Of _Ladies Must Live_ (HODDER AND STOUGHTON) one may say, in the first place, that it is fortunately unnecessary as well as unusual for the bulk of them to live in the scalp and tomahawk atmosphere that distinguishes the sexual and social rivalry of _Christine Fennimer_ and _Nancy Almar_, the two beautiful American Society dames whose duel for the affections of the eligible hero form the plot, the whole plot and nothing but the plot of Miss ALICE DUER MILLER's latest book. Nature red in tooth and claw has not mothered them--they are too well-bred for that; they simply bite with their tongues. _Mrs. Almar_, who is married and purely piratical, comes off worst in the encounter, and the more artful _Christine_, ultimately falling in love with the object of her artifices, becomes human enough to marry him, despite his lapse from financial eligibility. The plot is a thin one, but smoothly and brightly unfolded. Unhappily Miss MILLER lacks the gift of delicate satire and the sense of humour that the society novel above all others seems to require. With a lighter and less matter-of-fact treatment one would accept more easily the overdrawing of her rather impossible felines.
[Illustration: _Man in the Air_. "ANOTHER OF THESE BEASTLY PIVOTAL MEN!"]
"Sir Charles Sykes, Director of Wood Production, has conferred with representatives of each section of the tailoring trade, with a view to simplifying the regulations and making possible a larger output of Standard suits."--_Daily Paper_.
We look forward to the part that this new clothing will play in the general scheme of afforestation.
"A lady visiting the town complained that she went to a licensed house and asked to be served with tea. She alleged that the licensee was very rude to her, and refused to grant her request. He [the Superintendent of Police] desired to point out to license holders that they were bound to provide proper accommodation and refreshment for man and beast."--_West-Country Paper_.
And we desire to point out to the Superintendent that that is not the proper way to refer to a lady.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, Feb. 19, 1919, by Various