I have never been to Manitoba (and, after seeing _The Land of Promise_, I am definitely resolved, as I said, never to go), so I cannot say whether Mr. MAUGHAM'S interiors corresponded to the facts; but their freedom from any signs of picturesqueness gave them an air of being the right thing. Life in these parts no doubt revolves largely round the simple joys of the stomach. Seldom have I seen so much eating on the stage. We began at Tunbridge Wells with a funeral tea (though perhaps I ought to pass this over as taking place outside the Dominion); then as soon as we get to Dyer (Manitoba) we had a mid-day dinner, with washing-up; and then at Prentice (Manitoba) we were regaled with a supper of black tea and syrup.
I am confident that there is a great opening for drama dealing solely with Life Between Meals. To see people smoking on the stage is sufficiently irritating; but, when you are assisting at a First Night after a sketchy repast from the grill, all this feeding on the stage, however frugal the menu, makes for exasperation.
Finally I must compliment Mr. MAUGHAM on his ironical title. For his play, too, is a thing "of promise" rather than achievement, if it is to be judged by the test of the Last Act. Still, if a play only promises well enough and long enough--as this play did--that is an achievement in itself.
THE tortoiseshell cat She sits on the mat, As gay as a sunflower she; In orange and black you see her blink, And her waistcoat's white, and her nose is pink, And her eyes are green of the sea. But all is vanity, all the way; Twilight's coming and close of day, And every cat in the twilight's grey, Every possible cat.
The tortoiseshell cat She is smooth and fat, And we call her Josephine, Because she weareth upon her back This coat of colours, this raven black, This red of the tangerine. But all is vanity, all the way; Twilight follows the brightest day, And every cat in the twilight's grey, Every possible cat.
"The Ball given by the Ministry of Communications last night in the new Waichiaopu Building was a great success in every way. Although only 1,500 invitations were sent out, more than that number of guests attended the Ball."--_Peking Daily News._
[Illustration: IN THE ALMOST CERTAIN PROSPECT OF A STORMY SESSION, WHY NOT ADOPT THE "TERRACE" SYSTEM AS NOW USED AT THE ZOO?]
