of the Opera since I last saw it, and that the above original idea was about to be carried out.  But no; in another second Germont-Maurel as “Old Maurelity” (by kind permission of TOBY, M.P.) had pulled himself together, and Albani-Violetta was in the depths of remorseful sorrow.  In that gay and festive supper scene, where a physician, unostentatiously styled Il Dottore (he would probably be Ill Dottore the morning after) is present to look after the health of the guests, and perhaps to “propose” it, I noticed with pleasure that, on the tables, DRURIOLANUS ALDERMANICUS, mindful of civic feasts, had placed bottles of real champagne, or at least real champagne-bottles.  This interested the audience muchly, and numerous were the glasses turned in the direction of the bottles—­of course ’tis opera-glasses I mean, yer honour,—­in order to ascertain what particular wanity was La Traviata’s favourite; but the bottles were so placed that only one unimportant word on the label was visible.  Was it Pommery ’80 tres sec?—­Or what was it?  Impossible to see:  it was not mentioned in the dialogue, so “Mumm” might have been the word.  But at all events, if the wine is one which requires advertisement, the guests should be told to be very careful to leave the bottles in the same position as in the old prefatial stage-directions “the reader of the play” is supposed to be; i.e., “on the stage, facing the audience.”

Wednesday.—­Rigoletto.  M. MAUREL as the Jester; acting good, voice too loud.  ALBANI, as Gilda, overwhelmed with encores.  M. MONTARIOL’s Il Duca is Alfredo over again, only confirmed in a vicious career.  To obtain an encore for the great but now hackneyed song, “La Donna e mobile,” a wonderful rendering is absolutely essential, and somehow something seems wanting to the success of Rigoletto when this song goes for nothing and is passed without a rapturous “bis, bis!” which makes a Manager rub his hands and smilingly say to himself, “Good bis-ness.”

Thursday.—­Lohengrin I believe, but wasn’t there.  Hope the Opera went all right without me.  Can’t be in more places than one at the same moment.  Same remarks apply to Friday and Saturday.

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TO MISS ALICE ATHERTON AT THE STRAND THEATRE.

  To see her in Our Daughters! worth the money! 
  She ’ATH ER “TON” so genuinely funny! 
  Yes, ALICE, in such acting, dance, or song,
  We recognise thy talent et ton “ton.”

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Of the Modern Bill of Costs, the Ancient “Bill of the Play,” SHAKSPEARE, and the present representative of the Ancient Mariner, L.C.J.  COLERIDGE, both observe, “Oh, reform it altogether!”

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[Illustration:  WHAT OUR FIN-DE-SIECLISTS ARE GROWING TO.