(_By an admiring M.P._)
After hours of dullard, rasper, ranter,
Sweet an interlude of BALFOUR'S banter!
JOSEPH'S venom, HARCOURT'S heavy clowning,
Tired us, in a sea of dulness drowning;
When, hillo! here is PRINCE ARTHUR chaffing
Mr. G. and all the House is laughing!
Never were such light artistic raillery,
Nothing spiteful, naught played to the gallery;
Finished fun, _ad unguem_, poignant, polished.
Fled fatigue, and dulness was demolished.
Even the great victim chortled merrily,
That short speech should be "selected," verily,
For the next edition of the _Speaker_.
No coarse slogger, and no crude nose-tweaker
Is PRINCE ARTHUR. GLADSTONE first is reckoned
At gay chaff, but BALFOUR'S a good second.
* * * * *
[Illustration: THINGS ONE WOULD RATHER HAVE EXPRESSED DIFFERENTLY.
_Miss Bessy._ "WON'T _YOU_ SING SOMETHING, CAPTAIN BELSIZE?"
_Captain Belsize._ "OH! I NO LONGER SING NOW. _DO_ I, MISS CAROLINE?"
_Miss Caroline._ "I'M AFRAID YOU _DO_, CAPTAIN BELSIZE!"]
* * * * *