am how Covent's gritty bowers
(By leave of MALLABY's line) shall wear a
Fat smile to greet the sunnier hours
For joy of battles fought with flowers,
As it might be in Bordighera.

New Bond Streets on the Surrey side
Shall flaunt their gems and rare chinchillas
To swell the local mummer's pride,
And every bridge shall span the tide
With Arcadies of Aston villas.

I see, in fact, old London rise
From smokeless ashes, like a Phoenix,
To moral planes where Beauty lies
And Electricity supplies
The motive power of pure Hygienics.

But not in _our_ time (hush, my heart!);
A score of lustres will have fleeted
Before the Ministry of Art,
Though it should make an early start,
Can hope to see the thing completed.

Meanwhile this London is my place.
Sad though her dirt, as I admit, is,
I love the dear unconscious grace
That shines beneath her sooty face
Better than all your well-groomed cities.

O. S.

* * * * *

"A Belgian Princess and Her Creditors.

'Le Soir' (Brussels) announces that the creditors of Princess
Louise will receive the sum of 4,172 millions of francs, and
consequently the legal proceedings before the Court of Appeal
will not take place."

_Pall Mall Gazette_.

Such a paltry sum to make a fuss about! But, as usual, we hide our real
feelings behind this flippant mask. Reading between the lines we confess
to strange apprehensions. Why has the Princess so gravely exceeded her
dress allowance? Has she, on behalf of her beloved country, been
collecting war-ships? Has she 50 or 60 _Dreadnoughts_ up her sleeve to
upset the balance of naval power on "the day"? We make the German
Chancellor a present of these disturbing reflections.

* * * * *

HIS SON'S FATHER.

In at least one of our daily newspapers the attention of the public was
recently drawn to a brilliant young orator, ANTHONY ASQUITH by name, who
began a series of lectures at Antibes before influential audiences. The
first two of the series dealt with aviation and music respectively. We
understand that the titles of the remainder of the series will include
"Physical Culture," "The Limitations of Radium," "The Place of Theosophy
in Metaphysics," and "The Proper Education of the Child."

We learn from a correspondent that this gifted gentleman (who, by the
way, is still quite young, be