n possibly desire to know
of what must be once and for all _the_ story of a life-time. "The
rest is silence." Throughout the play there is no parade of false
sentimentality, no tawdry virtue, no copy-book morality, no vicious
silliness; and, so well constructed is the plot, that there is no need
of a wearisome extra Act, by way of postscript, to tell us how all the
characters met again at the North Pole or Land's End; how everybody
explained everything to everybody else; how the Idler, becoming a
busy-body, married the widow of _Sir John Harding, M.P._, who had had
the misfortune to be drowned out shrimping; and how many other matters
happened for which the wearied audience would not care one snap of
the finger and thumb. On another occasion I shall have something to
say about the acting, which, as far as the men are concerned, has
certainly not been equalled since the days of _Peril_. The St. James's
is in for a good thing with _The Idler_; and at this moment I may
say, I would be ALEXANDER were I not, briefly,

DIOGENES "THE TUBMAN," B.C.L.

* * * * *

ACTING--ON A SUGGESTION.--_The Woman_, always well informed, tells
us on February 26, that, "owing to numerous applications," Mr. C.T.
GREIN is negotiating for the Royalty Theatre, in order to give
another Ibsenian performance. Now this is exactly what we suggested
in our number for February 14. If the date suits, we will go and see
_Ghosts_, and, if we succeed in keeping up our spirits after seeing
_Ghosts_, we will give a candid opinion on the performance of the
piece which hitherto we know only in print. _En attendant_, we shall
have something to say about the recent performance of that piece of
Ibsenity _A Doll's House_--in our next.

* * * * *

WHAT'S IN A NAME?--On the recent occasion of the QUEEN's visit to
Portsmouth, no one of the officials seems to have been more on the
alert and more generally alive than Mr. DEADMAN, the Chief Constructor
of the Yard.

* * * * *

"EN ITERUM CRISPINUS!"--_Hamlet_ on the real distinction between
Theatres and Music Halls--

"To B. (and S.) or not to B. (and S.) _that_ is the question!"

* * * * *

HAPPY PROSPECT.--The Wild Birds, if the Bill for their protection
becomes law, will remember, the Session of 1891 as a year of PEASE and
Quiet.

* * * * *

NOTIC