Identifier: wandererinlondon00luca (find matches)
Title: A wanderer in London
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Lucas, E. V. (Edward Verrall), 1868-1938
Subjects: Art -- England London London (England) -- Description and travel
Publisher: New York : The Macmillan company London, Methuen & co.

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hshed, elusive thing, full of indepen-dence and original sin, that scarcely affords foothold fora fly, and often refuses to obey even John Roberts on alevel table .^ But CinquevaUi will not only balance abilliard-ball on a cue, but will balance another ball onthat, and will even run two together, one resting on theother, backwards and forwards between two parallel cues.This feat I am convinced is as much of a miracle as manyof the things in which none of us believe. It is perfectlyridiculous, after seeing it performed by CinquevaUi, tocome away with petty little doubts as to the unseen world.Everything has become possible. With Paul one may use the word perfection quitecomfortably, without fear of molestation. And I know Iam right by an infallible test. Anything perfect movesme in the way that anything pathetic ought to do; and towatch CinquevaUi performing some of his feats is to bewrought upon to a curious and, perhaps, cjuite comic de-gree. You beauty! You beauty! I have caught my-
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INIKIilOli (IF A DUTCH IKKSK AFTKR THK Ill TI;RK HY IKTKK DK H0(>< II IN I UK NATIONAL OAI-LKKY HARRY LAUDER 67 self saying again and again as he conquered one difficultyafter another with his charming ease. In talking aboutCinquevalli to an artist — and a very level-headed artist,too — after the performance, he said, before I had men-tioned this pecuharity of mine, I must go and see himagain. But the odd thing about Cinquevalli is that healways makes me cry. Then I confessed too; for afterthat I could have no shame in my emotion. Nor, indeed,had I before; for, to quote Blake again — A tear is an intellectual thing. The Music Hall favourites period of triumph is so shortthat 1 hesitate to mention other names in a book of thischaracter; but I should like to set on paper some tributeto the merits of a Scotch low comedian named HarryLauder, whose peculiar gift it is to render glee as I cannotconceive of it ever having been rendered before — so in-fectiously, ecstatically. L

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