THE DAMSELS OF DIEPPE;

"Newhaven to Dieppe," he cried, but, on the voyage there,

He felt appalling qualms of what the French call mal de mer;

While, when the steward was not near, he struck Byronic attitudes,

And made himself most popular by pretty little platitudes.

And, while he wobbled on the waves, be sure they never slep',

While waiting for their LIONEL, the Damsels of Dieppe.

He landed with a jaunty air, but feeling rather weak,

While all the French and English girls cried out, "C'est magnifique!"

They reck'd not of his bilious hue, but murmur'd quite ecstatical,

"Blue coat, brass buttons, and straw hat,—c'est tout-à-fait piratical!"

He hadn't got his land-legs, and he walked with faltering step,

But still they thought it comme-il-faut, those Damsels of Dieppe.

The Douane found him circled round by all the fairest fair,

The while he said, in lofty tones, he'd nothing to declare;

He turned to one girl who stood near, and softly whisper'd, "Fly, O NELL!"

But all the others wildly cried, "Give us a chance, O LIONEL!"

And thus he came to shore from all the woes of Father Nep.,

With fatal fascinations for the Damsels of Dieppe.

He went to the Casino, whither mostly people go,

And lost his tin at baccarat and eke petits chevaux;

And still the maidens flocked around, and vowed he was amusing 'em,

And borrowed five-franc pieces, just for fear he should be losing 'em;

And then he'd sandwiches and bocks, which brought on bad dyspep-

sia for LIONEL beloved by Damsels of Dieppe.

As bees will swarm around a hive, the maids of La belle France

Went mad about our LIONEL and thirsted for his glance;

In short they were reduced unto a state of used-up coffee lees

By this mild, melancholic, maudlin, mournful Mephistopheles.

He rallied them in French, in which he had the gift of rep-

artee, and sunnily they smiled, the Damsels of Dieppe.

At last one day he had to go; they came upon the pier;

The French girls sobbed, "Mon cher!" and then the English sighed, "My dear!"

He looked at all the threatening waves, and cried, the while embracing 'em,

(I mean the girls, not waves,) "Oh no! I don't feel quite like facing 'em!"

And all the young things murmured, "Stay, and you will find sweet rep-

aration for the folks at home in Damsels of Dieppe."

And day by day, and year by year, whene'er he sought the sea,

The waves were running mountains high, the wind was blowing free.

At last he died, and o'er his bier his sweethearts sang doxology,

And vowed they saw his ghost, which came from dabbling in psychology.

And to this hour that spook is seen upon the pier. If scep-

tical, ask ancient ladies, once the Damsels of Dieppe.