de Warfaz) and the
_Mess Waiter_ (Mr. Arthur Riscoe)--all deserve mention in despatches. As
for the "business" it was positively inspired at times, as when the
_Mess Corporal_ retrieved the red-hat (which the passionate
_Brigade-Major_ had kicked in his jealous fury) with an address which
would have done credit to the admirable Grock. Miss Renee Kelly had her
pretty and effective moments, but somebody should ask her (no doubt in
vain) to be less tearful in the tearful and just a little less bright in
the bright parts--a little less fidgetty and fidgetting and out of key,
in fact.

I should say in general that author and producer (Mr. Eille Norwood)
would do well to watch the serious passages--always the danger-points in
farce. As nobody on our side of the footlights takes these seriously the
folk on the other side must substantially dilute the seriousness. The
tragically uttered, "O God!" at the end of the Second Act ruined an
otherwise excellent curtain. But I must not end on a note of censure. I
was much too thoroughly entertained for that. Here's a quite first-rate
piece of fooling, with dialogue of humorous rather than smart sayings.
And humour's a much rarer and less cheap a gift than smartness.

T.

* * * * *

[Illustration: _First Newly-Rich._ "It's a great secret, but I must
tell you. My husband has been offered a peerage."

_Second ditto._ "Really! That's rather interesting. We thought of
having one, but they're so expensive and we are economising just now."]

* * * * *

Our Considerate Scribes.

"Presumptious is a hard word that I would not readily apply to
any man."--_Daily Paper._

* * * * *

"PASSIVE PESSIMISM.

BERLIN'S ATTITUDE TO THE SPAR CONDITIONS."

_Sunday Paper._

But, after all, Berlin does not seem to have taken them lying down.

* * * * *

"At the start he made most of his runs by clever strokes on the
leg side, but, once settled down, he drove with fin power."
_Sunday Paper._

Cricketers need to be amphibious in these days.

* * * * *

SONGS OF AN OVALITE.

There was a young man who said, "Hobbs
Should never be tempted with lobs;
He would knock them about
Till the bowlers gave out
And watered the pitch with their sobs."

There is no one so dreadful as Fender
F