nose_.

Modern maidens, if upon
Cheeks that court the curious stare
Voluntarily you don
This insane pictorial wear,
Know your tricks intrigue us not,
Frankly, ladies, they appal;
Out, I say, out, damned spot!
We don't like your cheek at all.

* * * * *

THE SULTAN OF MOROCCO.

"It was here yesterday," I said. "I am quite sure I saw it."

"Saw what?" said the lady of the house.

"A letter," I said, "that required an answer."

"Well," she said, "there are about fifty letters of that kind on your
table there. Why don't you answer some of those? You can take your pick
of them."

"Those are different," I said. "They've waited a long time, and it won't
hurt them to wait a little longer. The one I want came yesterday, and
required an immediate answer. I remember it quite distinctly."

"Why not answer it, then, without finding it? I'll dictate to
you:--'Dear Sir or Madam,--In answer to your obliging letter, I beg to
say that I much regret I shall be unable to attend the meeting of the
blank committee on the blank of blank, owing to a previous engagement to
be present at the meeting of the blank association for the blank blank
blank. I enclose herewith my subscription of blank, and remain, with
apologies for my delay, yours blankly, etc., etc.' Fire away; you can't
go wrong."

"I am not sure," I said, "that I like all those blanks. It's a good
model, of course, but it's just a bit too sketchy."

"If you remember the letter so perfectly you can fill in the blanks as
you go along."

"I didn't say I remembered it so perfectly as all that. I remember
getting it. I remember it was marked 'Urgent and confidential' or
'Private and immediate,' or something of that kind, and I remember
putting it down on this writing-table and making up my mind to answer it
at once, but I don't remember who it was from----"

"_Whom_ it was from."

"Amiable pedant! I don't remember who my importunate correspondent was,
or what address he or she wrote from, or what it was about. It was one
of those letters that produce a general sense of discomfort, the sort
you want to forget but can't."

"Oh, but _you_ can. I never heard of anything so completely forgotten as
this unfortunate letter."

"Really," I said, "you drive me to despair. Can't you see that a man may
remember the _existence_ of a letter without remembering all its petty
details? For instance, I know there's a Sultan o