he may render it. His
failures are due to lack of sympathy, and they are often, oddly enough,
the mildest as caricatures. Fortunately, Mr. Beerbohm selects chiefly
celebrities who are either personal friends or those for whom he must
have great admiration and sympathy. By a divine palmistry he estimates
them with exquisite perception. I noted that those who were annoyed with
their own caricature either did not know Mr. Beerbohm or disliked his
incomparable writings; and, curiously enough, he misses the likeness in
people he either does not know personally or whom you suspect he
dislikes. I am glad now of the opportunity of being sincere, because it
was part of my function as salesman to agree with what every one said,
whether in praise or in blame.

And let me reproduce a conversation with one of the visitors. It is
illustrative:--

[SCENE: _The Carfax Gallery; rather empty; early morning: Caricatures by
Max Beerbohm; entrance one shilling. Enter_ DISTINGUISHED CLIENT, _takes
catalogue, but does not consult it. No celebrity ever consults a
catalogue in a modern picture-gallery. This does not apply to ladies,
however distinguished, who conscientiously begin at number one and read
out from the catalogue the title of each picture_. SHOPMAN _in
attendance_.]

D. C. (_glancing round_). Yes; how very clever they are.

SHOPMAN. Yes; they are very amusing.

D. C. I suppose you have had heaps of People. What a pity Max cannot
draw!

SHOPMAN. Yes; it _is_ a great pity.

D. C. (_examines drawing; after a pause_). But he _can_ draw. Look at
that one of Althorp.

SHOPMAN (_trying to look intelligent_): Yes; that certainly is well
drawn.

D. C. (_pointing to photograph of Paris inserted in Mr. Claude Lowther's
caricature_). And how extraordinary that is. It is like one of Muirhead
Bone's street scenes. He does street scenes, doesn't he?

SHOPMAN. Yes; or one of Mr. Joseph Pennell's.

D. C. (_after a pause_). What a pity he never gets the likeness. That's
very bad of Arthur Balfour.

SHOPMAN. Yes; it is a great pity. No; that's not at all a good one of
Mr. Balfour.

D. C. (_pointing to Mr. Shaw's photograph inserted in caricature_). But
he _has_ got the likeness there. By Jove! it's nearly as good as a
photograph.

SHOPMAN (_examining photograph as if he had never seen it;
enthusiastically_). It's _almost_ as good as a photograph.

D. C. (_pointing with umbrella to Lord Weardale_). Of