"Not slow; but there's something—I scarcely know what,
An absence, a dulness I cannot define.
It may be the soup, which was not very hot,
Or the roast, or the waiting, the ice, or the wine.
"But I'm sure there's a something." And so they agreed,
And they formed a Committee to talk of the case.
And a programme was issued for all men to read,
Bidding men (on page one) to abstain from the place.
But, since it is harder to ban than to bless,
"For their own sakes," they said, "we will humour the men."