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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5f20201 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #56071 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56071) diff --git a/old/56071-0.txt b/old/56071-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 254fa8d..0000000 --- a/old/56071-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2930 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX. No. 997, -February 4, 1899, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX. No. 997, February 4, 1899 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: November 28, 2017 [EBook #56071] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner, Chris Curnow, Pamela Patten and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER - -VOL. XX.--NO. 997.] FEBRUARY 4, 1899. [PRICE ONE PENNY.] - - - - -A BRIDAL SONG. - - -[Illustration: “GOD SPEED THEE!”] - - Oh, happy bride! - Heaven’s sunlight wraps thee in a golden gleam, - And in thine eyes the light of love supreme, - And in thy heart the dawning of a dream, - And what beside! - - Hopes reaching wide, - Out into the new life unbegun, - Into the untrodden ways thy feet may run - And the dim future only known by One-- - The One Who died. - - And a sweet pride - That thou art chosen the whole world above, - And girt about with mightiness of love, - Which waits to cherish thee as tend’rest dove - Till death divide. - - And there abide - In thy full heart most sweet-sad memories - Of one who smiles on thee from out the skies, - Thy best belovèd, now in Paradise, - Thy earliest guide; - - At whose dear side - Thy girlhood’s opening flower sweetly grew, - Till death transplanted her into the blue; - There to watch over thee with love more true - And purified. - - In the untried - And varying life which waits thee, rosy-hued, - God speed thee! and give daily grace renewed, - And bless with all His large beatitude - Thy marriage-tide. - - Though thou be tried - And troubled oftentimes in this new life, - Christ wall be with thee through the calm and strife, - Help thee to beautify the name of wife, - Oh, happy bride! - - -_All rights reserved._] - - - - -“OUR HERO.” - -A TALE OF THE FRANCO-ENGLISH WAR NINETY YEARS AGO. - -BY AGNES GIBERNE, Author of “Sun, Moon and Stars,” “The Girl at the -Dower House,” etc. - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -ORDERED TO BITCHE. - -Roy forgot everything except the affair on hand. He dashed upstairs and -into the salon at a headlong pace, knocking over a chair as he entered. -It fell with a crash, and Roy stopped short. Denham was on the sofa, no -one else being present except Lucille, who, with her bonnet on, as if -she were going out, had just taken an empty cup from his hand. - -“Roy, you unkind boy,” she said, turning with a look of positive anger. -“How you can do it!” - -“O I’m sorry. I didn’t remember. Isn’t Den better?” - -“Not remember! But you ought to remember. So without thought. It is -selfishness.” - -For Lucille to be seriously displeased with Roy was an event so new in -his experience, that Roy gazed with astonished eyes. - -“No matter,” interposed Denham. “Had a good time, Roy?” - -“I’ve seen lots of people. Den, I’m sorry, really. I didn’t mean----” - -“No, of course not. It’s all right.” - -“Where is my father?” Roy asked in a subdued voice. - -“Gone out--but ten minutes since,” said Lucille. “General Cunningham -sent to see him on business. And Colonel Baron has to go with him -somewhere, and cannot return soon. So dinner is put off till six.” - -“And mamma?” - -“Mrs. Baron had a call to pay in the same direction. Captain Ivor -thought he might get half-an-hour’s sleep. Roy, be good, I entreat. -Do not fidget, and knock over chairs, and talk, talk, talk, without -ending.” - -Roy nodded, and Lucille moved towards the door, adding, as she went, “I -also have to see someone, but I shall be back soon.” - -Roy sat down in a favourite attitude, facing the back of a chair, and -wondering what to do next. Would it be right to tell Denham what had -happened? Would it be wrong to put off telling? Curtis had enjoined him -to speak at once; but Curtis had not known the posture of affairs. The -matter might be of consequence, or it might not. Roy was disquieted, -but not seriously uneasy; and he hesitated to worry Denham without -cause. - -“Seen anybody?” asked Ivor. - -“Yes; numbers.” - -Then a break. - -“Found Curtis?” - -“Yes. And Carey too. Would you like to hear all about it?” - -“By-and-by, I think. It will keep.” - -Silence again, and Roy debated afresh. What if his action should mean -bringing Curtis into trouble? That thought had considerable weight. - -Three times he formed with his lips the preliminary “I say, Den!” and -three times he refrained. The third time some slight sound escaped him, -for Denham asked drowsily, “Anything you want?” - -“Lucille told me not to talk. Does it matter?” - -Ivor did not protest, as Roy had half hoped. He was evidently dropping -off, and Roy decided that a short delay was unavoidable. He took up -a volume that lay near; and, being no longer a book-hater, he became -absorbed in its contents. General Wirion, chips of wood, the Imperial -nose, and irate landladies, faded out of his mind. The matter was no -doubt a pity, but after all it meant only--so Roy supposed--a pull -upon his father’s purse. Boys are apt to look upon parental purses as -unlimited in depth. - -Denham was sound asleep, and Roy kept as motionless as any girl; not -that girls are always quiet. An hour passed; another half-hour; and he -began to grow restless. Might it be possible to slip away? - -Gruff voices and heavy trampling feet, in the hall below, broke into -the stillness, and Denham woke up. “This is lazy work,” he said -wearily. “Roy--here yet! What time is it?” - -“Nearly five. Dinner isn’t till six. Head any better?” - -“Yes. I’m wretched company for you to-day. Different to-morrow, I hope.” - -“You can’t help it. You’ve just got to get rested--that’s all. I say, -what a noise they are making downstairs. Frenchmen do kick up such a -rumpus about everything.” - -The door opened hurriedly, and Lucille came in, wearing still her -bonnet, as if just returned from a walk. - -“I am so sorry,” she said. “I do not know what it means, but I must -tell. I have no choice. O it surely must be a mistake, it cannot be -truly----” - -Lucille startled herself no less than her listeners by a sharp sob. She -caught Roy’s arm with both hands, holding him fast. “Roy--Roy--what is -it that you have done? O what have you done?” she cried. - -“Is it that bosh about the cast? O I know. They want to be paid, I -suppose. Lucille, Den has been asleep, and I’ve been as quiet as -anything--and then for you to come in like this! Den, you just keep -still, and I’ll go and speak to them. I’ll settle it all. I know my -father will pay.” - -“No, no, no--stay--you must not go,” panted Lucille. “Stay--it is the -gendarmes! And they come to arrest you--to take you away!” - -The word “gendarmes” acted as an electric shock, bringing Denham to his -feet in a moment. - -“What is it all about? I do not understand.” He touched Roy on the -shoulder, with an imperative--“Tell me.” - -“It was only--I’d have told you before, only I didn’t like to bother -you. It was at Curtis’. There was a bust of Boney on the mantelshelf, -and I just shied bits of wood at it, in fun. And I said ‘_À bas -Napoléon_,’ or something of that sort; and then I threw a ball, -and the idiotic thing tumbled down and broke into pieces. And the -landlady--she’s a regular out-and-out virago--happened that very -moment to come in, and she saw and heard. And she vowed she would tell -of it. Curtis tried to explain things away, and I offered to pay, -but she wouldn’t listen. She went on shrieking at us, and said it -was an insult to the Emperor, and Wirion should know of it. She’s a -Bonapartist--worse luck! Curtis made me hurry off, and said I was to -tell my father at once. But he was out, and you--you know----” with a -glance at Lucille, who wrung her hands, while Ivor said, - -“Roy, were you utterly mad?” - -“I--don’t know. Was it very stupid? Will it matter, do you think? I’m -sorry about you--most. I thought they would wait till to-morrow; but -I suppose they want me to go and pay directly. Is that it?” looking -towards Lucille. - -“No, no, no,” she answered, again wringing her hands. “It is to -take--to take Roy--to the citadel!” - -“To the citadel!” Roy opened his eyes. “O I say, what a farce! For -knocking down a wretched little image, not worth fifty sous!” - -“For breaking a bust of the Emperor, and for shouting--‘_À bas_----’” -Lucille could not finish. - -“You mean--that they will keep him there to-night?” Denham said. - -She looked at him with eyes that were almost wild with fear. -“Oui--oui--the citadel to-night! And to-morrow--they say--to Bitche.” - -“To--Bitche!” whispered Roy. He grew white, for that word was a sound -of terror in the ears of English prisoners, and his glance went in -appeal to Ivor. - -“Stay here, Roy. I will speak to them.” - -Ivor crossed the room with his rapid resolute stride, and went out, -meeting the gendarmes half-way downstairs. Lucille clutched Roy’s arm -again, half in reproach, half in protection. “Ah, my poor boy! mon -pauvre garçon! how could you? Ah, such folly! As if there were not -already trouble enough! Ah, my unhappy Roy!” - -“Shut up, Lucille! You needn’t jaw a fellow like that! It can’t mean -anything really, you know. Wirion just thinks he can screw a lot of -money out of my father. And that’s the worst of it,” declared Roy, in -an undertone. “I hate to have done such a stupid thing--and I hate the -worry of it for Den, just now when he’s like this. But you know they -couldn’t really send me to Bitche only for smashing a paltry image. It -would be ridiculous.” - -“Ah, Roy! even you little know--you--what it means to be under a -despot, such as--but one may not dare to speak.” - -Lucille’s tears came fast. They stood listening. From the staircase -rose loud rough voices, alternating with Ivor’s not loud but masterful -tones. That he was prisoner, and that they had power to arrest him too, -if they chose, made not a grain of difference in his bearing. It was -not defiant or excited, but undoubtedly it was haughty; and Lucille, -just able to see him from where she stood, found herself wondering--did -he wish to go to prison with Roy? She could almost have believed it. - -“Eh bien, messieurs. Since l’Empéreur sees fit to war with schoolboys, -so be it,” she heard him say sternly in his polished French. “To me, as -an Englishman, it appears that his Majesty might find a foe more worthy -of his prowess.” - -“But, ah, why make them angry?” murmured Lucille. - -A few more words, and Denham came back. One look at his face made -questions almost needless. - -“Then I am to go, Den?” - -“I fear--no help for it. The men have authority. You will have to spend -to-night in the citadel. But I am coming with you, and I shall insist -upon seeing Wirion himself.” - -“But you--you cannot! You are ill!” remonstrated Lucille. “Will not -Colonel Baron go? Not you.” - -He put aside the objection as unimportant. - -“Roy must take a few things with him--not more than he can carry -himself. I hope it may be only for the one night. They allow us twenty -minutes--not longer. That is a concession.” - -“I will put his things together for him,” Lucille said quickly. - -“One moment. May I beg a kindness?” - -“Anything in the world.” - -“If Colonel Baron does not return before we start--and he will -not--would you, if possible, find him, and beg him to come at once to -the citadel? Then, Mrs. Baron----” - -Ivor’s set features yielded slightly; for the thought of Roy’s mother -without her boy was hard to face. Lucille watched him with grieved eyes. - -“I will tell her, but not everything--not yet as to Bitche, for that -may be averted. I will stay with her--comfort her--do all that I am -able. Is this what you would ask?” - -“God bless you!” he said huskily, and she hurried away. - -“Den, must I go with those fellows really?” asked Roy, beginning to -understand what he had brought upon himself. “I never thought of that. -Can’t you manage to get me off? Won’t they let me wait--till my father -comes back?” - -“They will consent to no delay. He will follow us soon. And, Roy, I -must urge you to be careful what you say. Any word that you may let -slip without thinking will be used against you. I hoped that you had -learnt that lesson.” - -A listener, overhearing Denham with the gendarmes, might have -questioned whether he had learnt it himself; but Roy was in no -condition of mind to be critical. Dismay grew in his face. - -“And if you can’t get me off---- If I am sent to Bitche----” with -widening gaze. - -“If you are”--with much more of an effort than Roy could imagine--“then -you will meet it like a man. Whatever comes, you must be brave and true -through all. Keep up heart, and remember that it is only for a time. -And, my boy, never let yourself say or do what you would be ashamed to -tell your father.” - -“Or--you”--with a catch of his breath. - -“Or me!”--steadily. “Remember always that you are an Englishman--that -you are your father’s son--that you are my friend--and that your duty -to God comes first. For your mother’s sake, bear patiently. Don’t make -matters worse by useless anger. And--think how she will be praying for -you!” - -Denham could hardly say the words. Roy’s lips quivered. - -“Yes, I will! Only, if you could get me off!” - -“My dear boy, if they would take me in your stead----” - -“Den, I’m so sorry! I’m not frightened, you know--only it’s horrid to -have to go! Just when you’ve come and all! And it would have been so -jolly! And it’s such a bother for you, too! I do wish I hadn’t done it!” - -Ten minutes later the two started--Roy under the gendarme-escort, Ivor -keeping pace with them. - -Lucille then hastened away on her sorrowful mission, leaving a message -with old M. Courant, in case either Colonel or Mrs. Baron should return -during her absence--not the same message for Mrs. Baron as for the -Colonel. - -Half-an-hour’s search brought her into contact with the latter, and she -poured forth a breathless tale. Heavier and heavier grew the cloud upon -his face. He knew too well the uses that might be made of Roy’s boyish -escapade. At the sound of that dread word--“Bitche”--a grey shadow came. - -“Captain Ivor went with Roy to the citadel. He ought not--he has been -so suffering all day--but he would not let Roy go alone. And he asked, -would you follow them as soon as possible? For me, I will find Mrs. -Baron, and will stay with her.” - -The Colonel muttered words of thanks, and went off at his best speed. - -Would he and Captain Ivor be able to do anything? Would they even be -admitted to the presence of the autocratic commandant? Denham might -talk of insisting; but prisoners had no power to insist. If he did, he -might only be thrown into prison himself! Was that what he wanted--to -go with the boy? - -“Ah, j’espère que non!” Lucille muttered fervently. - -And if they were admitted, what then? Would money purchase Roy’s -immunity from punishment? General Wirion’s known cupidity gave some -ground for hope. Yet, would he neglect such an opportunity for -displaying Imperialist zeal? - -Lucille put these questions to herself as she flew homeward. On the way -she met little Mrs. Curtis, and for one moment stopped in response to -the other’s gesture. - -“Is it true?” Mrs. Curtis asked, with a scared look. “They tell me Roy -has been arrested. Is it so? My husband could do nothing. The landlady -was off before he could speak to her again. He thought that Roy and the -Colonel would be coming round directly, and so he waited in. But they -did not come. And now two gendarmes are quartered in our lodgings, and -Hugh may not stir without their leave. It is horrid! But--Roy?” - -“I cannot wait! Roy is taken to the citadel! I have to see to his -mother! Do not keep me, Madame.” And again Lucille sped homeward. - -As she had half hoped, half dreaded, she found Mrs. Baron indoors -before herself, alone in the salon, and uneasy at Captain Ivor’s -absence. - -“He ought not to have gone out,” she said. “He will be seriously ill -if he does not let himself rest. It is Roy’s doing, I suppose--so -thoughtless of Roy! I must tell Denham that I will not have him spoil -my boy in this way. It is not good for Roy, and Denham will suffer for -it. You do not know where he is gone?” - -“Oui!” faltered Lucille, and Mrs. Baron looked at her. - -“You have been crying! What is it?” - -As gently as might be, Lucille broke the news of what had happened; and -Mrs. Baron seemed stunned. Roy--her Roy--in the hands of the pitiless -gendarmes! Roy imprisoned in the citadel! Lucille made no mention of -Bitche; but too many prisoners had been passed on thither for the idea -not to occur to Mrs. Baron. - -“And it was I who brought him to France! It was I who would not let him -be sent home when he might have gone! O Roy, Roy!” she moaned. Lucille -had hard work to bring any touch of comfort to her. - -Hour after hour crept by. Once a messenger arrived with a pencil note -from Colonel Baron to his wife-- - -“Do not sit up if we are late. We are doing what we can. I cannot -persuade Denham to go back.” - -Not sit up! Neither Mrs. Baron nor Lucille could dream of doing -anything else. This suspense drew them together, and Lucille found -herself to be one with the Barons in their trouble. - -Nine o’clock, ten o’clock, and at length eleven o’clock. Soon after -came a sound of footsteps. Not of bounding, boyish steps. No Roy came -rushing gaily into the room. Lucille had found fault with him that -afternoon for his noisy impulsiveness; but now, from her very heart, -she would have welcomed his merry rush. Only Colonel Baron and Ivor -entered. - -The Colonel’s face was heavily overclouded, while Denham’s features -were rigid as iron, and entirely without colour. - -“Roy?” whispered Mrs. Baron. - -Deep silence answered the unspoken question. Colonel Baron stood with -folded arms, gazing at his wife. Denham moved two or three paces away, -and rested one arm on the back of a tall chair, as if scarcely able to -keep himself upright. - -“Roy!” repeated Mrs. Baron, her voice sharpened and thinned. “You have -not brought--Roy!” - -A single piercing laugh rang out. She stopped the sound abruptly with -one quick indrawing of her breath, and waited. - -Colonel Baron tried to speak, and no sound came. Denham remained -motionless, not even attempting to raise his eyes. - -“Oui!” Lucille said restlessly. “Il est--il est----” - -The Colonel managed a few short words. There was no possibility of -softening what had to be said. - -“To-night--the citadel. To-morrow--to Bitche!” - -“To Bitche!” echoed Lucille. “Ah-h!” - -To Bitche--that terrible fortress-prison, the nightmare of Verdun -prisoners! Their Roy to be sent to Bitche! Mrs. Baron swayed slightly -as if on the verge of fainting. Roy, her petted and idolised -darling--her boy, so tenderly cared for--to be hurried away to Bitche! - -Lucille hardly could have told which of the two she was watching with -the more intense attention--Mrs. Baron, stunned and wordless, or -Denham, with his fixed still face of suffering. - -“And nothing--nothing--can be done?” she asked. - -“We have tried everything!” the Colonel answered gloomily.