ARTIST'S VADE MECUM
Question. Has the anxious parent been to see his child's portrait?
Answer. He has seen it.
Q. Did he approve of it?
A. He will like it better when I have made some slight alterations.
Q. What are they?
A. He would like the attitude of the figure altered, the position of the arms changed, the face turned the other way, the hair and eyes made a different colour, and the expression of the mouth improved.
Q. Did he make any other suggestions?
A. Yes; he wishes to have the child's favourite pony and Newfoundland dog put in, with an indication of the ancestral home in the back-ground.
Q. Is he willing to pay anything extra for these additions?
A. He does not consider it necessary.
Q. Are you well on with your Academy picture?
A. No; but I began the charcoal sketch yesterday.
Q. Have you secured the handsome model?
A. No; the handsome model has been permanently engaged by the eminent R.A.
Q. Under these circumstances, do you still expect to get finished in time?
A. Yes; I have been at this stage in February for as many years as I can remember, and have generally managed to worry through somehow.
Whenever the "Reduced Prizefighters" take a benefit at a theatre, the play should be The Miller and his Men.
A Nice Man.—Mr. Swiggins was a sot. He was also a sloven. He never had anything neat about him but gin.
