ght to light the bill for the
powder and the essences. "Good Heavens!" I murmured, "the poor
fellow will be distracted not to have this;" and I took it in to him
straightway.

I apologised for the delay.

"There is no hurry," he replied. "Accounts can wait; But I hope," he
added, taking an envelope from a drawer, "that this letter for you
is equally unimportant. It came, I'm afraid, four days ago, and I was
always meaning to bring it in, but forgot."

Unimportant! It was merely an invitation from the most adorable woman
in London to share her box at the Russian Ballet on the previous
night, to see what she knew was my most desired performance,
_Carnaval, Les Sylphides_ and _Pelroushka_.

Either the hairdresser or I must move.

Or we must both take a course of memory training. I believe there is
some system on the market.

* * * * *

[Illustration "WE DON'T YET REALISE, MY BOY, ALL THE VAST CHANGES THIS
WAR WILL MAKE."

"NO, SIR. BUT ISN'T IT RATHER A LOT OF BLITHER ABOUT BRIGHTER
CRICKET?"]

* * * * *

"Wanted, five unfurnished Rooms and bath (1 large for music
studio)."--_Local Paper_.

We are glad to note the spread of the healthful habit of singing in
the bath.

* * * * *

THE PERILS OF REVIEWING.

A most unfortunate thing has happened to a friend of mine called ----
to a friend of ---- to a friend of ----. Well, I suppose the truth
will have to come out. It happened to me. Only don't tell anybody.

I reviewed a book the other day. It is not often I do this, because
before one can review a book one has to, or is supposed to, read
it, which wastes a good deal of time. Even that isn't an end of the
trouble. The article which follows is not really one's own, for the
wretched fellow who wrote the book is always trying to push his way
in with his views on matrimony, or the Sussex downs, or whatever his
ridiculous subject is. He expects one to say, "Mr. Blank's treatment
of _Hilda's_ relations with her husband is masterly," whereas what one
wants to say is, "Putting Mr. Blank's book on one side we may consider
the larger question, whether ----" and so consider it (alone) to the
end of the column.

Well, I reviewed Mr. Blank's book, _Rotundity_. As I expected, the
first draft had to be re-headed "A Corner of Old London," and used
elsewhere; Mr. Blank didn't get into it at all. I kept promising
myself