[1] - - -(_To be continued._) - -[1] Actual fact: A young fellow at Verdun, prisoner on parole, was -closely imprisoned for knocking down a bust of the Emperor in his -lodgings. - - - - -A RAMBLE ABOUT CHILDHOOD. - -BY MRS. MOLESWORTH. - - -No true child-lover would maintain that all children are equally -lovable, or indeed, in some--though, I think, rare instances--lovable -at all. - -But in this, speaking for myself, I detect no inconsistency, no -falsity to one’s colours. For the qualities or deficiencies which -make a child unlovable may be summed up in one word; they are such as -make it unchildlike. And this, not necessarily, if at all, as regards -a child’s mental qualities. It is the moral side of child-nature -that attracts--the heart, the spirit. For painful as it is to meet -with precocity of mind in some instances, especially the precocity -of the kind forced upon the children of the poor not unfrequently, -this, unchildlike as it is, is by no means incompatible with -great sweetness and beauty of the moral character, great power of -affection, delightful candour, even that most exquisite of childlike -possessions--trustfulness. - -Yes, the root of a child’s nature, the essential groundwork of it, to -be lovely and lovable, must be childlike. But a literal meaning must be -given to the pretty adjective. I would not even altogether eliminate -from it certain qualities which might, strictly speaking, be perhaps -more correctly described as _childish_, seeing that if we limited -the word too narrowly, we should lose others of the great charms of -children, their queer, delightful inconsistencies and exaggerations, -their quaint originality, their grotesque imaginings, all of which, in -more or less degree, a real child, even a dull or stupid one, possesses. - -Take, for example, the unconscious egoism, almost amounting, logically -speaking, to “arrogance,” of most children. The world, nay, the -universe, is their own little life and surroundings; their house and -family are the rules, the proper thing, all others exceptions. It is -not, in most instances, till childhood is growing into a phase of the -past, that the sense of comparison is really developed, or that the -young creatures take in that other circumstances or conditions besides -their own may be what _should_ be, that they themselves do not hold a -monopoly of the model existence. - -There is something pretty as well as absurd in this--to my mind, at -least, in certain directions, something almost sacred, which it would -be desecration to touch with hasty or careless fingers; which, one -almost grieves to know, must pass, like all illusions, however sweet -and innocent, when its day is over. - -To recall some recollections of my own childish beliefs--if the egotism -may be pardoned, on the ground that one’s own experiences of this -nature cannot but be the most trustworthy. I often smile to myself, -with the smile “akin to tears,” when I look back to some of the faiths, -the first principles, of my earliest years. - -Foremost among these was the belief in the absolute perfection of -my father and mother. I thought that they could not do wrong, that -they knew _everything_. I remember feeling extremely surprised and -perplexed on some occasions when, having involuntarily--for I, -like most children, but seldom expressed or alluded to my deepest -convictions--allowed this creed of mine to escape me, the subjects of -it--though not without a smile--endeavoured tenderly to correct my -estimate of them. - -“There are many, many things I do not know about, my little girl,” my -father would say, adding once, I remember--for this remark impressed -me greatly--“I only know enough to begin to see that I am exceedingly -ignorant.” And my mother was even more emphatic in her deprecation of -our nursery fiat that “mamma was quite, quite good.” - -Not that these protestations shook our faith. In my own case I know -that the unconscious arrogance with regard to family conditions -extended to ludicrous details. I thought that the Christian names of -my parents were the only correct ones for papas and mammas; I believed -that the order in which we children stood--there were six of us, boy, -girl, boy, girl, boy, girl--was the appointed order of nature, that all -deviation from these and other particulars of the kind was abnormal and -incorrect, and I viewed with condescending pity the playmates whose -brothers and sisters were wrongly arranged, or whose parents suffered -under “not right” names. - -Gradually, of course, these queer, childish “articles of belief” -faded--melted away in the clearer vision of experience and developing -intellect. But they left a something behind them which I should be -sorry to be without; and they left too, I think, a certain faculty -of penetration into infant inner life, which circumstances have -shown themselves kindly in preserving and deepening. I have learnt to -feel since that nearly all children have their own odd and original -theories of things, though many forget, as life advances, to remember -about their own childhood’s beliefs and imaginings. And this is not -unnatural, when we take into account the rarity and difficulty of -obtaining a child’s full confidence, for uncommunicated, unexpressed -thoughts are apt to die away from want of word-clothing. One really -learns more about children from the revelations of grown-up men and -women who “remember,” and have cherished their remembrances, than from -the children of the moment themselves. - -Still, queer ideas crop out to others sometimes. Not often--if it -happened oftener we should be less struck by their oddity, by their -grotesque originality. A few which, in some instances, not without -difficulty and the exertion of some amount of diplomacy, I have -succeeded in extracting--no, that is not the right word for a matter -of such fairylike delicacy--in drawing out, as the bee draws the honey -from the tiny flowers--occur to me as I write, and may be worth mention. - -A small boy of my acquaintance, after a fit of extreme penitence for -some little offence against his grandmother, whom he was very fond of, -added to his “so very sorry,” “never do it again, never, never,” the -unintelligible assurance, “I will be always good to you, dear little -granny, always; and when you have to go round all the houses, I’ll see -that our cook gives you lots and lots of scraps--very nice ones--and -nice old boots and shoes, and everything you want. I’ll even”--with a -burst of enthusiastic devotion--“I’ll even go round with you my own -self.” - -Grandmother expressed her sense of the intended good offices, but -gingerly, with my assistance, set to work to find out what the little -fellow meant--what in the world he had got into his head; and it was -no easy task, I can assure you. But at last we succeeded. It appeared -that the confusion in the boy’s mind arose from the, in a sense, double -meaning of the word “old.” He associated it, naturally enough, with the -idea of poverty, material worthlessness, in conjunction with that of -age and long-livedness. Every human being, he believed, had to descend, -“when you gets very old,” to a state of beggardom; his dear granny, -like everybody else, would have to wander from door to door with a -piteous tale of want; but from his door she should never be repulsed; -nay indeed, he himself would take her by the hand and lead her on the -painful round. Nor did he murmur at this strange order of things; to -him it was a “has-to-be,” accepted like the darkness that follows the -day; like the gradual out-at-toe condition of his own little worn-out -shoes; and I greatly doubt if our carefully-worded explanation of his -mistake carried real conviction with it. I strongly suspect that he -remained on the look-out for granny in her new _rôle_ for a good many -months, or even years, to come. - -Some other curious childish beliefs recur to my memory. I knew a little -girl who cherished as an undoubted article of faith a legend--how -originated who can say?--perhaps suggested by some half poetical talk -of her elders about the aging year, the year about to bid us farewell -and so on, perhaps entirely evolved out of her own fantastic little -brain--that on the 31st of December the “old year” took material human -form and strolled about the world in the guise of an aged man, though -unrecognised by the uninitiated crowd. She had the habit on this day -of taking up her quarters in a corner of the deep, old-fashioned -window-sill of her nursery, and there, in patient silence, gazing down -into the street till Mr. Old-year should have passed by. Nor were her -hopes disappointed. She always caught sight of him and nodded her own -farewell, unexpectful of any response. - -“He couldn’t say good-bye to everybody; he wouldn’t have time,” was her -explanation to the little sister to whom she at last confided her odd -fancy, and through whose indiscretion it leaked out to the rest of the -nursery group. - -“But how do you know him?” she was asked. “Is he always dressed the -same?” - -“Oh, no,” was the reply, “he sometimes wears a black coat and sometimes -a brown; and one year he had a blue one with brass buttons. That was -the first year I saw him, and I have never missed him since. He has -always white hair, and he walks slowly, looking about him. I always -know him, almost as well as you’d know Santa Claus if he came along the -street, though, of course, he never does. _He_ comes down chimneys, and -I don’t think children ever do see him, for they’re always asleep.” - -The little woman was, wisely I think, left undisturbed in her innocent -fancy. How many more times she ensconced herself in her window on the -31st of December I cannot say. The belief in the poor Old-year’s lonely -wandering interested her for the time and did her no harm, then gently -faded, to be revived perhaps as a story of “When mother was a little -girl,” when mother came to have little girls of her own to beg for her -childish reminiscences. - -This personification of abstract ideas is a peculiarity, a speciality -of children, as it was no doubt of the children of the world’s -history--our remote ancestors. And I have noticed that among abstract -ideas that of _time_ has a particular fascination for imaginative -little people. Many years ago I happened to be staying in a country -house when a group of children arrived from town to spend their summer -holiday with the uncle and aunt to whom it belonged. Entering the -room where these little sisters were quartered, early in the morning -after their journey, I was surprised to find the trio wide awake, -each sitting up in her cot, in absolute silence as if listening for -something. - -I too stood silent and still for a minute or two, till yielding to -curiosity I turned to the nearest bed, which happened to be that of the -youngest, a girl of five or six. - -“What is it, Francie?” I inquired. “Are you trying to hear the church -bells”--for it was Sunday morning--“or what?” - -With perfect seriousness she turned to me as she replied-- - -“No, auntie dear. We are listening to _time passing_. We can always -hear it when we first come to the country. In London there is too much -noise. Meg”--her mature sister of ten--“taught us about it. So we -always try to wake early the first morning on purpose to hear it.” - -Another friend of mine, now an elderly, if not quite an old, woman, -had a curious fancy when a very young child, in connection with which -there is a pretty anecdote of the poet Wordsworth, which may make the -story worth relating. This little girl believed that during the night -before a birthday a miraculous amount of “growing” was done, and on the -morning on which her elder brother attained the age of six, she, his -junior by two years, flew into the nursery when he was being dressed, -expecting to see a marvellous transformation. But--to her immense -disappointment--there stood her dear Jack looking precisely as he had -done when she bade him good-night the evening before. Maimie’s feelings -were too much for her. - -“Oh, Jack,” she cried, bursting into tears, “why haven’t you growed -big? I thought you’d be kite a big boy this morning.” - -Jack and nurse stared at her. I am afraid they called her a silly girl, -but however that may have been, her disappointment was vivid enough for -the remembrance of it to have lasted through well nigh half a century, -and her tears flowed on. Just then came a tap at the door, followed by -the entrance of the cook, a north countrywoman and a great favourite -with the children. A glance at her showed Maimie that she was weeping, -and when their old friend threw her arms around the little people, and -kissed them, amidst her sobs Maimie felt certain that the source of her -grief was the same as of her own. - -“Is you crying ’cos Jack hasn’t growed for his birthday?” asked the -little girl. But Hannah shook her head. - -“I don’t know what you mean, my sweet one,” said the old woman. “I’m -crying because I’ve got to leave you. This very morning I’m going, and -I’ve come to say good-bye.” - -This startling announcement checked Maimie’s tears, or if they flowed -again it was from a different cause. - -“Oh, dear Hannah,” the two exclaimed, “why must you go if it makes you -so unhappy? Doesn’t mamma want you to stay?” - -“Oh, yes, dearie,” was the reply, “but it’s my duty to go to my old -mistress. She’s ill now and sad, and she thinks Hannah can nurse her -better than anyone else.” - -So with tender farewells to the children she was never to see again, -poor Hannah went her way. - -Her “old mistress” was Miss Dorothy Wordsworth. And though Jack and -Maimie never saw the faithful servant any more, they heard from, or -rather of, her before long. For only a few weeks had passed when one -morning the postman brought a small parcel directed to themselves, and -a letter to Jack, Hannah’s particular pet. The letter and the addresses -were in a queer, somewhat shaky hand-writing, that of Mr. Wordsworth -himself, now an aged man, for it was within a few years of his death; -the parcel contained a tempting-looking volume, bound in red and -gold--“Selections for the young”--of the laureate’s poems, with Jack’s -name inscribed therein, and even more gratifying, from the kindly -thoughtfulness it displayed, a little silk neckerchief in tartan--the -children’s own tartan, for they belonged to a Scotch clan--for Maimie. -And the letter, written to the old servant’s dictation, for she could -not write herself, told of her consultation with her master as to the -most appropriate presents to choose for her little favourites. - -Almost more touching than the trustfulness of children is their -extraordinary endurance--a quality often, I fear, carried to a painful -and even dangerous point. It has its root, I suspect, in their innate -trust, their belief that whatever their elders deem right must be so; -also perhaps, in a certain almost fatalistic acceptance of things as -they are. But on few subjects connected with childhood have I felt more -strongly than on this. No parent is justified in “taking for granted” -the moral qualifications, even the suitability of the persons in charge -of their little boys and girls, however unexceptionable may be the -references and recommendations they bring. It takes tact and gives -trouble, but it is among the first of the duties of mothers especially -to make sure on such points for themselves. For besides their trust -in their elders and their natural resignation to the conditions about -them, there is an extreme sense of loyalty in most children, a horror -of “tell-taling,” such as are often far too slightly appreciated or -taken into account. - -As these remarks are professedly a “ramble” I may be forgiven for -reverting to that beautiful trustfulness, by relating an incident -which, though trivial in the extreme, has never faded from my memory. -We were returning, late at night, or so at least it seemed to me, from -some kind of juvenile entertainment at Christmas time. It was a stormy -evening; I was a very little girl, and since infancy, high wind has -always frightened me, and that night it was blowing fiercely. I was -already trembling, when the carriage suddenly stopped. My father at -once sprang out, for there was no second man on the box; there was -nothing wrong, only the coachman’s hat had blown off! He got down and -ran back for it, and my father replaced him and drove on slowly, for -the wind had made the horse restless. - -“Oh, mamma,” I exclaimed, “I am so frightened. The coachman has gone -away.” - -“Yes, darling,” said my mother, “but don’t you see papa is driving?” - -I shall never forget the impression of absolute comfort and -fearlessness that came over me at her words. - -“Papa is driving,” I repeated to myself. “We are quite, quite safe.” - -And all through the many years since that winter night, the impression -has never faded; often and often it has returned to me as a suggestion -of the essential beauty of trust, the germ of the “perfect love” -towards which we strive. - -Not _a propos_ of the foregoing reminiscences, yet not, I hope, _mal -a propos_ in a roundabout paper, two anecdotes of a different kind, -of children, recur to me, showing the odd directions that their -cogitations sometimes take. - -A little boy of my acquaintance, partly perhaps from nervousness, was -subject to violent fits of crying, most irritating and perplexing to -deal with. Once started--often by some absurdly trivial cause--there -was literally no saying when Charley would leave off. One day, after an -unusually long and exhausting attack, to his mother’s great relief, the -floods gave signs of abating; she left the room to fetch him a glass of -water. On her return the sobs had subsided. - -“Oh, Charley,” she said, with natural but ill-advised expression of her -feelings, “you have really worn me out. If ever you have children of -your own, who cry like you, I hope you will remember your poor mother.” - -Forthwith, to her dismay, the wails and tears burst out again, and it -was not till some time had elapsed that the child would listen to her -repeated inquiries as to what in the world he was crying for now. At -last came the little looked-for reply. - -“It wasn’t because of this morning,” (what had started the fit I do -not remember) “I’d left off crying about that. It was you thinking I -would bring up my children so badly.” - -Anecdote No. 2 relates to a more exalted personage than Master Charley. - -Several years ago I was gratified by hearing from a friend then -resident in Italy and acquainted with the Court circle, that one of my -earliest books for children, _Carrots_, had found great favour in the -eyes of the young Crown Prince, then a mere boy. His exact sentiments -on the subject were conveyed to me in a letter written at his request. -The story had amused and interested him at a moment when he was -specially in want of entertainment, for it was just at the date of the -death of his grandfather, the great Victor Emanuel, and his little -namesake had not been allowed to go out riding or driving as usual for -several days. He did not know how he would have passed the time but for -_Carrots_, he said. He wished Mrs. Molesworth to know this, and he also -wished to make a request to her. Would she write another book as soon -as possible--(not, as one might have expected, of further details of my -little hero’s boyhood, but)--to tell how “Carrots” brought up his own -children when he became a big man and was married! - - - - -ABOUT PEGGY SAVILLE. - -BY JESSIE MANSERGH (Mrs. G. de Horne Vaizey), Author of “Sisters -Three,” etc. - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -“Something has happened! Something terrible has happened to the child! -And she was left in our charge. We are responsible. Oh, if any harm has -happened to Peggy, however, ever, ever, can I bear to live and send the -news to her parents----” - -“My dearest, you have done your best; you could not have been kinder or -more thoughtful. No blame can attach to you. Remember that Peggy is in -higher hands than yours. However far from us she may be, she can never -stray out of God’s keeping. It all seems very dark and mysterious, -but----” - -At this moment a loud rat-tat-tat sounded on the knocker, and with one -accord the hearers darted into the hall and stood panting and gasping -while Arthur threw open the door. - -“Telegram, sir!” said a sharp, young voice, and the brown envelope -which causes so much agitation in quiet households was thrust forward -in a small cold hand. Arthur looked at the address and handed it to the -Vicar. - -“It is for you, sir, but it cannot possibly be anything about----” - -Mr. Asplin tore open the envelope, glanced over the words, and -broke into an exclamation of amazement. “It is! It is from Peggy -herself!--‘Euston Station. Returning by 10.30 train. Please meet me at -twelve o’clock.--Peggy.’ What in the world does it mean?” He looked -round the group of anxious faces, only to see his own expression of -bewilderment repeated on each in turn. - -“Euston! Returning! She is in London. She is coming back from town!” -“She ran away to London, to-night when she was so happy, when Arthur -had just arrived! Why? Why? Why?” “She must have caught the seven -o’clock train.” “She must have left the house almost immediately after -going upstairs to dress for dinner.” “Oh, father, why should she go to -London?” - -“I am quite unable to tell you, my dear,” replied the Vicar drily. He -looked at his wife’s white, exhausted face, and his eyes flashed with -the “A-word-with-you-in-my-study” expression, which argued ill for Miss -Peggy’s reception. Mrs. Asplin, however, was too thankful to know of -the girl’s safety to have any thought for herself. She began to smile, -with the tears still running down her face, and to draw long breaths of -relief and satisfaction. - -“It’s no use trying to guess at that, Millie dear. It is enough for -me to know that she is alive and well. We shall just have to try and -compose ourselves in patience until we hear Peggy’s own explanation. -Let me see! There is nearly an hour before you need set out. What can -we do to pass the time as quickly as possible?” - -“Have some coffee, I should say! None of us have had too much dinner, -and a little refreshment would be very welcome after all this strain,” -said Arthur, promptly, and Mrs. Asplin eagerly welcomed the suggestion. - -“That’s what I call a really practical proposal! Ring the bell, dear, -and I will order it at once. I am sure we shall all have thankful -hearts while we drink it.” She looked appealingly at Mr. Asplin as she -spoke, but there was no answering smile on his face. The lines down his -cheeks looked deeper and grimmer than ever. - -“Oh, goody, goody, goodness, aren’t I glad I am not Peggy!” sighed -Mellicent to herself, while Arthur Saville pursed his lips together, -and thought, “Poor little Peg! She’ll catch it. I’ve never seen the -dominie look so savage. This is a nice sort of treat for a fellow who -has been ordered away for rest and refreshment! I wish the next two -hours were safely over.” - -Wishing unfortunately, however, can never carry us over the painful -crises of our lives. We have to face them as best we may, and Arthur -needed all his cheery confidence to sustain him during the damp walk -which followed, when the Vicar tramped silently by his side, his shovel -hat pulled over his eyes, his mackintosh coat flapping to and fro in -the wind. - -They reached the station in good time, and punctually to the minute the -lights of the London express were seen in the distance. The train drew -up, and among the few passengers who alighted the figure of Peggy, in -her scarlet trimmed hat, was easily distinguished. She was assisted -out of the carriage by an elderly gentleman, in a big travelling coat, -who stood by her side as she looked about for her friends. As Mr. -Asplin and Arthur approached, they only heard his hearty, “Now you are -all right!” and Peggy’s elegant rejoinder, “Exceedingly indebted to you -for all your kindness!” Then he stepped back into the carriage, and she -came forward to meet them, half shy, half smiling, “I--I am afraid that -you----” - -“We will defer explanations, Mariquita, if you please, until we reach -home. A fly is waiting. We will return as quickly as possible,” said -the Vicar frigidly, and the brother and sister lagged behind as he led -the way out of the station, gesticulating and whispering together in -furtive fashion. - -“Oh, you Peggy! _Now_ you have done it! No end of a row!” - -“Couldn’t help it! So sorry. Had to go. Stick to me, Arthur, whatever -you do!” - -“Like a leech! We’ll worry through somehow. Never say die!” Then the -fly was reached, and they jolted home in silence. - -Mrs. Asplin and the four young folks were sitting waiting in the -drawing-room, and each one turned an eager, excited face towards the -doorway as Peggy entered, her cheeks white, but with shining eyes, and -hair ruffled into little ends beneath the scarlet cap. Mrs. Asplin -would have rushed forward in welcome, but a look in her husband’s face -restrained her, and there was a deathlike silence in the room as he -took up his position by the mantelpiece. - -“Mariquita,” he said slowly, “you have caused us to-night some hours -of the most acute and painful anxiety which we have ever experienced. -You disappeared suddenly from among us, and until ten o’clock, when -your telegram arrived, we had not the faintest notion as to where you -could be. The most tragic suspicions came to our minds. We have spent -the evening in rushing to and fro, searching and inquiring in all -directions. Mrs. Asplin has had a shock from which, I fear, she will -be some time in recovering. Your brother’s pleasure in his visit has -been spoiled. We await your explanation. I am at a loss to imagine any -reason sufficiently good to excuse such behaviour; but I will say no -more until I have heard what you have to say.” - -Peggy stood like a prisoner at the bar, with hanging head and hands -clasped together. As the Vicar spoke of his wife, she darted a look at -Mrs. Asplin, and a quiver of emotion passed over her face. When he had -finished she drew a deep breath, raised her head and looked him full in -the face with her bright, earnest eyes. - -“I am sorry,” she said slowly. “I can’t tell you in words how sorry I -am. I know it will be difficult, but I hope you will forgive me. I was -thinking what I had better do while I was coming back in the train, -and I decided that I ought to tell you everything, even though it is -supposed to be a secret. Robert will forgive me, and it is Robert’s -secret as much as mine. I’ll begin at the beginning. About five weeks -ago Robert saw an advertisement of a prize that was offered by a -magazine. You had to make up a calendar with quotations for every day -in the year, and the person who sent in the best selection would get -thirty pounds. Rob wanted the money very badly to buy a microscope, -and he asked me to help him. I was to have ten pounds for myself if we -won, but I didn’t care about that. I just wanted to help Rob. I said I -would take the money, because I knew if I didn’t he would not let me -work so hard, and I thought I would spend it in buying p--p--presents -for you all at Christmas.”--Peggy’s voice faltered at this point, and -she gulped nervously several times before she could go on with her -story.--“We had to work very hard, because the time was so short. -Robert had not seen the advertisement until it had been out some -time. I printed the headings on the cards; that is why I sat so much -in my own room. The last fortnight I have been writing every morning -before six o’clock. Oh, you can’t think how difficult it was to get it -finished, but Robert was determined to go on; he thought our chance was -very good, because he had found some beautiful extracts, and translated -others, and the pages really looked pretty and dainty. The MS. had to -be in London this morning; if it missed the post last night all our -work would have been wasted, and at the very last Lady Darcy took Rob -away with her, and I was left with everything to finish. I _may_ have -slept a little bit the last two nights; I did lie down for an hour or -two, and I _may_ have had a doze, but I don’t think so! I wrote the -last word this morning after the breakfast-bell had rung, and I made -up the parcel at twelve o’clock. I thought of going out and posting -it then; of course, that is what I should have done, but”--her voice -trembled once more--“I was so tired! I thought I would give it to the -postman myself, and that would do just as well. I didn’t put it with -the letters because I was afraid someone would see the address and ask -questions, and Rob had said that I was to keep it a secret until we -knew whether we had won. I left the parcel on my table. Then Arthur -came! I was so happy--there was so much to talk about--we had tea--it -seemed like five minutes. Everyone was amazed when we found it was -time to dress, but even then I forgot all about the calendar. I only -remembered that Arthur was here, and was going to stay for four days, -and all the way upstairs I was saying to myself, ‘I’m happy, I’m happy; -oh, I _am_ happy!’ because, you know, though you are so kind, you have -so many relations belonging to you whom you love better than me, and -my own people are all far away, and sometimes I’ve been very lonely! I -thought of nothing but Arthur, and then I opened the door of my room, -and there, before my eyes, was the parcel; Rob’s parcel that he had -trusted to me--that I had solemnly promised--to post in time----” - -She stopped short, and there was a gasp of interest and commiseration -among the listeners. Peggy caught it; she glanced sharply at the -Vicar’s face, saw its sternness replaced by a momentary softness, and -was quick to make the most of her opportunity. Out flew the dramatic -little hand, her eyes flashed, her voice thrilled with suppressed -excitement. - -“It lay there before my eyes, and I stood and looked at it ... I -thought of nothing, but just stood and stared. I heard you all come -upstairs, and the doors shut, and Arthur’s voice laughing and talking; -but there was only one thing I could remember--I had forgotten Rob’s -parcel, and he would come back, and I should have to tell him, and see -his face! I felt as if I were paralysed, and then suddenly I seized -the parcel in my hands, and flew downstairs. I put on my cap and cloak -and went out into the garden. I didn’t know what I was going to do, -but I was going to do something! I ran on and on, through the village, -down towards the station. I knew it was too late for the post office, -but I had a sort of feeling that if I were at the station something -might be done. Just as I got there a train came in, and I heard the -porter call out ‘London express.’ I thought--no! I did not think at -all--I just ran up to a carriage and took a seat, and the door banged -and away we went. The porter came and asked for my ticket, and I had a -great deal of trouble to convince him that I had only really come from -here, and not all the way. There was an old lady in the carriage, and -she told him that it was quite true, for she had seen me come in. When -we went off again, she looked at me very hard, and said, ‘Are you in -trouble, dear?’ and I said, ‘Yes I am, but oh, please don’t talk to -me! Do please leave me alone!’ for I had begun to realise what I had -done, and that I couldn’t be back for hours and hours, and that you -would all be so anxious and unhappy. I think I was as miserable as you -were when I sent off that telegram. I posted the parcel in London, and -went and sat in the waiting-room. I had an hour and a half to wait, -and I was wretched, and nervous, and horribly hungry. I had no money -left but a few coppers, and I was afraid to spend them and have nothing -left. It seemed like a whole day, but at last the train came in, and I -saw a dear old gentleman with white hair standing on the platform. I -took a fancy to his appearance, so I walked up to him, and bowed and -said, ‘Excuse me, sir, I find myself in a dilemma! Will you allow me to -travel in the same carriage as yourself?’ He was most agreeable. He -had travelled all over the world, and talked in the most interesting -fashion, but I could not listen to his conversation. I was too unhappy. -Then we arrived, and Mr. Asplin called me ‘M--M--Mariquita!’ and -w--wouldn’t let you kiss me----” - -Her voice broke helplessly this time, and she stood silent, with -quivering lip while sighs and sobs of sympathy echoed from every side. -Mrs. Asplin cast a glance at her husband, half defiant, half appealing, -met a smile of assent, and rushed impetuously to Peggy’s side. - -“My darling! I’ll kiss you now. You see we knew nothing of your -trouble, dear, and we were so very, very anxious. Mr. Asplin is not -angry with you any longer, are you, Austin? You know now that she had -no intention of grieving us, and that she is truly sorry----” - -“I never thought--I never thought--” sobbed Peggy; and the Vicar gave a -slow, kindly smile. - -“Ah, Peggy, that is just what I complain about. You don’t think, dear, -and that causes all the trouble. No, I am not angry any longer. I -realise that the circumstances were peculiar, and that your distress -was naturally very great. At the same time, it was a most mad and -foolish thing for a girl of your age to rush off by rail, alone, and -at nighttime, to a place like London. You say that you had only a few -coppers left in your purse. Now suppose there had been no train back -to-night, what would you have done? It does not bear thinking of, my -dear, or that you should have waited alone in the station for so long, -or thrown yourself on strangers for protection. What would your parents -have said to such an escapade?” - -Peggy sighed, and cast down her eyes. “I think they would have been -cross too. I am sure they would have been anxious, but I know they -would forgive me when I was sorry, and promised that I really and -truly would try to be better and more thoughtful! They would say, -‘Peggy, dear, you have been sufficiently punished! Consider yourself -absolved!...’” - -The Vicar’s lips twitched, and a twinkle came into his eye. “Well, -then, I will say the same! I am sure you have regretted your hastiness -by this time, and it will be a lesson to you in the future. For -Arthur’s sake, as well as your own, we will say no more on the subject. -It would be a pity if his visit were spoiled. Just one thing, Peggy, to -show you that, after all, grown-up people are wiser than young ones, -and that it is just as well to refer to them now and then, in matters -of difficulty! Has it ever occurred to you that the mail went up to -London by the very train in which you yourself travelled, and that by -giving your parcel to the guard it could still have been put in the -bag? Did not that thought never occur to your wise little brain?” - -Peggy made a gesture as of one heaping dust and ashes on her head. “I -never did,” she said, “not for a single moment! And I thought I was so -clever! I am covered with confusion!” - -(_To be continued._) - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: WILD ROBIN AND OAK-LEAF.] - - * * * * * - - - - -LINNÆA; - -THE STORY OF A FRIENDSHIP. - - -CHAPTER I. - - “What a thing friendship is, world without end!”