in more senses than one "as bad as they
make them." He is excellent where he laughs over the two Englishmen
cleaning themselves; he is delightful where he examines the roof of
Trilby's mouth, "like the dome of the Pantheon," "room in it for 'toutes
les gloires de la France.'" Where he stands in the midst of the crowded
studio, "All as it Used to Be," he looks every inch the artist, more so
than the "idle apprentice," lounging against the door-jamb. If there
were such a man, one who had sunk his whole soul in his art, he might
look like this, or like the same figure in the hussar uniform, a Semitic
conqueror "out of the mysterious East." There is a touch of the spirit
of the illustrators of the romantic period in the pictures of the
Christmas festivities, especially in the two that illustrate the
peculiar interchange of roles between Little Billee and the festive
Ribot, and in the sketch of Zouzou as the "Ducal French Fighting-Cock."
The scenes of common life, too, are admirable, the free-and-easy, the
"Happy Dinner," the bargaining of the Laird with Mme. Vinard--"Je
prong!"--and the scene at the rehearsal where "The First Violin Loses
his Temper." The art of the drawings is all in expression and action,
and Du Maurier, in spite of all that is French in him, is thoroughly
British in this, and a descendant in the right line of Hogarth,
Cruikshank and Leech.

The "Trilby" drawings were bought _en bloc_ by some one in England. They
had been sent here to be engraved for _Harper's Monthly_ and the book;
the sale occurred before they were placed on exhibition in New York. A
representative of _The Critic_ asked Mr. Avery, who said that a number
of people had expressed a desire to buy some of them, what he thought
they would have brought, if sold over here. He replied that he could not
tell with any degree of accuracy, but he thought they would have
averaged at least $50 apiece. As there are 120 drawings, this would have
meant $6,000 more for Mr. du Maurier. _En bloc_, no doubt, they brought
a smaller sum.

A painting of "Trilby," by Mr. Constant Mayer, was shown at Knoedler's
gallery, in December, along with half a dozen other and more
satisfactory paintings by the same artist. The hypnotic condition of the
subject was declared by Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton to be admirably
suggested in this fancy portrait.

* * * * *

TO THE EDITORS OF THE CRITIC:--

Those who express surprise at the sudden