up in Town.
Won't run to a 'oliday yet, mate. I'm longing to lay on the brown
By a blow from the briny, but, bless yer, things now is as bad as
they're made.
Hinfluenzas, Helections, and cetrer, has bloomin' nigh bunnicked
up Trade.

_My_ screw's bin cut down by a dollar; along of 'ard times, sez
our bloke.
I _did_ mean doin' It'ly this year; but sez Luck, "Oh, go 'ome and
eat coke!"
Leastways, that's as I hunderstand 'er. A narsty one, Luck, and no
kid;
Always gives yer the rough of 'er tongue when you're quisby, or
short of a quid.

When I 'eard about Venice in London, I thinks to myself, mate,
thinks I,
'Ere's a 'oliday tour on the cheap! 'Ere's a barney as 'ARRY must
try.
No Continong this year, that's certain, old man, for the likes of
poor me;
But whilst I've a bob I've a chance for a boss at the Bride o' the
Sea.

Them posters of IMRE KIRALFY's for gorgeousness quite takes the
cake.
Friend IMRE's a spanker, you bet, and quite fly to the popular fake.
"Stupendious work," IMRE calls it, and I.K. is O.K. no doubt.
Your old Country Fair Show takes a back seat when ikey young
I.K.'s about.

Oh, the jam and the mustard, my pippin, the crimsing, the blue,
and the gold!
Scissorree, CHARLIE, rainbows ain't in it, and prisums is out in
the cold.
I do like a picteresk poster, as big as a bloomin' back yard,
With the colour slopped on quite regardless; if that ain't 'Igh
'Art, wy it's 'ard.

'Owsomever I mustn't feeloserphise. Off to Olympia I 'ooks,
To see Venice the Bride of the Sea, as set forth in them sixpenny
books.
Bless his twirly merstache, he's a twicer, this IMRE KIRALFY, dear
boy,
And he give me a two hours' _spektarkle_ old LEIGHTON hisself
might enjoy.

Bit puzzling the "Pageant" is, CHARLIE, until that Synopsis you've
read;
Wish I'd mugged it all up overnight; but I carn't get it straight
in my 'ead.
Sort o' mixture of _Shylock_ and BYRON, with bits of _Othello_
chucked in,
Muddled up with "Chioggian wars," as seemed mostly blue fire and
bright tin.

But the scenes wos 'splendiferous, CHARLIE. About arf a mile o'
stage front,
With some thousands of 'eroes and supers, as seemed all the time
on