--_Browning._ - -Yes, Linnæa March was the dunce of the school. She was neither -pretty nor attractive, nor did she seem to wish to be either. Nobody -understood Linnæa. She made friends with no one, and no one made -friends with her. Even the teachers said she was a girl nothing could -be done with, and concluded to leave her alone. - -One new governess, Miss Golding, had brought a look of interest to the -girl’s face over a story of Indian life, and had determined to follow -up her advantage and make friends with this solitary pupil; but her -next advance had been met with such decided coldness that Miss Golding -went over to the opinion of the other teachers, that “it was best to -leave Linnæa March alone.” - -The truth of the matter was that Linnæa had overheard a remark from -the lips of the wit of the school--“Golding is trying to cultivate the -March hare. Don’t you wish she may succeed?” This name had been given -her by the same girl, Marion Edwards, very soon after she came to -school. Marion was not a girl who actually meant to be unkind, but she -had a ready tongue, and, when she saw a chance to make a witty remark, -did not trouble herself to consider anyone’s feelings. - -How cruel schoolgirls are to each other without knowing it! And these -were not hard-hearted girls--some of them developed into the very -sweetest and best of women. Had they known or thought what a lonely -life Linnæa had had, they might have taken more trouble to approach -her; but it was the fashion of the school to shun her, and she -certainly gave no one any encouragement to do otherwise. - -No one came into Linnæa’s cubicle to discuss some little bit of gossip -before going to bed; no one gave a playful tap on the wooden partition, -which divided her room from the next, as was done to everyone else now -and then. Friends kissed each other when they met in the morning; no -one dreamed of kissing Linnæa, unless it was the governesses, who did -it to all as a matter of form. - -Did she miss it, do you ask? - -She said vehemently to herself over and over again that she did -not--she loved none of them, and wanted nobody’s love. Nobody knew it, -nobody suspected it, but--ah, what a wealth of love lay dormant in that -lonely heart!--what a hungering after affection that seemed doomed to -be for ever denied! - -She nursed and fostered an intense love for the mother she had never -seen, unless in babyhood. She had been born in India, where her parents -still were, and her mother had been so ill for a long time after -the birth that it had been deemed wise to send the delicate baby of -eighteen months home to England to be brought up by a maiden aunt, as, -in any case, she must very soon, like all Anglo-Indian children, leave -the trying climate. Thus Linnæa could not remember the face of her -mother, but she cherished a photograph of her, and her letters were the -bright spots in an otherwise colourless life. - -Miss March had no love for the child committed to her care, and made -no pretence of any. Her comfort and training were strictly looked -after--no suspicion of neglect could be breathed--but the love which -is necessary to the happiness of a child’s life was a-wanting. - -“Such a very unattractive child!” Miss March described her to her -acquaintances, even at times in the presence of the little girl, so -that she grew up with the idea firmly rooted in her mind that she -was plain, stupid, and that no one cared for her. Companions she had -none--in fact, was not allowed to have--for her aunt could not tolerate -any noise or disorder in her well-regulated house. Mrs. Sedley, the -Rector’s wife, had invited the solitary child to come and have a romp -with her lively boys and girls; but the invitation had been refused, -because Miss March could not think of having them at her house in -return. - -Mrs. Sedley’s motherly heart was glad when she heard it had been -decided that Linnæa should go to a boarding school. “She will have -companions now, poor child; and lead a much brighter life than she has -led here.” But the life she led now was little if any brighter than the -other had been. - -The first morning after her arrival in school Linnæa was introduced to -her companions by Miss Elder, the principal. - -“This is a new companion for you--Linnæa March. I hope you will all be -friendly to her as she is a stranger yet.” - -Plainly dressed to severity, her face more forbidding than usual from -the fact that she felt shy but would not show it, Linnæa sat on a chair -near the door, and the other girls did their duty by staring at her -unmercifully. - -One governess was in the room and, unfortunately, not a very judicious -one. After a few minutes had passed, she looked over at the newcomer -and said-- - -“Now, little girl, don’t look so sulky. You must put on a nice pleasant -face, so that your companions will like you.” - -It was an unhappy remark. Some of the more forward girls tittered, and -the forlorn, lonely child felt even more isolated and friendless than -she had felt in her aunt’s house. - -“Come away over here,” said the governess again, “and tell us how old -you are and where you come from.” - -“From the Ark, I should guess!” whispered one girl, who was supposed to -be witty by some--herself in particular. - -Linnæa was forthwith subjected to a string of small questions, which -she answered mostly in monosyllables. The whispered remark had been -overheard by the sensitive child, and her heart had begun to harden -towards girls and governess alike. - -Some of the pupils made advances at first, but Linnæa met them all with -a suspicion and distrust that chilled and disappointed. Therefore, -incredible as it may seem, at the age of sixteen, and after seven years -at Meldon Hall, Linnæa March was utterly without a friend in the school. - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE “NEW GIRL.” - -“And was her grandfather really an earl?” - -“And shall we have to call her Lady Gwendoline when we speak to her?” - -“I wonder what she is like; I am dying to see her!” - -“She is coming to-night; but perhaps Miss Elder won’t trot her out -until to-morrow.” - -What an excited hubbub was going on in Meldon Hall schoolroom. The -girls had been told that a new pupil would arrive that night. This -alone, in mid-term, would have been enough to arouse some interest, but -when it got abroad by some means or another that the importation was a -beauty, an heiress, and related to an earl, their excitement knew no -bounds. - -Marion Edwards, perched on the back of a chair, gave out what she had -heard, and a little more, to an admiring audience who took Marion’s -words for vastly more than they were worth. In every school there -are one or two leading spirits, and Meldon Hall had at present two -leaders--Marion Edwards and Edith Barclay. Edith was the clever, -studious girl of the school; and amongst those who were inclined to -be industrious, she was looked up to with great reverence. Marion was -handsome, rich, and had an aptitude for making witty remarks, which -made her at once admired and feared by her “set.” The two leaders -were quite friendly; they were in no wise rivals of each other, being -altogether different in disposition and aims. Edith loved study for -study’s sake, and had secret thoughts of entering a profession. Marion -cared nothing for her lessons, but easily managed to get along in a -superficial way; she was an only daughter and rich, and was looking -forward to entering society after she left school. Marion’s feelings -were divided between pleasure at the prospect of knowing a girl whose -grandfather was an earl, and a secret fear that this rich beauty might -want to queen it even over her, and that her set might forsake her for -the greater light. - -The only one who was really indifferent to the new arrival was Linnæa. -She had had her times of hidden excitement over an expected newcomer, -and vague longings that she might be “nice,” but these feelings -were over and done, with long ago. Successive disappointments had -embittered her, and now it was a matter of little moment to her who -came and went. This night she had a slight headache and felt tired of -her schoolfellows’ chatter and not inclined to face the introduction -of a new girl, proud and haughty, who would doubtless criticise her -looks and manners and set her down--as all the others had done--as -hopelessly unattractive. She therefore slipped quietly away to her room. - -“Oh, I do wish Miss Elder would bring her in to-night!” said one; -and, as if in response to her wish, the door opened and the principal -entered, followed by the new girl. - -“This is Miss Gwendoline Rivers,” said Miss Elder, introducing a few of -the girls who were nearest her by name. “I shall leave her with you for -twenty minutes, but after that she must go to bed, as she has come a -long way to-day.” - -Shyness was not one of the new pupil’s failings, and she asked more -questions than she answered. Soon she had found out all the rules and -regulations of the school, and had taken mental note of a few of the -characters around her. Report had been correct as far as her beauty -and wealth were concerned--her connection with the earl was a little -more remote--she was indeed a lovely girl. Her dark eyes were large and -lustrous, and her face had an almost southern richness of colouring. -Her appearance was aristocratic to a degree, and her clothes were -expensive and in the best of taste. - -[Illustration: THE DUNCE OF THE SCHOOL.] - -“Are you all here?” she said by-and-by, looking round on the group. - -“All except two. Alice Melrose is in bed with neuralgia, and Linnæa -March has retired for the night.” - -“And, pray, why has Linnæa March retired for the night? Had she not the -curiosity to wait up and see the newest thing in girls? I suppose she -knew I should arrive to-night, as you all did, and I know you were all -dying for me to put in an appearance so that you might deluge me with -questions. But I think I have got more out of you than you have out of -me. I find the only way to avoid too many questions is to ask a great -many yourself. Tell me about Miss March, please; I am quite excited. -What an outlandish name, too? She is altogether very mysterious!” - -“There is not much to tell about Linnæa March, as you will soon know. -You will find the best way is to leave her alone, for, as sure as fate, -she will not trouble herself about you, any more than she has about the -rest of us.” - -“But that is precisely what I never do! I never allow anyone to be -indifferent to me; they may hate me, if they please, but they shall not -be indifferent!” - -“You don’t know Linnæa. I don’t believe she knows what love and hate -are--love, at least; she might manage to hate you, perhaps!” - -“I shall make her love me then!” - -The girls laughed. There was something very fresh and original about -this young lady who spoke as if the world and anything in it were hers -for the asking. It was easily seen she had not been denied much during -her life, and most of them felt very much inclined to carry on the -spoiling process if only they might be termed friends of this beautiful -and determined young woman; for if there is anything young people -worship, it is determination. But to talk of making Linnæa March love -her was a little too absurd. - -“How long is it since this unimpressionable young lady left the -company? She won’t be in bed yet, will she? One of you go up to her -room and tell her the new girl wants to see her, and bring her down.” - -Really, this was most ridiculous! Who was to go and give this -extraordinary message to Linnæa March? As if to-morrow were not soon -enough to see her! Whoever went would not get a very great reception. - -“Has she a chum here?” - -“She has no chum at all.” - -“Then do you go!” said the imperious Miss Rivers, pointing to a -pleasant-looking girl beside her. “Listen to me,” said Gwendoline, when -the messenger had departed; “I mean to make this Linnæa March like me; -in fact, I mean to make her fall over head and ears in love with me, -and none of you must say a word to influence her in any way. I have -never yet made up my mind to do a thing that I have not done, and I -shall show you that I can do this.” - -The excitement of the school was aroused, and the girls awaited -with great interest the development of the comedy to be enacted in -their midst. Would it be a comedy or a tragedy? If, as she boasted, -Gwendoline Rivers were able to awaken the love which lay dormant in -that sensitive heart, woe to Linnæa if she should discover the motive -which had called it forth; it would run a chance of souring her whole -after life. - -After a few minutes the door opened and the messenger returned, -accompanied by Linnæa. - -“Now, you know, I don’t think it was nice of you to go off to bed -without waiting to see me!” said Gwendoline, advancing towards her with -a smile and holding out her hand. - -Linnæa’s sensitive face flushed. - -“I am sorry if I appeared rude,” she said; “I did not think of it.” - -“You will be forgiven this time; but”--looking serious--“I hope you -have not a headache; if so, I shall be sorry I brought you down.” - -“Oh, no, thank you! I am quite well. I often go up earlier than the -others.” - -“Well, I sha’n’t keep you down long, for I am going to bed myself. I -shall go up with you now and try if I can find my cubicle again.” - -Calling good-night to the others, Gwendoline slipped her arm through -Linnæa’s, and the two walked away in the direction of the stairs. - -“How strange it is, coming in amongst a lot of girls one has never seen -before! It is fortunate for me I am not shy, else, I suppose, I should -feel dreadfully put out. How long have you been here?” - -“Seven years.” - -“Seven years! Such a long time to be away from home!” - -“My father and mother are out in India. I shall go there when I am -finished with school.” - -“Oh, how splendid! I should love to go to India. I have a brother who -went out last year, and when I leave school I mean to pay him a visit. -Perhaps we may happen to go together. Wouldn’t that be nice? Is this -your cubicle? Horrid, bare places, aren’t they? I was warned about it -and brought some pictures and things with me; but I sha’n’t unpack them -to-night--I am too sleepy. Shall we say good-night, then? I somehow -think we shall be friends.” - -Gwendoline, as she spoke, leant over and kissed Linnæa on the cheek, -then ran away to find her bedroom. - -“Funny, quiet little thing!” said Gwendoline as she went. “I wonder if -I shall make good my words? She seemed almost workable to-night. I was -prepared to brave a few snubs to begin with.” - -And what about Linnæa? She did not begin to undress at once as usual. -Why was she so excited to-night? Something had come over her, and -it was nothing more nor less than a subtle magnetism towards this -beautiful girl who had taken more notice of her than of any of the -others--who had kissed her when she bade her good-night. Why had she -felt so wooden and stupid? Why had she not returned the kiss? What must -this girl think of her? - -She was in bed at last, but could not sleep. She seemed to feel the -kiss on her cheek and hear the voice saying they might be friends. -By-and-by, when sleep came, she dreamt that her father and mother -had come to school to take her home--the time she had looked forward -to through all the seven years--and she told them she wanted to stay -another year because Gwendoline had come. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH: AUNT OF THE QUEEN.[2] - - -The letters of a favourite daughter of George III., and an aunt of -the Queen, whose life extended through the eventful period 1770-1840, -make a book of great interest and permanent value. The period referred -to takes in some of the more momentous events in modern history--the -loss of the American colonies, the French Revolution, the battle of -Waterloo, and the fall of Napoleon--as well as various important -parliamentary movements at home. Letter-writing is now generally -supposed to be a lost art; but the Princess Elizabeth, as one who “ever -remained an Englishwoman to the backbone,” wrote letters of the genuine -old-time order to her confidante. She imposed wholesome restraint on -herself in days when party spirit was more violent than we can realise; -but being in fullest accord with her father, who aimed at personal -government, her sympathy was rather for the cause of “Church and King -than for that of reform and progress.” The Princess did not deal in -scandal, however, she was not a politician, and in other respects she -showed a delicacy of language not common in those times. - -In reference to his heroine, Mr. Yorke says that “the familiarity of -her style brings us all the closer to her, and the more familiar it -is the more intimate becomes our friendship for her. Sometimes it is -the case that where the style is most imperfect, there most appear -the individuality and originality of the Princess, and her portrait -drawn by herself must be of more value and interest to us than any -accuracy or polish of diction.” The Princess also loved her friends, -and this led her to write to them _con amore_, so that, as we read, “a -whiff of old times is breathed upon us.” She was in the best sense a -woman of her own times, one who inherited her father’s good qualities; -and during the ailments of youth she proved her good constitution by -surviving the medical treatment of the day. A girl of fifteen in these -days may still be liable to congestion of the lungs, but what would -she now say to being bled five times in forty-eight hours, to having -to take “emetics every other day,” and to having her “backbones rubbed -with musk?” In other respects the Princess seems to have been subjected -to very old-fashioned treatment. Even at the age of twenty-six she -was not allowed to read a book which her mother had not previously -examined. Nor does she appear to have possessed an income of her own -until she was forty-two years old. The Princess was six years older -when she married Frederick VI. of Hesse-Homburg. - -The attention which the Princess extended to certain of her chosen -friends, appears to have been quite extraordinary. Thus, Lady Harcourt, -wife of the second Earl, says: “Once, when I was ill and confined -to the house for six weeks, I received from her in that time 143 -letters.” The crosses of life, its joys and sorrows, with adventures -which vividly show how different those times were from our own, all in -turn come in for a share of attention. The journey between Windsor and -Weymouth was then a familiar one, and it was possible even for Royalty -to meet with rough adventures on the road. On October, 3, 1792, the -Princess writes: “Anything so disgusting as the breakfast at Woodgate’s -Inn, on the way from Weymouth, I thank God I never saw before and never -wish to see again. Bad butter, tea, coffee, bread, etc.; nothing to -eat but boiled eggs, which were so hard that I could not eat