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
  For batmen whose bodies are tender;
      He gets on their nerves
      With his murderous swerves
  That insist upon death or surrender.

  When people try googlies on Sandham,
  You can see he will soon understand ’em;
      With a laugh at their slows
      He will murmur, “Here goes,”
  And over the railings will land ’em.

  I am always attracted by Harrison
  When arrayed in his batting caparison;
      If others look worried
      He never gets flurried,
  But quite unconcernedly carries on.

  All classes of bowlers have stuck at
  Their efforts to dislocate Ducat;
      Their wiliest tricks
      He despatches for six,
  Which is what they decidedly buck at.

  You should never be down in the dumps
      When Strudwick is guarding the stumps;
      His opponents depart
      One by one at the start,
  But later in twos or in clumps.