Lull in Social World: Events on Friday, the Thirteenth: Distinguished Visitors dull just now," re marked a friend of mine the' other May, and she sighed round the room to see if anyone was admiring her new evening dress. (Nobody: ventured any: contradiction fo the remark. One foring man with a distinctly British-army look about" him, suggested that polo Would be starting soon and launched Forth into @ description of the excellent qualities displayed by a pony that he had picked joked up at auction for fifty taels; but he elected nothing more than polite (at credulous) nod from his feminine audience. A. member of the latter began to look dreamy as visions of Diu seas, yellow sands, tea parties being given by Ca and Countess Ciano, was responsible for at least the "week's activities. thirteenth, which may have had something' todo with the ease, For, although we make good our boast that we live im an "age of reason' Father than religion, of science than superstition, there are yet umber of people who sonnet bring Themselves to regard the thirteenth especially if it be allied with. a Friday—without certain amount fof apprehension. "In several cases their suspicions were justified, for less than four diferent people came up to me during the course of the day with the remark that fon board eiuisers, and those strange nothing" would go right, and small Fridays' came to Her mind: and abe Yonece, considering the date. unown as "Black wonder considesin
Wondered audibly to the company at However, despite the postpone-he'd be able to. 60 the dance (which by: the up to Wei-hai this summer—hopi to take place on Bay 26) a perhaps (since her bank account di lange dinner' party' that was) to Rot seem to be in a too cheerful con-have. preceded it waa held at the ition) that her wistful wondering home Of its, E We Hooper.' The might meet with some response fests who included nimhy young the way of an invitation. "Another well a a number of their elders and igh meet with nome. response fa] Fatma may 2 Guent appearance at the Country Petters,, Pantoak ofan, excellent Sia grim Lath an hes corey [ft by. wice hates to opend the Bbout to say same When a few disparaging Rbout the weather cut her remarks short.
Perhaps it all has something to do with the weather, this general idea that Shanghét is not "at present living up to her reputation as a bright and livd city. 'There is no. doubt, that tennis is ila thing of tthe distant future, th the olements, ao. not at wearing of lately' purchased retent encourage the still, more latd paid for) spring creations, and that it is as yet too arly to' think about packing. for the summer holiday.
It is in fact, 8 sort of in between season that we fre undergoing fat the moment beau there is do whilst waiting advent is as to Shanghai, it rst of the evening how they pleas is Hooper, who' by' the way was young "people, include
looking charming in a pale green organdie frock, and" (if we may permitted: to. make a. personal' obervation) is' looking "wonderfully well these days, all went out danc-atter dinner and left the. rest of the quests to their own devices. Amongst those at the party were Mr. a Brooke-Smith who have just arrived out from home and who have a large number of friends—not to mention relatives—{in Shanghai. Other. guests includ: ed Br. and) Mrs. Walter who. are! shortly leaving for England; Mrs. Walter, incidentally, spent much of th discussing: ing the hob super initiating young hopefuls into the game, as-they can easily sup-dress allowances by t playing consistently." Mr. and Mrs. watfested that people Reynell were there, also Mr. and nand a good de way of excitement, After all, the Mrs. G. L. Wilson, and a number,|of other well known people.
Shanghai does hor bast.
She ever Goes #0 far as to provide a perfectly Visitors from India jad war when things threaten to come to a standstill.
One can't Shanghai has had an interest Wars, armed rob-visitor this week in the person of beries, Kidnapping, League Com miseions—not to" mention such indy "Kaye, wife of Sir Colt Rage, who arrived here some. days. ago minor events as race meetings—all with her husband and two daugh follow one another in Shanghai with lors. Sir Cecil was formely head of most amazing rapi dity. The only the" CLD. in India. Lady Kaye ly an earthquake. That, ger hay 8, thing we have not yet experienced herself is @ charming person, and the solution to the problem; for it less so. are her two daughters, would no doubt serve shake, off Bite and, Here who seg to, enjoying their stay in. Shanghai the idea that Shanghai is dull, Having' spent. much of their. time in India, they had many interest-Wanted—more Parties Ing observations to" make about In. connection dullness it, Shanghai, their frst impressions being that it was a disconcertingly' must be admitted that there has! big city, and that there is nothing not been @ surplus of social entertainment lately. Occupation for lite "it'én India. One. thing Judy of leisure alternating as favour of Shanghai was, in their does, between the duties of hostess pinion, 'Its adequate' supply of and mest, has not been arduous dance floors; and it is a pity that th last few weeks. Unless one is they are not staying on here, for Shanghai would be only to ready London, Apr. 29.
Something very like melancholy underlies the excitement of a London audience at the last performance of a play that has had a [very long and successful run. One Might, for the last time, all-too-fear ines' are spoken and all familiar songs sung brilliantly" gowned and loudly" appredative house, packed from stalls fo gatiery. And when the curtain falls, neater midnight than usual, the actors make their bows and speeches with. a mingling of zeliet land. regret. So it was at the final Performance of that great spectafeular musical comedy, "The White Horse Inn," one of the first "of those. spectacles which have. lately become the rage in and of which it, seems we cannot have too many. Each new show as it comes slong is, if possible, bigger and more awe-inspiring than the previous one.
