[Illustration]

  What stripling, flowered and scent-bedewed,
  Now courts thee in what solitude? 
  For whom dost thou in order set
  Thy tresses’ aureole, Coquette.

  “Neat, but not gaudy"?—­Soon Despond
  (Too soon!) at flouted faith and fond,
  Soon tempests halcyon tides above
  Shall wreck this raw recruit of Love;

  Who counts for gold each tinsel whim,
  And hopes thee always all for him,
  And trusts thee, smiling, spite of doom
  And traitorous breezes!  Hapless, whom

  Thy glamour holds untried.  For me,
  I’ve dared enough that fitful sea;
  Its “breach of promise” grim hath curst
  Both purse and person with its worst.

  My “dripping weeds” are doffed; and I
  Sit “landed,” like my wine, and “dry;”
  What “weeds” survive I smoke, and rub
  My hands in harbour at my Club!

* * * * *

OPERATIC NOTES.

Monday.—­L’Amico Fritz at last!  Better late than never.  A Dramatic Operatic Idyl.  “Nothing in it,” as Sir Charles Coldstream observes, except the music, the singing, and the acting of Signor DE LUCIA as Fritz Our Friend, of M. DUFRICHE as the Rabbi of Mlle. GIULIA RAVOGLI as Boy Beppe, of Mlle. BAUERMEISTER as Caterina, and of Madame CALVE as Suzel.  Not an indifferent performer or singer among them, and not an individual in the audience indifferent to their performance.  Cherry-Tree Duet, between Suzel and Fritz, great hit.  Admirably sung and acted, and vociferously encored.  Nay, they would have had it three times if they could, but though Sir DRURIOLANUS sets his face against encores, allowing not too much encore but just encore enough, he, as an astute Manager, cannot see why persons who have paid to hear a thing only once should hear it three times for the same money.  No; if they like it so much that they want it again, and must have it, and won’t be happy till they get it, then let them encore their own performance of paying for their seats, and come and hear their favourite morceaux over and over again as often as they like to pay.  He will grant one encore no more.  Sir DRURIOLANUS is right.  Do we insist on Mr. IRVING giving us “To be or not to be,” or any other soliloquy, all over again, simply because he has done it once so well?  Do we ask Mr. J.L.  TOOLE to repeat his author’s good jokes—­or his own when his author has failed him?  No; we applaud to the echo, we laugh till, as Mr. CHEVALIER says, “we thort we should ha’ died,” but we don’t encore the comic jokes, telling situations, or serious soliloquies as rendered by our accomplished histrions.

[Illustration:  The Rabbinical-Hat-Beer-Jug.]