them. -So I returned to the carriage just as I got out--starved.” Anxieties -connected with public affairs and the wars gave far more serious -trouble, however. The brothers of the Princess, the Duke of York, and -the father of the present Duke of Cambridge, were with the army on the -Continent in the summer of 1793, and when news came that the heroes -were “within sixty yards of Valencienne,” their sister turned sick at -thought of the peril; but the Queen, their mother, showed “such an -uncommon share of fortitude,” that she would not even speak about it. -Still more alarming was the King’s being attacked by the mob when on -his way to open Parliament. A bullet even entered the royal carriage, -the street crowd following “in an insolent manner, moaning and -screaming.” In private the Queen cried over that adventure; “but I, who -naturally cry a great deal, scarcely shed a tear,” remarks Elizabeth. -“It was indeed very horrid,” she adds; “and my poor ears, I believe, -will never get the better of the groans I heard on the Thursday in the -Park, and my eyes of the sight of that mob!” A plot to murder the King, -and to attack the Tower, the Bank and the prisons, and on account of -which Colonel Despard and six others were executed, followed in 1801. -In May, 1810, the Duke of Cumberland was attacked while in bed by a -servant. “My brother, by all accounts, has been mercifully preserved -by the interference of a wise and good Providence, but sadly wounded,” -remarks the Princess; and then she adds, “We live in such a state of -constant anxiety, that upon my word when I rise in the morning I feel, -‘What will happen before night?’” - -Things happened beyond what were looked for, so hard and troublous -were the times; but the heaviest trials of the Royal family culminated -in the blindness and insanity of the King and in the death of the -Princess Charlotte in November, 1817. As regarded the old monarch, the -distress occasioned by his condition was for others rather than for -himself; personally, his bodily health was good, he was happy in his -mind, and found something wherewith to amuse himself through each day. - -There is one letter relating to the death of the Princess Charlotte -which affords us a vivid glimpse into the inner circle of the Royal -family in November, 1817-- - -“Just after we had set down to dinner at six, Gen. Taylor was asked -out; our hearts misgave us; he sent out for Lady Ilchester, which -gave us a moment for to be sure that something dreadful had happened: -the moment he came in my mother said, ‘I am sure it is all over,’ -and he desired her to go upstairs. You may conceive that the horror, -sorrow, and misery was far beyond show, for it struck the heart, and -no tear would fall after such a dreadful shock.... It is indeed most -tremendous, but it is the Lord’s doing, and we must with great humility -bow, and kiss the rod, and remember that the Lord giveth and the Lord -taketh away, and that all that proceeds from that hand is right; and -that He does all things for the best.” - -This faith in God was as characteristic of the King as it was of this -favourite daughter. It is true that at the time of Princess Charlotte’s -death George III. knew nothing of the crushing sorrow which had come -upon the Royal family; but the King had very remarkable lucid intervals -in his insanity when his Christian fervour never failed to find -expression. It had been so before his intellect had become finally -clouded, however. - -At that crisis of danger from the mob already referred to, the King -sought to calm the feelings of excited peers, when about to step into -his carriage after opening Parliament, by saying-- - -“Well, my lords, one person is proposing this, and another is supposing -that, forgetting that there is One above us all Who is disposing of -everything, on Whom alone we depend.” - -After her marriage in 1818, the Princess was thoroughly happy with her -husband, the Landgrave Frederick VI. of Homburg. Some would ridicule -the state and ceremonial of the little court as being a mimicry of the -Royal magnificence of greater nations; but it was picturesque, full of -interest, and probably gave far more satisfaction or enjoyment than -courtiers found either at London or Paris. At all events, while she -remained thoroughly English, and never even quite conquered the German -language, the Princess would speak of her own “dear little Homburg” in -the language of genuine affection. After the death of the Landgrave, -who expired April 2, 1829, through influenza affecting an old wound -received in the wars, she refers to the palace as “My own dear home, -once the happiest of happy homes.” - -Certain fashionable people in London made it their business to ridicule -the Landgrave; but all impartial readers will see that his character -was superior to that of his detractors. - -The Princess lived for about twenty-two years after her marriage, and -during half that period she was a widow. In some respects, to the -English reader, this was the more interesting period of a quietly -interesting life. Home life afforded genuine pleasure, and while there -may have been no pretentious magnificence, gardens, pictures and books -afforded tasteful recreation, though the poor were not forgotten. The -Princess even lent books to such friends as could be trusted with them. - -“If you wish to take any home, I shall be happy to lend them, knowing -you to be careful,” she writes to Miss Swinburne. “I have been obliged -to give it up here, for if you could have seen some that were returned -to me you would have been disgusted; I was quite provoked.” - -Unhappily, the ill-usage of books is not confined to Germany. On many -matters strong common-sense opinions are expressed. She does not accept -exaggerated local gossip; and though she never had measles, she says, -“I have no fears, I trust in God, and don’t let myself think about -catching anything, otherwise I should be miserable.” - -We have glimpses of Brighton as it was sixty or seventy years ago, when -the reigning sovereign had a palace there. - -“It appears as if it was a petty London, and all the fine ladies come -down in parties to enjoy a few days of the sea and back again in no -time,” writes the Princess in December, 1832. - -There was a great procession to celebrate the town being made into a -parliamentary borough by the Reform Bill of 1832; but “why they would -not turn it at once into a marine city or town, I cannot think. It was -large enough when I was there and now much increased.” - -Early in 1835 we find the Princess at the Pavilion on a visit to her -brother William IV. - -“I generally drive out with my brother,” she writes. “He goes out, and -stays out till the lamps are well lighted, when we come in; to-day the -dear Queen is gone with him, so I may remain quiet.” - -Political feeling still ran high, but Princess Elizabeth confessed to -hating politics. “I had rather talk of winter potatoes, though a very -mealy subject.” - -In 1833, being over sixty, she realised that she was growing old. - -“I am still from all accounts a fine old lady,” she remarks. “My -looking-glass tells me at times rather tall, and I say to you with -truth that no one enjoys more their old age than me, and am convinced -that I have been a much happier being since the spring and summer of -life are over--so many things I do and can do without bearing anything -unpleasant.” She was able even to wear a winter tippet which her -sister Augusta presented. “I look like a bear in it; but what signifies -looks when health is in question?” - -As time passed, Elizabeth had other reminders that she was growing old. - -“I blush to think how often I am late of a morning, which is not like -me, but my poor legs require time,” she writes in November, 1833. -“First I read my serious readings, then write, and do what business -I must do, and of late I have had a good deal of what I call parish -business, settling work for the poor and trying to content them if -possible.” She seems to have cultivated her mind in a wholesome way -without harbouring any foolish ambitions. “I have taught myself to see -everything with pleasure and without envy,” she remarks, and added -later, “Without religion there can be no peace, no order, no blessing.” - -The Princess was struck with the excess of luxury in England in 1836. -“More jewels and more extravagance than ever.” - -It was then that she saw the last of her brother William IV., whose -death in the following year she sincerely deplored. Elizabeth thus -survived to see the opening of the present reign; but she belonged too -much to a former age and to a different order of things to have much -sympathy with the new and more promising outlook of the Victorian era. - -The memorial volume which Mr. Yorke has so well edited is of -considerable interest and of permanent value. - - G. H. P. - -[2] _Letters of Princess Elizabeth of England_, daughter of George -III., and Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg. Written for the most part -to Miss Louisa Swinburne. Edited by Philip Ch. Yorke, M.A., with -portraits. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1898. - - - - -VARIETIES. - - -HE THREW AWAY THE STONE. - -The haughty favourite of an oriental monarch once in the public street -threw a stone at a poor dervish or priest. - -The dervish did not dare to throw it back at the man who had assaulted -him, for he knew the favourite was very powerful. So he picked up the -stone and put it carefully in his pocket, saying to himself: “The time -for revenge will come by-and-by, and then I will repay him for it.” - -Not long afterwards this same dervish, in walking through the city, -saw a great crowd coming towards him. He hastened to see what was the -matter, and found to his astonishment that his enemy, the favourite who -had fallen into disgrace with the king, was being paraded through the -principal streets on a camel, exposed to the jests and insults of the -populace. - -The dervish, seeing all this, hastily grasped the stone which he -carried in his pocket. “The time,” he said, “has now come for my -revenge, I will repay him for his insulting conduct.” - -But after considering a moment he threw the stone away, saying: “The -time for revenge never comes, for if our enemy is powerful, revenge -is dangerous as well as foolish; and if he is weak and wretched, then -revenge is worse than foolish, it is mean and cruel. And in all cases -it is wicked and forbidden.” - - -WHEN THINGS GO WRONG. - - What’s the use of wooing trouble, - And of nursing every sorrow? - Though to-day is black as Egypt, - There’s another day to-morrow. - Lightly treat each hour’s distresses-- - Sing a song for gloom to borrow; - Mirth and cheer can chase all phantoms-- - There’s another day to-morrow. - - -WHY THEY HANGED THE DOGS. - -On one of the early visits to Scotland of Sir Edwin Landseer, the -famous animal painter, he stopped at a village and took a great deal -of notice of the dogs, jotting down rapid sketches of them on a bit of -paper. - -Next day, on resuming his journey, he was horrified to find dogs -suspended from trees in all directions, or drowned in the river with -stones round their necks. - -He stopped a weeping urchin who was hurrying off with a pet pup in -his arms, and learned to his dismay that he was supposed to be an -excise officer, who was taking note of all the dogs he saw in order to -prosecute the owners for unpaid taxes. - - -CHARITY AS IT OUGHT TO BE.--If our mercy to the poor is to be true -mercy, it must never be careless giving, dictated by mere sentimental -impulse. Sentiment may be nobler than insensibility, but it often does -more harm. The Samaritan would have been no good example for us if he -had passed on with an easy conscience after administering the two pence -and had omitted to consider whether the special needs of the case did -not also require oil and wine. - - -THE AVERAGE WOMAN.--We have been favoured with this definition of the -average woman:--She is lovable but limited, for on the north side she -is bounded by servants; on the south by children; on the east by her -ailments, and on the west by her clothes. - - -TAKE A RIGHT VIEW OF LIFE.--It is a sad thing to begin life with low -conceptions of it. It may not be possible for a girl to measure life, -but it is possible for her to say, “I am resolved to put life to its -noblest and best use.” - - -TRIPLE ACROSTIC I. - - In yonder bower, one glorious May, - Three lovely sisters grew; - _One_, in imperial bright array - Of richest purple hue; - _One_, who conceal’d her drooping head - Amid her foliage green; - And _one_ with fragrant petals spread, - Our beauteous Summer-Queen. - - 1. Waster of time, of mind, of health, - This useless creature see: - Yet once, in print, he gather’d wealth - And greatly sought was he. - - 2. From the north-east adventurers came - And built this City fair; - They call’d it by the river’s name - And yet--no river’s there! - - 3. A monster was to be destroy’d, - A hero claim’d the feat; - Alas! the means that he employ’d - Were sadly incomplete. - My ready help he needs would ask, - Which I was prompt to give, - Or else he must forego his task - And let the creature live: - While he, with heavy axe in hand, - Struck off each slimy head, - I tear’d the wound with flaming brand - And laid the monster dead. - - 4. ’Tis sometimes good, and sometimes bad, - And sometimes none at all; - This in his belt the Roman had, - Sharp-pointed, bright, and small. - For centuries it fix’d remain’d, - And might have kept so still - But that a Pontiff pow’r obtain’d - To change it at his will. - - XIMENA. - - - - -MISCHIEVOUS JACK. - -[Illustration] - - -I am gradually learning to estimate rightly the responsibility of -having a jackdaw loose upon the premises. - -There is really no way of circumventing Jack’s craftiness except by -keeping him shut up all day in an outdoor aviary. I feel sorry to be -driven to this course, and would far rather let him roam where he -pleases; but his mischievous pranks have become unendurable. - -I thought to-day I had made a great discovery, and that by placing a -large stuffed flamingo at the open French window I should effectually -frighten the jackdaw from entering. - -I found him in the drawing-room on my writing-table busy about some -evil deed, so I held up the great stuffed bird, at which Jack cast one -horrified glance and then fled precipitately out at the window as if -his last hour had come. Now, I thought, by placing the flamingo near -the window, I could leave the room with an easy mind. Vain hope! I came -back after a few minutes and found the impertinent jackdaw hopping -about as happy as a king. He had pulled to pieces a rare foreign -insect I had just been setting on a piece of cork. He had overturned -all the small curios he could find, had pulled all the pins out of a -pin-cushion, and, worst of all, he had opened a Mudie book and torn its -map and pages to ribbons. That book will have to become my property and -remain a monument of Jack’s misplaced energy. - -It was humiliating to think how he must have chuckled at my flamingo. -He had seen through the device at once and had no idea of submitting to -be scared away by such a bogie. - -During the winter months we do not often have weather which will admit -of open windows, so Jack exercised his talent for mischief out of doors -by hiding the padlock of the aviary, pulling up flower labels, and -drawing nails out of the walls. In these varied occupations he managed -to spend his hours of idleness. - -[Illustration: He disdaineth the Fair Sex] - -As a rare treat he was sometimes allowed to bask on the fender before -the fire, and, charmed by the delicious warmth, he would assume the -various attitudes shown in the illustration. His wings and tail -expanded, his head on one side and beak wide open, he looked like a -dying bird, but we knew that in reality he was in a state of ecstasy. - -When next summer arrived Jack was again kept in the aviary, and I am -sorry to have to reveal a very dark page in his moral character. He -was usually content with raw meat and sopped bread; but, alas, he much -preferred to catch his own dinner! And when, attracted by his food, -innocent little robins, chaffinches, and sparrows found their way into -his domain, I grieve to record the dreadful fact that none came out -alive! Jack feasted on their small bodies, and left only a little bunch -of feathers to show what he had been doing. - -I have said enough to prove that Jack is neither to be loved nor -respected; but he is unquestionably clever, and evidently has his own -thoughts and ideas. - -[Illustration: “Jack” sunneth himself.] - -He will fly at one’s hand like a fury even when food is being given -him; but when his mood changes and he wishes to be caressed, he picks -up a twig or a dead leaf. This is a signal of peace, and whilst he -continues to hold it in his bill he is quite safe, and may be stroked -and petted. - -[Illustration: He studieth Entomology.] - -One day in the height of summer Jack was perfectly electrified by a -visit from six lively young magpies. The aviary door happened to be -open, and these birds came hopping in with their usual free and easy -manner, chattering to each other and coolly abstracting any morsels of -food which suited their taste. At first Jack tried to drive out these -audacious visitors, but they ignored him altogether and at last he had -to stand aside and watch their depredations, a very discomfited and -astonished bird. The magpies came at intervals for several days in -succession, and then I suppose they went off to the woods, for we saw -them no more. - -[Illustration: He arrangeth the Table.] - -It is rather curious that the mating instinct has not led Jack into the -bands of matrimony. I have seen several attractive specimens of his own -kind making overtures to him, but he treats them all with lofty disdain -and elects to remain a bachelor. - -Perhaps next year he may yield to the fascinations of a wild mate, -and settle happily somewhere in my woods. It would be the best thing -that could happen, only I fear we should all eagerly bid him good-bye -without the addition of _au revoir_. - - ELIZA BRIGHTWEN. - - - - -NEW DRIED FRUITS. - -BY DORA DE BLAQUIÈRE. - - -Most of my readers can recall, I fancy, the days when we had only -prunes and Normandy pippins in the way of dried fruits. The dried -apricots, apples, and plums of the present day