Punch, Or The London Charivari, Vol. 146., January 21, 1914 by Various
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Various >> Punch, Or The London Charivari, Vol. 146., January 21, 1914
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In the sixteenth chapter of the First Part of _The Rocks of Valpre_
(FISHER UNWIN) _Trevor Mordaunt_ married _Christine Wyndham_, and on
the last page (which is the 511th) of the book, "she opened to him the
doors of her soul, and drew him within...." Granted that _Mordaunt_,
with the eyes of steel, was not exactly an oncoming man and that when
he married _Christine_ he received, as wedding presents, two or three
brothers-in-law who sponged hopelessly upon him, I still think that
Miss ETHEL DELL has given us too detailed an account of the domestic
differences between _Mordaunt_ and his wife. For my own part I became
frankly tired of the pecuniary crises of the _Wyndhams_ and of their
incurable inability to tell the truth. Had _Mordaunt_ got up and given
these feckless brethren a sound hiding I should have been relieved,
but he preferred to make them squirm by using his steely eyes. In
the future I suggest to Miss DELL that she should leave these strong
silent men alone. They have had their day and gone out of vogue. The
best part of this book, and indeed the best work Miss DELL has yet
done, is her treatment of the romantic friendship between _Christine_
and _Bertrand de Montville_. It is handled so touchingly and so
surely that I resent with all the more peevishness the banality of the
steel-eyed one.
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[Illustration: ONE OF THE FEW HISTORIC MANSIONS OF ENGLAND WHERE QUEEN
ELIZABETH DID _NOT_ SLEEP.]
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"His lordship dismissed the application, with costs, and the
jury found in his favour, assessing the damages at L1,000."
We should like to be a Judge. It seems to be easy and well-paid work.
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From the synopsis of a Singapore play--just the last scene or two:--
"Samion, after going through Nyai Dasima's fortune,
maltreated her, and told her to leave his protection. He also
commissioned a wicked man called Puasa to murder Nyai Dasima.
Puasa murdered Dasima, and throw her body into a river. The
corpse of Dasima floated and entangled in the bathing-place
of William. William, seeing this, at once reported to the
Police of Dasima's death. Puasa and others were arrested and
imprisoned. The Judge investigated the case, and Puasa was
sentenced to be hanged. Samion got mad and died. Mah Buyong
also got mad."
And so home to bed.