Punch (79.1880)

;

December 18, 1880.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

277

“ 8USINESS.”

Belle. (She load tried him. on the Royal Academy and “ Grosvenor," the decoration
of ch.e Pull-room, the last Novels, Music and toe Drama, Operas, dec., — couldn’t get
an idea out of him I Happy Thought!—perhaps he's Political.) “Is there any

Nk.WS TN' THE CJil Y THIS EVENING?”

Beau (brightening up). “Ah; Grey Shirtings stiffened, export Yarns
hakdened, axnd Fl&x steady at Friday’s currencies ! "

\JIe was purely Commercial /

THAT MUFFIN-BELL !

Air—Those Evening Bells.

That Muffin-Bell ! That Muffin- Bell!
How many a tale its tiuklings tell
Of youth, and hope, and that glad time
When my digestion yet was primeJ

The bilious discs I then could eat.

The bell’s wild whangliDg down the street
Was one of boyhood’s special joys :

1 never, never thought it noise.

How joyously at even rang
The tmtinnabulary clang!

The gawping jaw, the raucous yell,

1 loved them, loved them passing well.

Those happy hours are past away,

Age must nut with its peptics play.
Strange qualms within me darkly dwell
Whene’er I hear the Muffin-Bell.

And yet soft memories of old times
Linger about the jangling chimes,

And, like De Rutzen, I’d be tender
To the too noisy Muffin Vendor.

But oh ! methinks when I am gone
That tuneless peal will not ring on ;

For Man, with street-law ordered well
Will hear no more the Muffin-Bell!

A Peep Behind a Grille.

Mr. Frederick Gordon, the successful proprietor of
the Ilolborn Restaurant, is the new caterer for the House
of Commons Dining-rooms. Of course, in his parlia-
mentary bills of fare, Mr. Gordon will prove himself
truly Liberal, and in the cool larder he will be Conserva-
tive. He must be prepared to provide for any number
of “parties,” and whatever Honourable Members may
be in other parts of the House, the Commons here will,
no doubt, be found first-rate. .It will be, we believe,
what the Yankees call a “tall affair,” and no short
Commons. Mr. Gordon, however, is not expected to
find all the “provisions” for every Bill introduced into
Parliament. Mr. Malaprop, M.P., has heard that the
chef is a Gordon bleu.

A Mah of Art and Letters.—Mr. Ruskin.

OUR BOOKING-OFFICE.

Many of the Pictures in Major Seccombe’s Military Misreadings
of Shakspeare are very funny, and all are amusing. It is worth
while purchasing the book for the sake of the illustration to the
mis-readireg of the line, “ What power is it that mounts my love so
high ? ” Capital! Of course it is published by Messrs. Routledge.
We’re getting tired of seeing the name of this firm, which seems to
be doing everything everywhere.

Afternoon Tea for Children. Brightly illustrated with coloured
pictures of the Sandford/and Merton period is published by Frede-
rick Warne & Co., and as it is sure to be popular with the little
folks, its pages will be very well-warne before the holidays are over.
See the illustration at p. 25 whence the hook derives its title. The
motto ought to have been Fabula Narratur de Tea —but it isn’t,
and we keep it to ourselves. Rights reserved. Be Warne’d. in time,
and don’t say yon AVarne’t a going to make use of it, because that
isn’t grammar, tho’ we are not prepared to deny that it may be
genius.

More Christmas Picture Cards! What games of cards every-
where ! It must be overdone at last, and then discarded for ever—
till the fashion returns. Mr. Harding of Piccadilly has hit on a
very original notion in his Hunting Christmas Cards, which are full
of life and spirit, and, like the horses depicted, ought to go well.

His long cards of Lawn Tennis are very bright, but are rather too
summery a mode of dealing with Christmas. As, however, their only
legend is “ The Compliments of the Season ”—which is very compli-
mentary to Christmas of course—they can be kept till July and pre-
sented when due. Why shouldn’t there be compliments of the season
in summer as well as winter ‘i Why should all the compliments he
kept for December? Are all the uncomplimentary things said
during the other eleven months ? We don’t pause for a reply

i because we haven’t time, but at Christmas we follow the fashion and
speak by the Christmas Card.

We oughtn’t to forget one publisher of Festive Christmas
Cards, who bears the very seasonable name of Tuck. He prefixes
“ Raphael ” to it, which may attract Pre-Raphaelites to his Christ-
mas Cards, but for the boys and girls be has only to give himself out
as Tuck—“ Tuck Out ! ”—or if he’s at home to all of them, “ Tuck
in ! ” and that will delight every Jack and Jill of them, who after
the Tuck in and Tuck out, will go to bed for the Tuck up.

The Graphic's great success is in its delightful picture by Mr.

I Millais ; and the popularity of “ Cherry Ripe" will consist in the
fact that every Materfamilias in the kingdom is certain to be
struck by the strong resemblance between this pretty face and that
of her own little pet—for, however numerous the family, and
however impartial Pater- and Materfamilias may profess themselves
to be, there is sure to be j ust the little one of whom the prettiest
picture is always the best representation. Of the illustrations,
“ plain and coloured,” the best are W. L. Thomas s “ First Party ”
—not a political subject—Mr. S. P. Hall’s “ Cupid Tobogganing"
(for translation see Plate—and something so nice on that Plate !)
Mr. R. Caldecott’s “ Wyclidale's Steeple-Chase," for which we
care less than for his usual illustrations of nursery rhymes—he is
thoroughly at home in the nursery, and not so happy in the fields—
and a charmingly pretty series by Miss Casella, called “ Grand-
papa's Recollections."

The Illustrated comes out strong with Frank Hold’s picture of
“ In Wonderland," and a Special Extra Number for the Young
People, full of fairies and toys and dolls, from the pencil of Mr.
Crujkshank. Oh, the happy, happy days when we were young!
We didn’t get all these pretty things! No; we were limited to
Peter Parley's Annual.

The Sporting and Dramatic has a bright and cheery annual with
plenty of readable writing by popular authors.

i