The costumes in "The White Horse Inn" were as gorgeous as everything else in the production. Seeing it for the third. time the Jother night, I was forcibly remind-Jed of who quickly the most conservative of us grow accustomed to new fashions. There were those hong-skirted, tight-waisted frocks—featured by' the chorus and several Jof the leading actresses—cleverly Jadapted from. an Empire style model and made to appear abnor~ mally high-waisted by the use of Jcontrasting colour for the upper part of the bodice. It year ago, "early in' the those frocks seemed to me. st ing. ly unusual and quite unsuitable for ordinary" wear." Yet, to-day, in every street, in every' cafe in town, Jone sees them and accepts" them Without comment. They have be-Jcome the tashie Last Thursday proved to be the great occasion ex for. the Young Princess Elizabeth. Directly After: breakfast at Windsor Castle, the King and Queen, the Princess's mother and father and the Prin Royal came into the nursery to her many happy returns of her sixth birthday. Ona huge table in the nursery were a heap of presents: dolls from the Princess Royal, Hittle work-basket from the Dak of (Gloucester, a wheelbarrow and a Jor gardening tools from. Pri George and a rocking-horse from the Duchess of York. Other presents re too dig' to be brought indoors. For instance, the pony from the ing and Queen which is to be housed in the Royal Stables. Tt is Digger than' her' Shetland' pony, "Begay," who is now to be handed down as a legacy to her little sister, Then there was a ckeil in its wooden erate, etter from another little Jean Smith, who is the flaughter of the President of, the British Cycle and Motor-Cycle Manufacturers Union which offered the. gift.
The birthday party was celebrat-Jed in the Oak Room of the Victoria Tower, a corner of the old Castle overlooking the Great Park. This EL Tetters year, for the first time, Princess upon oneself after having mastered Jsome of the difficulties of writing. For, lately, this little girl has made considerable progress in learning to and has developed a very [shade of green is used for one the smaller rooms, the walls of which are painted in a floral design with slender tree branches and Jgreen leaves. Ivory, too, has its place in the scheme of colours in York House as well as in Royal Lodge. Still another room in the Prince's home is painted in ivory, with an outline of faint duck-ego 'The days of pretty-pretty photographs are passed. 'The best photographers nowadays; as the. best artists of all kinds, are never happy innless experimenting and Mr. Peter North, who has taken many hundreds jof pictures of London's Society' [women, is no exception to this rule. His present and very successful idea is to unearth a famous painting by one of the old Masters which suggests to him, though not necessarily a close likeness in every. feature, the "structure and shape" jof his sitter. And sometimes these sitters have their own notions as to) what type of face they most nearly represent, Lady Milbanke, for' instance, told Mr. North that she would be a nun or nothing. Happily. Mr, North agreed with her. At length he found a picture by Lorenzetti, a lovely one called "Four Nuns," and Lady" Milbanke became fall fe Druro also knew painting that suited her personality and it was the boy Duke of Cleves after Memling.
But others left the posing to the artist, so that Miss Diana Main-waring was represented by a paint ing of Van Dyke, This was a and happy choice of Mr. tappens that all the ed, "Mrs. Sheridan Ta all other. po North had contented hmact by presenting only the pose and exprassfon—but ft. modern clothes and settings—of the subject painting, In the place of the harpsichord however, on which Cechia'e are straying as. the reams of music, Mr, North has allowed Lady: Pamela typewriter!
'The Young Idea 'The independence of modern youth ig being, "upheld in an une Expected degree by two sinters who taken house' la Knighte-Bridge far the season, expressly, for the purpose of "entertaining their own viands ty tel own way. And the amusing thing ie that their parents, Afajor Colin and Lady Binrgarct MacRae, have taken another residence in London not f way from their daughters and will ibe amongst the guests to be entertained at Knightsbridge.
habit St bachelor a living, very often in the same disctr'but ina state of friendly dependence from thelt- patents growing habit. On the other there ithe lei who lives at ome cand. in equal independence. Mas North is one these last named. Sir Henry and Lady. Norman have a delightful house. in. Westminster.
the top of this. Mise Norman tas Wher own fat~bedoom, stein 'A tazang about 34 fect long. has bboen stolen from the Zoo at Ueno, Japan, to the great, consternation of the guards of the place, who have been keeping strict. vigilance, assisted by three shepherd dogs, especially after the theft of three images of Buddha, Imperial trea sures, from the Imperial Museum the same neighbourhood. The missing lizard was kept in a section of the cage for the hippopofami in the northwestern corner of the Zoo, and its absence was notice ed by the keepers, who, after investigation, concluded that the reptile hol been stolen, as there was no trace of it having escaped from Lits cage. This is not the first theft reported at the Zoo. A crocodile and a white snake were stolen some time ago, and recently the candy stall-keepers in the Zoo have often complained of thefts of boxes of caramels and cigarettes, it is said.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.