But the best is "_Veeve la Fronce_." Last week one of those foreign officers heard me "veeving" softly to myself. In half a minute he'd collected a dozen of his friends and relatives, and I could see more coming in the distance. The excitement! My tail! "Marie! Alphonse!" he shouted. "_Regarday dong ce brave wozzo!_" They gave me butterscotch; they gave me muscatels; they gave me a meringue, and lots of little sweet biscuits (I don't take monkey-nuts these days, thank you!) and they all talked at once. Then a lovely creature with a cockatoo's crest on her head bent forward and coaxed me in a voice like ripe bananas. And there was I sitting like a fool, my mouth crammed and my mind a blank! The crowd was growing every minute. The cockatoo girl ran to the kiosk and bought me French nougat; I ate it. Then I made a desperate effort--"Has anybody here seen Kelly?" Bless the camel-keeper! At that very moment I heard him ringing the "all-out" bell. * * * * * _The Times_ says that the _Blücher_ was the reply of the German Admiralty to the first British _Dreadnought_. Admiral Sir DAVID BEATTY begs to state that he has forwarded this reply to the proper quarter. * * * * * We have pleasure in culling the following extract from the account of a wedding, as set forth in _The Silver Leaf_ (published at Somerset West, Cape Province):-- "Whilst the register was being signed, Mme. Wortley, of Cape Town, sang 'Entreat me not to leave thee' with great feeling." It seems perhaps a little early to discuss the question of marital separation. * * * * * [Illustration: HOW TO KEEP FIT. FOR REALLY BUSY MEN. 1. ON THE WAY TO THE STATION. 2. WAITING FOR THE TRAIN. 3. ON THE 'BUS--"WITH DEEP BREATHING--NECK WRISTS." 4. AT THE OFFICE--THE CORRESPONDENCE. 5. WEIGHING BUSINESS PROPOSITIONS. 6. WAITING AT THE TELEPHONE.] * * * * * THE VOLUNTEERS. _Time_: 7.30 P.M. _Scene: A large disused barn, where forty members of the local Volunteer Training Corps are assembled for drill. They are mostly men well over thirty-eight years of age, but there is a sprinkling of lads of under nineteen, while a few are men of "military age" who for some good and sufficient reason have been unable to join the army. They are all full of enthusiasm, but at present they possess neither uniform nor arms. Please note that in the following dialogue the Sergeant alone speaks aloud; the other person_ thinks, _but gives no utterance to his words_.