It is not stated whether the astonishment was caused by the family's appetite or the secretary's arithmetic.
Fond Mother (reading). "'Our captain is one of the best, and we're ready to follow him to h—l.' I suppose he means the Hindenburg Line."
OUR BOOKING-OFFICE.
(By Mr. Punch's Staff of Learned Clerks.)
In the list of heroic young soldier-authors whose gifts the War has revealed to us only to snatch them away, the name of Donald Hankey already holds an honoured place. It will, therefore, be good news to the many admirers of A Student in Arms that a further selection of these heartening and fine-spirited papers has been prepared under the title of A Student in Arms—Second Series (Melrose). The thousands who already know and admire Lieut. Hankey's work will need no introduction to this, which exhibits all the qualities of courage and sympathy that have given the former book a world-wide popularity. They, and others, will however welcome the occasion afforded here of learning something about the life and personality of the writer, which they will do both from the short preface contributed by one whose identity is hardly disguised under the initials "H.M.A.H.," and from a couple of papers, autobiographical, that end the volume. Rugbieans especially will be interested to read Donald Hankey's recollections of his school-days, with their tribute to the house-master affectionately known to so many generations as "Jackey." A book, in short, that will add to the admiration and regret with which its author is spoken of in three continents.