over three thousand men.

On my left sat a young girl in a rose-pink evening dress, with a
dove-colour opera cloak covering her bare shoulders. Her eyes followed
intently the struggling figures on the stage, and I observed that she wore
an engagement ring with three diamonds.

A few seats away, surrounded by a swarm of men in evening dress, sat a
grey-haired woman, watching the fight with interest through a gold-rimmed
lorgnette. Her eyes twinkled as heavy blows were delivered, and when one of
the men began to bleed copiously from the nose, she uttered an exclamation
of delight. She wore black.

So far as I could observe, no woman present showed any sign of repulsion.
It seemed to me significant of the times. I whispered to my neighbour, "_O
tempora! O mores!_" but she replied coldly, "Not at all!" I checked my
impulse to add "_Autres temps, autres moeurs!_"

Of the actual fight I am not competent to speak. I was most interested in
the referee, whose strong mobile face reminded me occasionally of Lord
BYRON, at other times of Mr. WINSTON CHURCHILL.

_By the Rev. Robert Shackleberry._

I had never seen a boxing contest before I was invited by the enterprising
editor of _The Daily Gong_ to witness the encounter last night between
"Nobby" Keeks and William Cockles.

I found an excellent seat reserved for me. It was nearing midnight when the
two men mounted the platform. Cockles came first, wearing a scarlet
dressing-gown with yellow collar and cuffs. He seemed to me a bluff,
hearty, good-tempered-looking man, though perhaps unduly prominent in the
lower jaw. Keeks, who followed, wore a bright green dressing-gown with a
pink sash, and shook hands with six or seven members of the audience. He
was taller and heavier than his opponent, and his features, to my mind,
more intelligent but less amiable.

There was a long delay, during which I was given to understand that the
men's hands were being bandaged for some reason. At length the swarm of
seconds and advisers disappeared to the sound of a gong, and the combatants
stood up and advanced upon one another. I was embarrassed to observe that
they were nearly nude, but my embarrassment did not seem to be shared by
any of the ladies present, so perhaps I have no right to complain.

The actual boxing did not last nearly so long as the preliminaries. This
was perhaps just as well, since Keeks, afterwards announced the victor,
unfortunately sustained considerable damage to