are very modern and -recent gifts to a grateful world. So recent are they indeed that the -ignorance about them is very great; and, strange to say, the grocers -who have them for sale have not been supplied as they should have been -with small printed papers describing how to cook them. - -In using the term “dried fruits,” you will notice, I hope, that I am -dealing with what may be called stewing fruits; for, though we stew, -or can stew, raisins, figs, and even currants, I believe the first -treatment of these fruits is not to cook them in that manner. Raisins -and currants speak to us more distinctly of our Christmas mince-pies -and plum puddings, and of a regular dessert dish throughout the year in -some houses, than of any other kind of cooking. - -The stewing of raisins was introduced, I believe, by vegetarians, and -in this form with a flavouring of lemon-peel. They are not at all bad -when added to a milk pudding or some blancmange. - -The stewing of dried figs comes almost under the same description, and -their chief objection lies in their extreme sweetness, which is a cause -of quite unmerited and needless toothache at times. The best way of -cooking figs will always be in the way of a fig pudding, which is an -excellent though rich dish. - -Dried apples have always been a great household requisite in cold -countries like Canada and the northern states of America, and I -remember that the making of them constituted a very large part of the -many winter preparations which used to be necessary when the country -was less civilised than it is now, the fruit less plentiful, and the -means of keeping it very imperfect. - -It was not always easy to guard against the frost, which penetrated the -ground to a depth of four or even five feet when the winters were too -snowless. On these occasions when the earth is left bare and without -her warm coating of snow, the frost has been known to penetrate even -six feet into the ground in exposed places. This fact is verified in -cold countries like Canada in a very painful manner when graves have to -be dug. So difficult is this that in large cities where there are many -to dig a cemetery hall is built to contain the bodies of those who die -in the winter, so that the frost may be out of the ground before the -graves are dug. - -This will explain to you why in Canada all kinds of root crops and -apples must be so carefully guarded from frost; and when the country -was less settled, and even to-day in the less inhabited parts, the -apples are still dried in a primitive manner. They are peeled generally -by a small machine, then quartered and cored, and strung on long -threads by means of a coarse needle. Then they are dried, either near -the stove or else in the sun; but this last is not often possible, -because of the lateness of the season. The apples thus dried are very -good, but if cooked carelessly are apt to be rather tough. - -In Italy figs are dried in the sun by the peasantry. Each fig is cut -open, but not divided, and carefully dried. Then, when dried, they are -closed together so as to look like whole figs again, and strung one by -one on the long flexible mulberry twigs. They are very good and are -less sweet than the dried fig of commerce, as no sugar is added to them -in drying. - -Last year I saw quantities of figs dried by the peasantry in this -manner for sale in Switzerland, where they appeared to be quite a -novelty. I could not find out where they came from; but I daresay from -the Italian canton of Ticino, or, as the French call it, Tessin. This -is, of course, warmer than its sister cantons on the northern side of -the Alps. I have not seen these yet in England, but there have been -some Californian dried figs that were very good for eating, and perhaps -we shall see more of them in the future, as the market for them grows -more assured. - -Dried figs are said by the scientists to contain nerve and muscle food, -heat and waste, but to be bad for the liver. The same is said of dried -prunes, but they afford the best and highest kind of nerve or brain -food. They also supply heat and waste; but they are not muscle feeding. - -All stone fruits are said to be injurious for people who suffer from -the liver and should be used rather cautiously. - -Apples are thought a most valuable food in every way but one--they do -not afford staying properties, but they supply the highest nerve and -muscle food. - -If you be fond of almonds, you may like to know that they afford no -heat, but give the highest brain, nerve, and muscle food. I hope this -applies to the salted almonds which are so popular. - -The process of drying is called “desiccation” or, usually in America, -“evaporated.” The original desiccator is an apparatus much used in -chemistry and physics and the word comes from the Latin _desicco_, “I -dry up”--meaning that the water is evaporated out of the fruit or any -substance to be dried. This idea was carried out into the drying up of -the water and fruit juices for commercial purposes. An oven with trays -in it to hold the fruit is one of the forms of using heat, and in Lower -California the heat of the sun is utilised for the drying of prunes. -Some time ago there were notices of the commencement of this industry -and the importation of work-people from the neighbourhood of Tours. - -The ordinary prunes sold in the shops are the fruit of the St. Julian -plum, a common species which is grown everywhere in France for the -purpose. The best French or dessert plums come from Provence, and the -Californian plums must be of the same variety as the Brignole plum. The -latest competitor in the English market is Bosnia, and those which I -have tried were quite as good as the French plums. Under Austrian rule, -Bosnia has developed wonderfully, and the climate is a delightful one, -well suited to fruit growing. - -The best of all the French dried prunes come from Provence, the land -of poetry and romance. They are made of the kinds of prunes called the -_Perdrigon blanc_, and _Violette_, and _Prune d’Ast_. The two former -come under one category and are called _Pruneaux de Brignole_, from -the place where they are prepared, the small town of Brignole, in -Provence, a name I am sure you will have often seen on the boxes of -prunes used for dessert. The common kinds of prunes are gathered by -merely shaking the trees; but those for preparing as French plums must -be gathered in the morning, before the sun is up, by taking hold of -the stalk without touching the fruit and laying each plum very gently -on vine leaves in baskets. The latter must be filled without the plums -being allowed to touch each other, and then they are carried to the -fruit-room and exposed to the sun and air for three or four days, after -which they become quite soft. The next process is to put them on trays -into a spent oven and shut up quite closely for twenty-four hours. Then -they are taken out, the oven is re-heated, and made rather warmer, and -the plums are put in again for the same time; then they are taken out, -carefully turned over, and the oven is heated to one-fourth hotter than -it was before, and the plums are returned to it again for the third -time, and after remaining the twenty-four hours, are taken out and left -exposed till they become quite cold. Then comes the most curious part -of the process, which, when once explained to me, was a solution of an -enigma over which I had much wondered, namely, why the stones of the -good French plums are loose and unattached, while those of the common -prune are so much more fixed in the fleshy substance of the fruit. This -part of the process is called “rounding,” and is performed by turning -the stones in the plums without breaking the skins, and the two ends -are then pressed between the thumb and finger to flatten the fruit. -Then they are once more laid on the sieves for drying and placed in -a rather hot oven for one hour, the oven being closely shut. Lastly, -they are put again into a cool oven, left for twenty-four hours, when -the process is ended, and they are packed in bottles or boxes for -sale and exportation. Now I have given this long account, taken from -a recent authority, because I know my readers of the “G. O. P.” are -world-spread, and because this is the kind of process adopted with any -kind of dried fruit; and an ordinary brick oven for bread-baking can -be perfectly well used for doing it. All varieties of the plum can, I -am told, be dried in this manner, some, of course, with better success -than others. - -After the prunes come the kind which, I daresay, most of my readers -have seen in the grocers’ shops, namely, the crystal or dried yellow -plums, which are likewise said to be from California. They are -so-called silver plums, and are yellow, not black, and were first seen -in 1897, I believe. They require soaking over-night in just enough -water to swell them, and the next day should be put into a prepared -syrup, which has had a little lemon peel boiled in it, and very slowly -stewed, without breaking them. I find a war rages about this question -of soaking dried fruit over-night, as many people consider that long -slow stewing is equally good, or better. - -Apricots are amongst the dried fruits that have been introduced within -the last few years; and although they may be a novelty to us, they have -been used in the East in this way for centuries. The apricot grows well -as a wall fruit in England, and is interesting because it was brought -here and first grown in the gardens of Henry VIII. by his gardener, -Wolfe, who was a Roman Catholic priest, and who brought it from Italy. -Indeed, it was during the reign of this monarch, and the subsequent -Tudors, that horticulture began to make such progress in England; and -no politics made them forget the interests of their gardens, to which, -as a family, they appear to have been much attached. - -The dried peach we have not yet seen, but it is much used in that way -in New Jersey, Delaware, and in the Southern States; but probably -canning has rendered drying needless. Dried pears are also of ancient -origin, and I find them excellent in the present day, though I consider -they need careful doing. Any recipe for the stewing of winter pears -will answer for dried ones; and they must be soaked over-night to -ensure their being tender. It is well to remember that the less water -used, the more flavour in the pear, and the syrup should not be very -abundant. - -And now we come to that most useful of all fruits--the apple. This -has been dried in many forms, and canned as well. The most recent are -the evaporated apple rings--the apple cut into rounds horizontally -through the fruit. When these first came out they were called “Alden -apple rings,” probably from the town or district where they were -grown. They are said to be made from greenings--the best of American -cooking apples--and one pound of the apples rings is said to represent -six pounds of ordinary apples. The best recipe for cooking these is -an American one, and in this the food is required to be soaked in -a pie-dish in cold water--just enough to cover it--for four hours; -then, without pouring off the water, add sugar, a little lemon rind or -spice, and then put the dish in a slow oven and stew very gently till -sufficiently cooked. If intended for a tart, soak as directed and stew -gently in a slow oven for half an hour before adding the crust, or the -latter will be done before the apples are sufficiently cooked. - -The apples, which are dried whole, must be rather differently -treated. Take about a dozen apples, place them in an earthenware or -porcelain-lined vessel, and add about a pint and a half of water, and -let them soak for seven or eight hours. Then add sugar, spice, and the -rind of a lemon to your taste; put them all together as they are into -a porcelain-lined saucepan, and stew gently for an hour. If a more -_recherche_ dish be required than merely the apples plainly stewed, a -little whipped cream may be inserted in the place from whence the core -has been taken, and some cream poured round them in a glass dish. - -“It is simply absurd,” says a recipe writer in an American paper, -“to soak evaporated apples over-night”; so, as this is a case of -doctors differing, I must give the directions which follow. Place -the evaporated apples in a saucepan, cover with water, and boil till -done; flavour to taste, and use for sauce, tarts or conserve. Now this -recipe I have also found good; and I know that the writer considers -that soaking or leaving the apple rings too long in water renders them -tasteless and vapid. - -It seems strange that the subject of dried fruits, save and except the -ancient pippins of Normandy, should be quite ignored in our cookery -books; and yet there can be no doubt of their value as foods, and -adjuncts to other things, at a time when fruit is dear and scarce. They -are always inexpensive; a pound goes a long way, and, as a rule, if -well done, they are liked by the little folks. - -But alas, the general remembrance of stewed prunes, apples or apricots -is enough to make anyone dislike them, sent up as they generally are in -a slop of tasteless, coloured, watery fluid. If we only examine into -the ordinary methods of cooking them, we shall see the cook washing -them first in one water, and then in another; perhaps letting them -remain for half an hour in soak, then putting them into more water, -with a cupful of sugar in a dirty saucepan on the fire, where she -boils it violently, and finishes it in half an hour. - -Now, from beginning to end, this is all wrong. In the first place, -you must remember that the evaporated fruit took a long time to do. -The moisture was not removed from it in one hour, nor two, but took -a long time. So if you want to restore it to them you must give them -time also. Thus, perhaps, you will agree with me that the fruit must -be soaked for at least twenty-four hours, especially in the case of -apricots and peaches; and the water should cover the fruit to the depth -of an inch. When you are ready to stew the fruit, take it out and put -it carefully into a porcelain-lined saucepan; then pour the water in -which they have been soaking upon the fruit, leaving at the bottom -any dregs there may be. If not sufficient to cover it, you must add a -little more, then give an hour’s very quiet boiling; and a few minutes -before you remove it from the fire, add a little sugar, and use a -silver spoon to stir it in. I prefer to take the fruit out when I add -the sugar, for fear of breaking and spoiling the look of the fruit; and -then the syrup is boiled up once or twice, and poured over the fruit. -Peaches require rather more cooking than apricots. - -Apples and pears need care in the cooking, and also in the flavouring; -and the best thing for both is the juice and grated rind of a lemon. -But before flavouring, you should taste the fruit after stewing, as you -will then judge whether you should add sugar, or the rind of a lemon, -and not the juice. The sugar should be put in first and thoroughly -dissolved, and then the flavouring. If you flavour first, and sugar -after, you will need double the amount of sugar. Prunes, raisins, -dates, and figs can all be stewed in the same way; and if you will only -remember that haste is not possible in preparing dried fruit for table, -you will always be successful. - - - - -QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. - - - A CORRESPONDENT asks: “_Will the Editor of THE GIRL’S OWN - PAPER be so kind as to let ‘DORA’ know through his columns, - what author first made use of the phrase, ‘Oil on the troubled - waters’._” - -Although we cannot with absolute certainty point DORA to the first -author who made use of the expression, she may be interested to know -that it has its origin in antiquity. - -Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.) says in his Natural History (Book ii., -Sect. 234)-- - -“Everything is soothed by oil, and this is the reason why divers send -out small quantities of it from their mouths, because it smoothes every -part which is rough.” - -Plutarch (46?-120?) asks in his _Symposiacs_ (Book viii., Question ix)-- - -“Why does pouring oil on the sea make it clear and calm? Is it for that -the winds, slipping the smooth oil, have no form, nor cause any waves?” - -The Venerable Bede relates in his Ecclesiastical History (completed in -735) a story bearing on this point, which he says he had from “a most -creditable man in Holy Orders.” - -A young priest was to set out by land, but return by water, to escort -a maiden destined for the bride of King Oswy. He sought a farewell -blessing from St. Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who gave him a cruse of -holy oil, saying, “I know that when you go abroad, you will meet with -a storm and contrary wind; but do you remember to cast this oil I give -you into the sea, and the wind shall cease immediately.” A storm did -arise, and the young priest, pouring oil on the waves, reduced them to -a calm. - -Apart from any suggestion of the miraculous, the effect of oil on rough -waters has been observed in modern times. It is stated that Professor -Horsford, by emptying a vial of oil on the sea in a stiff breeze, -stilled the surface, and Commodore Wilkes, of the United States, saw -the waves calmed in a storm off the Cape of Good Hope by oil leaking -from a whale ship. - -The pictorial application of this physical fact is so obvious that it -could not help passing into popular usage. - - _“MERCIA,” “THE WOULD-BE WISE ONE,” and “NOTHING BUT LEAVES,” - all ask us in effect the same question, the full meaning of - self-culture, and how it is to be attained._ - -In ways too many to particularise, “our girls” are anxiously seeking -this end. From all quarters of the globe questions come to us; not -perhaps expressed in the same direct fashion as the one above, but -showing an eagerness in some way to develop latent faculty, to improve -the whole nature. What, then, is self-culture? It is briefly personal -cultivation of self; the bringing forth, or “educing” talent and -capability, the improvement of taste, the storing of the mind with what -will elevate and help and inspire. There is the same difference between -a “cultured” and an “uncultured” person as between a cultivated and -uncultivated plot of garden-ground. The chief difficulty lies in having -to perform the affair for oneself. To yield one’s nature to trained and -skilful teachers is delightful, but when no such teachers are at hand, -the task assumes a different complexion, and looks well-nigh impossible. - -But there are teachers whom everyone can command. The girl to whom -Newnham and Girton are undreamed-of possibilities, whose education at -school has been only just long enough to make her crave for more, can -call to her aid the greatest and wisest of mankind. Self-culture by -books is within the reach of all. - -What books? and how shall they be studied? - -The subject is too vast to be dealt with in even the longest answer to -correspondents, and we can only say here to “Mercia,” “The Would-be -Wise One,” and “Nothing but Leaves,” that we have begun in this volume -a series of articles by Lily Watson on “Self-Culture for Girls,” which -deal practically and in detail with the books that should be read, the -method of studying them, and everything that girls anxious to make the -best of their opportunities can wish to know. - - - - -ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. - - -MEDICAL. - -LITTLE DOT.