hich poor _John_ endeavours to concentrate his very
slipshod brains upon an afternoon of hard reading. And almost all the
characters are alive, from the entertaining old lady who keeps the
village post-office to _Mrs. Adderson_, the naughty novelist in whose
hands _John Orley_ completed his sentimental education. As for the
setting, I fancy that those who have spent their summers round about St.
Margaret's Bay will have little difficulty in identifying _Handsfield_.
Altogether a happy book (more so than you would expect from its theme)
and one that marks, as I said, the further advance of a ready and
agreeable writer.

* * * * *

AT THE GLADIATORIAL AGENCY.

[Illustration: _Manager._ "But, my dear Sir, you don't seem to have the
physique for an engagement of this kind!"

_Applicant._ "That's just it. You see, I've been rather run down for
some time, and my doctor advised me to take a turn or two in the arena
for the sake of my health."]

* * * * *

"By road it is vastly different: there is an 80 mile sand desert
to negotiate, and hundreds of miles of rutty roads and rocky
bush tracks to drive over; yet Mr. Murray Aunger, of Adelaide,
averaged 38 hours per mile from capital to capital."--_Advt._

If it wasn't for the chance of being photographed we should always
prefer to walk this bit.

* * * * *

"'I am,' he answered in rather indifferent English."

_"Derby Advertiser" feuilleton_.

Very indifferent, we call it. How much better if he could have answered,
"Your statement of the position is not wholly unwarranted by the facts,"
or something snappy like that.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Punch, or the London Charivari, May 6,
1914, by Various

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PUNCH ***

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