to
myself as the proper one to follow, I feel that I must revert for a
moment to the question of "ladies at lunch." You may remember that
some two or three weeks ago I ventured to offer some observations on
this topic. Dear ladies, you can read for yourselves the winged words
in which your adoring _Punch_ settled the matter. "By all means," I
said, "come to lunch, if you must." What can be plainer or more
direct? Bless your pretty, pouting faces, I am not responsible for the
characters of my fellow-men, nor for the harsh language they use. If
they behave like boors, and show an incomprehensible distaste for your
delightful presence, am I, your constant friend, to be blamed? I
cannot alter the nature of these barbarians. But what has happened
since I published an article which had, at any rate, the merit of
truthful portraiture? Why, I have been overwhelmed with epistolary
reproaches in every variety of feminine hand-writing. "A CAREFUL
MOTHER" writes from Dorset--a locality hitherto associated in my mind
with butter rather than with blame--to protest that she has been so
horrified by my cynical tone, that she does not intend to take me in
any longer. She adds, that "_Punch_ has laid upon my drawing-room
table for more than thirty years." Heavens, that I should have been so
deeply, so ungrammatically, honoured without knowing it! Am I no
longer to recline amid photograph albums, gift-books, and
flower-vases, upon that sacred table? And are you, Madam, to spite a
face which has always, I am certain, beamed upon me with a kindly
consideration, by depriving it wantonly of its adorning and necessary
nose. Heaven forbid! Withdraw for both our sakes that rash decision,
while there is yet time, and restore me to my wonted place in your
affections, and your drawing-room.

But all are not like this. Here, for instance, is a sensible and
temperate commentary, which it gives me pleasure to quote word for
word as it was written:--

DEAR MR. PUNCH,--I want to tell you that, although I am what one of
your friends called "a solid woman," and ought to feel _deeply_ hurt
by what you said about ladies at lunch, yet I liked that article the
best. I think it was _awfully_ good. But don't you think you are all
rather hard on ladies at shooting-boxes? My idea is that there ought
to be some new rules about shooting-parties. At present, ladies are
asked to amuse the men--at least that is my experience--and it is
rather hard they may not some