And let me reproduce a conversation with one of the visitors.  It is illustrative:—­

[SCENE:  The Carfax Gallery; rather empty; early morning:  Caricatures by Max Beerbohm; entrance one shilling.  Enter DISTINGUISHED CLIENT, takes catalogue, but does not consult it.  No celebrity ever consults a catalogue in a modern picture-gallery.  This does not apply to ladies, however distinguished, who conscientiously begin at number one and read out from the catalogue the title of each picture.  SHOPMAN in attendance.]

D. C. (glancing round).  Yes; how very clever they are.

SHOPMAN.  Yes; they are very amusing.

D. C. I suppose you have had heaps of People.  What a pity Max cannot draw!

SHOPMAN.  Yes; it is a great pity.

D. C. (examines drawing; after a pause).  But he can draw.  Look at that one of Althorp.

SHOPMAN (trying to look intelligent):  Yes; that certainly is well drawn.

D. C. (pointing to photograph of Paris inserted in Mr. Claude Lowther’s caricature).  And how extraordinary that is.  It is like one of Muirhead Bone’s street scenes.  He does street scenes, doesn’t he?

SHOPMAN.  Yes; or one of Mr. Joseph Pennell’s.

D. C. (after a pause).  What a pity he never gets the likeness.  That’s very bad of Arthur Balfour.

SHOPMAN.  Yes; it is a great pity.  No; that’s not at all a good one of Mr. Balfour.

D. C. (pointing to Mr. Shaw’s photograph inserted in caricature).  But he has got the likeness there.  By Jove! it’s nearly as good as a photograph.

SHOPMAN (examining photograph as if he had never seen it; enthusiastically).  It’s almost as good as a photograph.

D. C. (pointing with umbrella to Lord Weardale).  Of course, that’s Rosebery?

SHOPMAN (nervously):  Y-e-s. (Brightly changing subject.) What do you think of Mr. Sargent’s?

D. C. (now worked up).  Oh! that’s very good.  Yes; that’s the best of all.  I see it’s sold.  I should have bought that one if it hadn’t been sold.  I wish Max would do a caricature of (describes a possible caricature).  Tell him I suggested it; he knows me quite well (glancing round).  He really is tremendous.  Are they going to be published?

SHOPMAN.  Yes; by Methuen & Co. (Hastily going over to new-comer.) Yes, madam, that is Mr. Arthur Balfour; it’s considered the best caricature in the exhibition—­the likeness is so particularly striking; and as a pure piece of draughtsmanship it is certainly the finest drawing in the room.  No; that’s not so good of Lord Althorp, though it was the first to sell. (Turning to another client.) Yes, sir; he is Mr. Beerbohm Tree’s half-brother.

(1907.)

To MRS. BEERBOHM.