peculiarly successful,
as has also _Prince Bulbo_, of whom more anon. As _Polly_ in Act the
First, and _General Punchikoff_ in the Second, Miss EMPSIE BOWMAN was
delightful, and her elder sister, Miss ISA BOWMAN, made every sharp
point tell, and into the gold, of which success the name of BOWMAN is
of good omen: and this is almost a rhyme. The part of _Prince Giglis_,
in the absence of Miss VIOLET CAMERON, was satisfactorily rendered by
Miss FLORENCE DARLEY. Miss MAUD HOLLAND looked and acted prettily as
the _Princess Angelica_, and Madame AMADI was quite Thackerayan in her
make-up as _Countess Gruffanuff_. Miss ATTALIE CLAIRE entered fully
into the spirit of the merry piece; her rendering of a song with the
refrain "Ah! well-a-day!" being deservedly encored.

[Illustration: After a Design by Michael Angelo Titmarsh.]

I must not forget, indeed, I cannot forget, Mr. LE HAY as _Bulbo_,
who, not only on account of his make-up being an exact reproduction
of THACKERAY's sketch, gave us as good a grotesque performance as I've
seen for some considerable time. To see him on the ground after the
fight, tearing his hair out in handfulls, is something that will shake
the sides of the most sedate or _blase_, and among the audience that
will crowd to see this juvenile show, there will be very few sedate
(I hope) and still fewer (I am sure) _blase_. It is an excellent
performance throughout. But, my dear Mr. CAROLUS HARRIS, one
word,--when you had that capitally-arranged and highly effective
scene of _Bulbo_ going to be beheaded, why did you not carry it a
bit further, and make _Bulbo_ on the point of kneeling down, and the
burlesque axe poised in the air, and _then_, but not till _then_, the
moment which, like the present winter, is "critical,"--_then_, I say,
enter the _Princess_ with the reprieve? As it is, the effect of this
dramatically grouped scene is lessened by the absence of action, and
_Bulbo_ is off the scaffold ere the majority of the audience realise
the peril in which his life has been placed.

I must not forget the army of children appearing from time to time
as courtiers, cooks, fairies, soldiers, who will be the source of
the greatest pleasure to children of all ages, from "little Trots"
upwards. Nothing in this genuinely Christmas Piece is there which can
do aught but delight and amuse the young people for whom primarily it
was written. Let "all concerned in this" excellent piece of Christmas
merriment accept t