The fun of the farce differed from that of most farces in depending less upon situations than upon dialogue. The First Act, with the situations still to come, was the best. I have not had the good fortune to read Miss EDGINGTON'S novel, but one might be permitted to assume, from the excellence of much of the wit, that, whatever the play may in other respects have lacked of subtlety or refinement, such defect was no fault of hers. What Mr. CHARLES HAWTREY himself thought of it all I cannot say, but the play did not begin to compare, either for irony or singleness of motive, with the last two in which he figured, _The Naughty Wife_ and _Home and Beauty._ He clearly enjoyed his own part, but it was rather noticeable that in his brief speech at the fall of the curtain he confined himself to a personal acknowledgment of the public's sympathy with him in his illness and their loyalty throughout his career, and made no reference to the play or its authors.
I have not seen the stalking By a rabbit of a bear, Nor yet an oyster walking Sedately up the stair; But a marvel as amazing Inspires these doggerel rhymes, For I've read a leader praising The PREMIER in _The Times_.
"Considerable damage was done by fire at ---- Cottage on Wednesday evening. The stairs, part of the floor, doors, furniture, etc., were destroyed.
---- presided at the piano, and Mrs. ---- presided over the refreshments. 'God save the King' was sung at the close of the enjoyable day."--_Local Paper_.
The Labour "Council of Action" have kindly stated that they are "content to leave the French Government to the French people." They are however reserving the right to leave the British Government to the Bolshevists.
"We must repeat the Scots proverb that--'Delays are dangerous.'"-- _Sunday Paper._
Or, as DRYDEN says in his Address to a Haggis, "De'il tak' the hindmost."
"The proportion of sane to insane persons in civilized countries is about one to 300."--_Canadian Paper_.
Surely Carlyle said something very like this years ago.
"RAINCOATS AT LESS THAN COST PRICE LAST 3 DAYS."--_Advert. in Provincial Paper_.
"Lady has Left-off Clothing; privately."--_Provincial Paper._
[Illustration: _Trainer_ (_to Irish apprentice who has finished among the "also ran"_). "WHY DIDN'T YOU HANG ON TO THE FAVOURITE? DIDN'T I TELL YOU YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE HE WAS AFRAID OF."