going to [Off's it accordingly. |