--1. The condition of your face is almost for certain due -to _acne rosacea_. The only other disease which we think it likely -that you could be suffering from would be _lupus erythematosus_--a -form of lupus which is not due to tuberculosis or scrofula, but which -is a highly-developed form of chilblains. Your description agrees so -well with that of _acne rosacea_ that there can be little doubt but -that it is that complaint. This disease would be in no way dependent -upon nor influenced by any disease that your parents may have had. -This complaint commonly goes by the name of “grog-blossoms”; but is -frequently caused by other things than “grog.” In fact it is not the -alcohol itself so much as the indigestion that it causes which produces -the “blossoms.” Any form of indigestion may be accompanied by rosacea; -and so the first thing in the treatment of the affection is to look -to the digestion. Locally use an ointment of sulphur or ichthiol, -preferably the latter. You must guard carefully against constipation, -as this of itself will produce rosacea.--2. We think it highly -improbable that you suffer from stone in the kidney; but of course we -could not be certain without personal examination. The only symptom -you give us is one which you are very likely to have misinterpreted, -whereas you tell us nothing which to our minds suggests kidney disease. - -MARGARET.--You _can_ test for yourself whether the water supplied to -you contains lead; but it is hardly worth your while to do so. Still, -if you wish to try, get a glass cylinder two feet long, and place it on -a sheet of white paper. Fill it with the water to be tested, and pour -into it a few drops of solution of sulphuretted hydrogen, or let a jet -of the pure gas bubble through the water. If lead is present a brownish -discoloration of the water will occur, varying in depth of tint -according to the amount of lead present. Copper and one or two other -metals give the same reaction. You must be careful of the sulphuretted -hydrogen, for it is poisonous. You could get the water tested for less -money than the cylinder and reagent cost to buy. - -O MIMOSA SAN.--Certainly all your symptoms can be traced to your bad -teeth. You complain of flatulency, headache, constipation, cold feet, -and poor appetite. Are not all these common symptoms of dyspepsia? And -what is commoner as a cause of dyspepsia than bad teeth? Go to the -dentist again and have your teeth thoroughly overhauled. But remember, -if you have many teeth extracted, you _must_ have false ones inserted -in their place. Have the false teeth made at once, for after a month -or two the remaining teeth make an attempt to fill up the gap where -bad teeth have been extracted and leave your teeth with narrow slits -between them. How few people recognise the value of teeth! Normal -digestion is quite impossible without them. - -AN IRISH READER.--1. Do you wear a straw hat, and do the spots on your -forehead correspond to the line where the hat presses? During the -summer many girls develop spots on their foreheads from the irritation -of straw hats. These spots often trouble girls, who seek in vain for -their cause. The real cause scarcely ever presents itself to their -notice. If you have thoroughly tried sulphur ointment without success, -use ichthiol ointment 2½ per cent. instead. Also see that your hats do -not press upon your forehead.--2. The fifth of September, 1877, was a -Wednesday. - -LORNA DOONE.--One would naturally suppose that such a simple subject -as the care of the nails was completely understood. But this is, -nevertheless, far from being the case, and it often gives more trouble -to cure thin or broken nails than it does to cure some of the most -deadly diseases to which we are subject. We advise your friend to soak -her finger-tips every night in hot water and then to smear them with -lanoline or other simple ointment. In the morning she should wipe off -the ointment and dip her fingers into pure alcohol for five minutes. -She should also be very careful to cut and trim her nails properly. We -do not promise to cure her, but we have seen good results from this -treatment. - -MAORI.--The hair frequently falls off in larger quantities in autumn -than in any other season. Indeed, it appears that the hair of man -“moults” as does the fur of mammals and the feathers of birds. After -autumn, the spring is the time of year at which the hair falls out in -greatest quantities. This periodical moulting of the hair does good -rather than harm, and there is really no call to stop it--if, indeed, -it could be stopped, which we question. - -AGRICOLA.--“What is the difference between a sprained and a varicose -vein?” We really do not know what you mean by a “sprained vein,” so -that part of the question we cannot answer. Systematic rubbing or -massage is of some value for varicose veins; but it is not altogether -safe, and is not worth a trial. Rest with the legs elevated, walking, -and the support given by an elastic stocking are the chief items in -the treatment of varicose veins. Standing is to be avoided as far as -possible. - - -GIRLS’ EMPLOYMENTS. - -L. M. (_Employment on Board Ship_).--We fear you would find this -difficult to obtain, seeing that you are not strong at present. -Stewardesses need to be decidedly vigorous people. Such positions are -commonly accorded by the steamship companies to the relatives of their -own officers. It would seem that the work in a cotton mill, though well -paid, is likely to be injurious to your health, and therefore if you -could find some more healthy occupation, you should certainly take it. -Cannot your employer put you in the way of emigrating to South Africa? -It would be well to lay the case before him. You should likewise apply -for advice to the Manchester and Salford branch of the National Union -of Women Workers, 13, Temple Chambers, Brazenose Street, Manchester. -With this Union many of the most important societies in Manchester for -women and girls are affiliated, and the secretary could tell you which -would be most likely to help you. The secretary could also inform you -whether there is in Manchester any active member of the British Women’s -Emigration Association, the headquarters of which are at the Imperial -Institute, Kensington, W. We imagine that emigration would be best for -you; at the same time it is possible that work might be found for you -in this country under conditions that would better accord with your -health. - -LACE-MAKING.--We know of no school for lace-making in London, but -very likely by inquiring of the Secretary of the Home Arts and -Industries Association, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, you might -find somebody to teach you. London ladies have interested themselves -especially in the revival of Buckinghamshire laces. The different -varieties of Honiton can best be studied in Devonshire. In your place -we should be disposed to give particular study to the various kinds of -guipure, as these are likely to remain fashionable for some time to -come. - -AN ANXIOUS ONE (_Gardening, Dairy-work, &c._).--For you we should -say, Not gardening. It is too precarious a calling for a young woman -without private means or any conspicuous fondness for the occupation. -Dairy-work, which you could learn at the Dairy Institute, Reading, -would be considerably better. If you would like a colonial life with -its freedom from social conventions, and if you can do every sort of -housework (including, prominently, cooking), then by all means try to -emigrate to Canada or Australia through the British Women’s Emigration -Association. Except if you think of emigrating, we do not recommend -you to call yourself a useful help. In this country the woman who -specialises is the one who succeeds, not the “Jill-of-all-Trades.” Make -up your mind, we would say, to become thoroughly efficient either as -cook, dressmaker, laundress or dairy-worker, then you will be sure to -prosper. Of course these occupations are not for everybody; but one of -them would be best for you, seeing that your ability seems to lie in -the direction of practical rather than intellectual work. - -A MOTHER (_Clay Modelling_).--The organs of the pottery trade are _The -Pottery Gazette_ (Scott, Greenwood & Co., 19, Ludgate Hill, E.C.) -and _The British Potter_ (W. Brickel, Longton, Staffordshire). Both -of these publications appear monthly, and the second may be obtained -gratis. But what we should advise is that the modeller call with -specimens of work upon Messrs. Doulton of Lambeth. It is probable, -also, that Messrs. Goode of South Audley Street, who deal in some of -the finest china, both English and foreign, would be kind enough to -advise in such a matter. But cannot the South Kensington authorities -themselves put their pupils and examinees in the way of seeking -employment in the proper quarters? They ought to understand these -artistic trades better than anyone. Teachers of clay-modelling are in -some demand for evening continuation schools and the like. It might -be desirable on this point to consult the Home Arts and Industries -Association, Royal Albert Hall. - -SEVENTEEN SUMMERS (_Typing and Shorthand Writing_).--A typist and -shorthand writer may earn from 15s. up to £2 a week. Typewriting can be -learnt in about two months, shorthand takes a year of steady practice -at the least. You complain that your handwriting is far from good, and -that you also have great difficulty in expressing yourself. Now both -these circumstances are serious obstacles in the career of a clerk; -your prospects in this walk of life are not improved by the other -disability you mention. We strongly urge you to turn to some other -occupation. A person who finds it a “hard job” to “compose” a letter is -evidently not meant to make letter-writing a conspicuous part of her -business, as she must do if she is to remain a satisfactory clerk or -secretary. Is there not some other kind of work that is less of a “hard -job”? You might learn dress-cutting and pattern-cutting, generally, or -you could enter one of the better kinds of manufactories. Pray think -over your qualifications, and discover which sort of work you do best -(for there must be some), and then try to find the means of doing it. - - -MISCELLANEOUS. - -M. A. R.--We think that your selection of Malvern seems a wise one, -especially as others should be considered as well as the invalid. -The waters are of an alkaline earthy nature, specially suitable to -scrofulous sores and skin diseases, besides internal complaints. There -are hydropathic establishments, and apart from the mineral waters, -the spring water is exceptionally pure. Great Malvern occupies a fine -position in the centre of the Chase of Malvern, on the slopes of the -hills, and those who can walk find the latter very attractive, as the -air is bracing and the view very fine. The distance from London is -123 miles by railroad. For anæmic patients the ferruginous waters of -Harrogate are specially suited. It has also sulphureous and saline -springs. - -CURIOSITY.--Do you not confuse the heir presumptive and the heir -apparent to the throne? The Grand Duke Michael is the heir presumptive -only, and the “Czarevitch,” a term meaning only king’s son, or prince. -The title “Cesarevitch,” _i.e._, “son of the Czar,” is only given to -the eldest son, who is Crown Prince, Nashlyedrik, and heir apparent, -and his consort is “Cesarevna.” The first Czar of Russia of the House -of Romanoff was elected, and the succession has never proceeded in -regular order. Peter the Great left the crown by will to his daughter -Elizabeth; but Anne was elected instead, to Elizabeth’s prejudice, who -had to wait till after the death of the Emperor John before she came -to the throne. The four Empresses of Russia who have reigned alone -have been Catherine, widow of Peter the Great; Anne, daughter of Ivan, -his elder brother; Elizabeth his daughter; and Catherine II., widow -of Peter III., a grandson of Peter the Great. The Czar is the supreme -ruler, and the Government is an autocracy. The Salic law does not -obtain in Russia. - -PANSY.--The following is the way that rust may be taken from steel, but -great care is needed to do it. Immerse the article to be cleaned for a -few minutes, till all dirt and rust be taken off, in a strong solution -of cyanide of potassium--about ½oz. in a wineglassful of water. Take out -and clean it with a toothbrush, using some paste made of cyanide of -potassium, Castile soap, whiting and water, mixed into a paste of about -the consistency of thick cream. - -MARTHA.--When washing linen you will find it advisable not to place -either soap or soda directly into washing-tubs, coppers, or boilers of -any kind. Both should be thoroughly dissolved in warm or cold water, -and then only used in the coppers or boilers. A great deal depends on -the soaking of linen before it is put into the boiler. It should be -placed in a large tub of tepid water in which borax has been dissolved, -or a little good soap has been lathered. One tablespoonful of prepared -Californian borax to every gallon of hot water will be a very effective -soaking fluid. Do not use soda at this stage of the process. You have -probably been using too much. The soaking-water, or bath into which -you put the linen must be tepid, not hot nor cold. Many people rub a -little soap on the soiled place after the soaking and before boiling. -The rinsing is also very important, and must be attended to or else the -linen will be streaky or of a bad colour. In fact, neglect of rinsing -is the general cause of a yellow hue in linen. The water used should -never be cold but warm. Cold water sets, or fixes the grease and soap -in the fabric. Boiling-bags are very useful, and protect the linen from -the copper, but we think you will find too much soda is the cause of -trouble. - -WAITING.--It would be impossible for us to give such a list, and, -indeed, we could not without knowing the kind of work it was and its -subject, as some firms publish one thing and others another. Some deal -with purely educational works, others take fiction; and many limit -themselves to high-class works only, such as those of reference and -research. The safest way to proceed is, we think, to write to the -Incorporated Society of Authors, 4, Portugal Street, Lincoln’s Inn -Fields; Chairman, Sir Walter Besant; Secretary, S. Squire Sprigge, Esq. -From them you will receive all requisite information and advice on the -subject. - -MAB.--There is no reason why any building or institution should not be -inspected if it were thought needful. Health and sanitary inspectors -have power to go everywhere, we believe. - -TINY.--Any strong wide-mouthed phial about 2½ inches high and 1½ inches -in diameter, containing spirits of wine, and having a cork stopper, -will answer for beetles; the cork should be secured round the neck of -the bottle by a piece of string. A smaller bottle can be used with a -quill through the cork for smaller insects. But a proper bottle of -solid mixture is expressly sold for destroying specimens. There is a -very nice little book called _The Home Naturalist_, published at 56, -Paternoster Row, which would be useful to you, as it contains full -directions for all the processes of catching and preserving insects, -plants, woods and stones. Its price is 5s. Insects may be destroyed for -collections of specimens without causing suffering. - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: “THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND ME.” [_From the painting by M. -Ellen Edwards (Mrs. Staples), exhibited in the Royal Academy._]] - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber's Note--The following changes have been made to this text: - -Page 303: cyclinder to cylinder--“get a glass cylinder”.] - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX. 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No. 997, by Various. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.ph3{ - text-align: center; - font-size: large; - font-weight: bold; -} - -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 25%; margin-left: 37.5%; margin-right: 37.5%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.full {width: 95%; margin-left: 2.5%; margin-right: 2.5%;} - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - -.smalltext{ - font-size: small; -} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.blockquot_ans { - margin-left: 1em; - text-indent: -1em; -} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps; - font-style: normal;} - -.upper-case {text-transform: uppercase;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -.faux { - font-size: 0.1em; - visibility: hidden; -} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - - -.w250 { - width: 250px; -} - -.w400 { - width: 400px; -} - -.w600 { - width: 600px; -} - -img.drop-cap -{ - float: left; - margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; -} - -p.drop-cap:first-letter -{ - color: transparent; - visibility: hidden; - margin-left: -0.9em; -} -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - -/* Poetry */ -.poem { - margin-left:10%; - margin-right:10%; - text-align: left; -} - -.poem br {display: none;} - -.poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} - - .poem span.i0 {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - .poem span.i2 {display: block; margin-left: 1em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - .poem span.i3 {display: block; margin-left: 1.5em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - .poem span.i4 {display: block; margin-left: 2em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - .poem span.i5 {display: block; margin-left: 2.5em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - -@media handheld -{ - - img.drop-cap - { - display: none; - } - - p.drop-cap:first-letter - { - color: inherit; - visibility: visible; - margin-left: 0; - } -} - - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX. No. 997, -February 4, 1899, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX. No. 997, February 4, 1899 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: November 28, 2017 [EBook #56071] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER *** - - - - -Produced by Susan Skinner, Chris Curnow, Pamela Patten and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="chap" /><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">{289}</a></span></p> - -<h1 class='faux'>THE GIRL'S OWN -PAPER</h1> - -<div class="figcenter w600"> -<img src="images/header.jpg" width="600" height="202" alt="The Girl's Own Paper." /> -</div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="" width="100%"> -<tbody><tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Vol. XX.