The nightingale was overcome with emotion at the generosity of the frog,
and insisted on adding the crow and the toad as experts in croaking.

The nightingale sang first, whilst his trade rivals sat and chattered. They
chattered so loud that the nightingale stopped singing in a huff.

"You are hardly at your best, you know, old thing," said the linnet
sympathetically.

"You will find these throat lozenges excellent for hoarseness," said the
blackbird.

"His upper register is weak--abominably weak," said the starling to the
lark.

"Perhaps if his voice were trained," suggested the lark.

Meanwhile the frog croaked away lustily, but no one listened to him. "The
jury must vote by ballot," he said as he finished the last croak.

"Of course we must," twittered the jury.

The frog won by eight votes to two.

"I voted for the nightingale," whispered the crow to the toad.

"So did I," whispered the toad.

* * * * *

A LOSS.

For many reasons the passing of the poster is to be welcomed. For one
thing, it robbed the papers themselves of that element of surprise which is
one of life's few spices; for another, it added to life's many complexities
by forcing the reader into a hunt through the columns which often ended in
disappointment: in other words the poster's promise was not seldom greater
than the paper's performance. Then, again, it was often offensive, as when
it called for the impeachment of an effete "old gang," many of whose
members had joined the perfect new; or redundant, as when it demanded
twenty ropes where one would have sufficed.

But, even although the streets may be said to have been sweetened by the
absence of posters, days will come, it must be remembered, when we shall
badly miss them. It goes painfully to one's heart to think that the
embargo, if it is ever lifted, will not be lifted in time for most of the
events which we all most desire, events that clamour to be recorded in the
large black type that for so many years Londoners have associated with
fatefulness. Such as ("reading from left to right"):--

-------------- -------------- -------------- --------------
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | ALLIES | | FLIGHT |
| FALL | | STRASBURG | | CROSS | | OF |
| OF | | FRENCH | | THE | | CROWN |
| METZ | | AGAIN. | | RHINE. |