—No. 997.]</span></td><td align="center">FEBRUARY 4, 1899.</td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">[Price One Penny.</span></td></tr> -</tbody></table></div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="center">[Transcriber's Note: This Table of Contents was not present in the original.]</p> - -<p class="center"> - -<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. --> - -<a href="#A_BRIDAL_SONG">A BRIDAL SONG.</a><br /> -<a href="#OUR_HERO">“OUR HERO.”</a><br /> -<a href="#A_RAMBLE_ABOUT_CHILDHOOD">A RAMBLE ABOUT CHILDHOOD.</a><br /> -<a href="#ABOUT_PEGGY_SAVILLE">ABOUT PEGGY SAVILLE.</a><br /> -<a href="#LINNAEA">LINNA;</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_PRINCESS_ELIZABETH_AUNT_OF_THE_QUEEN2">THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH: AUNT OF THE QUEEN.</a><br /> -<a href="#VARIETIES">VARIETIES.</a><br /> -<a href="#MISCHIEVOUS_JACK">MISCHIEVOUS JACK.</a><br /> -<a href="#NEW_DRIED_FRUITS">NEW DRIED FRUITS.</a><br /> -<a href="#QUESTIONS_AND_ANSWERS">QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.</a><br /> -<a href="#ANSWERS_TO_CORRESPONDENTS">ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.</a><br /> - -<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. --> - -</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> -<h2><a name="A_BRIDAL_SONG" id="A_BRIDAL_SONG">A BRIDAL SONG.</a></h2> - - -<div class="figcenter w400"> -<img src="images/i_289.jpg" width="400" height="533" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center">“GOD SPEED THEE!”</p></div> -</div> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4"><span class="smcap">Oh</span>, happy bride!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Heaven’s sunlight wraps thee in a golden gleam,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And in thine eyes the light of love supreme,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And in thy heart the dawning of a dream,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">And what beside!<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">Hopes reaching wide,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Out into the new life unbegun,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Into the untrodden ways thy feet may run<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And the dim future only known by One—<br /></span> -<span class="i4">The One Who died.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">And a sweet pride<br /></span> -<span class="i0">That thou art chosen the whole world above,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And girt about with mightiness of love,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Which waits to cherish thee as tend’rest dove<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Till death divide.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">And there abide<br /></span> -<span class="i0">In thy full heart most sweet-sad memories<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Of one who smiles on thee from out the skies,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Thy best belovd, now in Paradise,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Thy earliest guide;<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">At whose dear side<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Thy girlhood’s opening flower sweetly grew,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Till death transplanted her into the blue;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">There to watch over thee with love more true<br /></span> -<span class="i4">And purified.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">In the untried<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And varying life which waits thee, rosy-hued,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">God speed thee! and give daily grace renewed,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And bless with all His large beatitude<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Thy marriage-tide.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">Though thou be tried<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And troubled oftentimes in this new life,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Christ wall be with thee through the calm and strife,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Help thee to beautify the name of wife,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Oh, happy bride!<br /></span> -</div></div> - - -<p class="smalltext"><i>All rights reserved.</i>]</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">{290}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="OUR_HERO" id="OUR_HERO">“OUR HERO.”</a></h2> - -<p class="ph3">A TALE OF THE FRANCO-ENGLISH WAR NINETY YEARS AGO.</p> - - - -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">By</span> AGNES GIBERNE, Author of “Sun, Moon and Stars,” “The Girl at the Dower House,” etc.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER XIX.</h3> - -<p class='ph3'>ORDERED TO BITCHE.</p> - -<div> -<img class="drop-cap" src="images/i_290.jpg" width="125" height="133" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Roy</span> forgot everything -except the -affair on hand. -He dashed upstairs -and into -the salon at a -headlong pace, -knocking over a -chair as he entered. -It fell with -a crash, and Roy -stopped short. Denham was on the -sofa, no one else being present except -Lucille, who, with her bonnet on, as if -she were going out, had just taken an -empty cup from his hand.</p> - -<p>“Roy, you unkind boy,” she said, -turning with a look of positive anger. -“How you can do it!”</p> - -<p>“O I’m sorry. I didn’t remember. -Isn’t Den better?”</p> - -<p>“Not remember! But you ought to -remember. So without thought. It is -selfishness.”</p> - -<p>For Lucille to be seriously displeased -with Roy was an event so new in -his experience, that Roy gazed with -astonished eyes.</p> - -<p>“No matter,” interposed Denham. -“Had a good time, Roy?”</p> - -<p>“I’ve seen lots of people. Den, I’m -sorry, really. I didn’t mean——”</p> - -<p>“No, of course not. It’s all right.”</p> - -<p>“Where is my father?” Roy asked in -a subdued voice.</p> - -<p>“Gone out—but ten minutes since,” -said Lucille. “General Cunningham -sent to see him on business. And -Colonel Baron has to go with him somewhere, -and cannot return soon. So -dinner is put off till six.”</p> - -<p>“And mamma?”</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Baron had a call to pay in the -same direction. Captain Ivor thought -he might get half-an-hour’s sleep. Roy, -be good, I entreat. Do not fidget, and -knock over chairs, and talk, talk, talk, -without ending.”</p> - -<p>Roy nodded, and Lucille moved towards -the door, adding, as she went, -“I also have to see someone, but I -shall be back soon.”</p> - -<p>Roy sat down in a favourite attitude, -facing the back of a chair, and wondering -what to do next. Would it be right -to tell Denham what had happened? -Would it be wrong to put off telling? -Curtis had enjoined him to speak at -once; but Curtis had not known the -posture of affairs. The matter might -be of consequence, or it might not. -Roy was disquieted, but not seriously -uneasy; and he hesitated to worry -Denham without cause.</p> - -<p>“Seen anybody?” asked Ivor.</p> - -<p>“Yes; numbers.”</p> - -<p>Then a break.</p> - -<p>“Found Curtis?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. And Carey too. Would you -like to hear all about it?”</p> - -<p>“By-and-by, I think. It will keep.”</p> - -<p>Silence again, and Roy debated -afresh. What if his action should -mean bringing Curtis into trouble? -That thought had considerable weight.</p> - -<p>Three times he formed with his lips -the preliminary “I say, Den!” and -three times he refrained. The third -time some slight sound escaped him, for -Denham asked drowsily, “Anything -you want?”</p> - -<p>“Lucille told me not to talk. Does -it matter?”</p> - -<p>Ivor did not protest, as Roy had half -hoped. He was evidently dropping off, -and Roy decided that a short delay was -unavoidable. He took up a volume that -lay near; and, being no longer a book-hater, -he became absorbed in its contents. -General Wirion, chips of wood, -the Imperial nose, and irate landladies, -faded out of his mind. The matter was -no doubt a pity, but after all it meant -only—so Roy supposed—a pull upon his -father’s purse. Boys are apt to look -upon parental purses as unlimited in -depth.</p> - -<p>Denham was sound asleep, and Roy -kept as motionless as any girl; not that -girls are always quiet. An hour passed; -another half-hour; and he began to -grow restless. Might it be possible to -slip away?</p> - -<p>Gruff voices and heavy trampling feet, -in the hall below, broke into the stillness, -and Denham woke up. “This is -lazy work,” he said wearily. “Roy—here -yet! What time is it?”</p> - -<p>“Nearly five. Dinner isn’t till six. -Head any better?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. I’m wretched company for you -to-day. Different to-morrow, I hope.”</p> - -<p>“You can’t help it. You’ve just got -to get rested—that’s all. I say, what a -noise they are making downstairs. -Frenchmen do kick up such a rumpus -about everything.”</p> - -<p>The door opened hurriedly, and -Lucille came in, wearing still her bonnet, -as if just returned from a walk.</p> - -<p>“I am so sorry,” she said. “I do -not know what it means, but I must tell. -I have no choice. O it surely must -be a mistake, it cannot be truly——”</p> - -<p>Lucille startled herself no less than -her listeners by a sharp sob. She -caught Roy’s arm with both hands, -holding him fast. “Roy—Roy—what -is it that you have done? O what have -you done?” she cried.</p> - -<p>“Is it that bosh about the cast? O -I know. They want to be paid, I -suppose. Lucille, Den has been asleep, -and I’ve been as quiet as anything—and -then for you to come in like this! -Den, you just keep still, and I’ll go and -speak to them. I’ll settle it all. I -know my father will pay.”</p> - -<p>“No, no, no—stay—you must not -go,” panted Lucille. “Stay—it is the -gendarmes! And they come to arrest -you—to take you away!”</p> - -<p>The word “gendarmes” acted as an -electric shock, bringing Denham to his -feet in a moment.</p> - -<p>“What is it all about? I do not -understand.” He touched Roy on the -shoulder, with an imperative—“Tell -me.”</p> - -<p>“It was only—I’d have told you -before, only I didn’t like to bother you. -It was at Curtis’. There was a bust of -Boney on the mantelshelf, and I just -shied bits of wood at it, in fun. And I -said ‘<i> bas Napolon</i>,’ or something of -that sort; and then I threw a ball, and -the idiotic thing tumbled down and -broke into pieces. And the landlady—she’s -a regular out-and-out virago—happened -that very moment to come in, -and she saw and heard. And she -vowed she would tell of it. Curtis tried -to explain things away, and I offered to -pay, but she wouldn’t listen. She went -on shrieking at us, and said it was an -insult to the Emperor, and Wirion -should know of it. She’s a Bonapartist—worse -luck! Curtis made me hurry -off, and said I was to tell my father at -once. But he was out, and you—you -know——” with a glance at Lucille, -who wrung her hands, while Ivor said,</p> - -<p>“Roy, were you utterly mad?”</p> - -<p>“I—don’t know. Was it very stupid? -Will it matter, do you think? I’m -sorry about you—most. I thought they -would wait till to-morrow; but I suppose -they want me to go and pay -directly. Is that it?” looking towards -Lucille.</p> - -<p>“No, no, no,” she answered, again -wringing her hands. “It is to take—to -take Roy—to the citadel!”</p> - -<p>“To the citadel!” Roy opened his -eyes. “O I say, what a farce! For -knocking down a wretched little image, -not worth fifty sous!”</p> - -<p>“For breaking a bust of the Emperor, -and for shouting—‘<i> bas</i>——’” -Lucille could not finish.</p> - -<p>“You mean—that they will keep him -there to-night?” Denham said.</p> - -<p>She looked at him with eyes that were -almost wild with fear. “Oui—oui—the -citadel to-night! And to-morrow—they -say—to Bitche.”</p> - -<p>“To—Bitche!” whispered Roy. He -grew white, for that word was a sound -of terror in the ears of English prisoners, -and his glance went in appeal to -Ivor.</p> - -<p>“Stay here, Roy. I will speak to -them.”</p> - -<p>Ivor crossed the room with his rapid -resolute stride, and went out, meeting -the gendarmes half-way downstairs. -Lucille clutched Roy’s arm again, half -in reproach, half in protection. “Ah, -my poor boy! mon pauvre garon! how -could you? Ah, such folly! As if there -were not already trouble enough! Ah, -my unhappy Roy!”</p> - -<p>“Shut up, Lucille! You needn’t jaw -a fellow like that! It can’t mean anything -really, you know. Wirion just -thinks he can screw a lot of money out -of my father. And that’s the worst of -it,” declared Roy, in an undertone. “I -hate to have done such a stupid thing—and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">{291}</a></span> -I hate the worry of it for Den, just -now when he’s like this. But you know -they couldn’t really send me to Bitche -only for smashing a paltry image. It -would be ridiculous.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, Roy! even you little know—you—what -it means to be under a despot, -such as—but one may not dare to -speak.”</p> - -<p>Lucille’s tears came fast. They -stood listening. From the staircase -rose loud rough voices, alternating with -Ivor’s not loud but masterful tones. -That he was prisoner, and that they -had power to arrest him too, if they -chose, made not a grain of difference -in his bearing. It was not defiant or -excited, but undoubtedly it was haughty; -and Lucille, just able to see him from -where she stood, found herself wondering—did -he wish to go to prison with Roy? -She could almost have believed it.</p> - -<p>“Eh bien, messieurs. Since l’Empreur -sees fit to war with schoolboys, -so be it,” she heard him say sternly in -his polished French. “To me, as an -Englishman, it appears that his Majesty -might find a foe more worthy of his -prowess.”</p> - -<p>“But, ah, why make them angry?” -murmured Lucille.</p> - -<p>A few more words, and Denham came -back. One look at his face made -questions almost needless.</p> - -<p>“Then I am to go, Den?”</p> - -<p>“I fear—no help for it. The men -have authority. You will have to spend -to-night in the citadel. But I am coming -with you, and I shall insist upon seeing -Wirion himself.”</p> - -<p>“But you—you cannot! You are -ill!” remonstrated Lucille. “Will not -Colonel Baron go? Not you.”</p> - -<p>He put aside the objection as unimportant.</p> - -<p>“Roy must take a few things with -him—not more than he can carry himself. -I hope it may be only for the one -night. They allow us twenty minutes—not -longer. That is a concession.”</p> - -<p>“I will put his things together for -him,” Lucille said quickly.</p> - -<p>“One moment. May I beg a kindness?”</p> - -<p>“Anything in the world.”</p> - -<p>“If Colonel Baron does not return -before we start—and he will not—would -you, if possible, find him, and beg him -to come at once to the citadel? Then, -Mrs. Baron——”</p> - -<p>Ivor’s set features yielded slightly; -for the thought of Roy’s mother without -her boy was hard to face. Lucille -watched him with grieved eyes.</p> - -<p>“I will tell her, but not everything—not -yet as to Bitche, for that may be -averted. I will stay with her—comfort -her—do all that I am able. Is this what -you would ask?”</p> - -<p>“God bless you!” he said huskily, -and she hurried away.</p> - -<p>“Den, must I go with those fellows -really?” asked Roy, beginning to understand -what he had brought upon himself. -“I never thought of that. Can’t you -manage to get me off? Won’t they -let me wait—till my father comes -back?”</p> - -<p>“They will consent to no delay. He -will follow us soon. And, Roy, I must -urge you to be careful what you say. -Any word that you may let slip without -thinking will be used against you. I -hoped that you had learnt that lesson.”</p> - -<p>A listener, overhearing Denham with -the gendarmes, might have questioned -whether he had learnt it himself; but -Roy was in no condition of mind to be -critical. Dismay grew in his face.</p> - -<p>“And if you can’t get me off—— If -I am sent to Bitche——” with widening -gaze.</p> - -<p>“If you are”—with much more of an -effort than Roy could imagine—“then -you will meet it like a man. Whatever -comes, you must be brave and true -through all. Keep up heart, and -remember that it is only for a time. -And, my boy, never let yourself say or -do what you would be ashamed to tell -your father.”</p> - -<p>“Or—you”—with a catch of his -breath.</p> - -<p>“Or me!”—steadily. “Remember -always that you are an Englishman—that -you are your father’s son—that you -are my friend—and that your duty to -God comes first. For your mother’s -sake, bear patiently. Don’t make -matters worse by useless anger. And—think -how she will be praying for -you!”</p> - -<p>Denham could hardly say the words. -Roy’s lips quivered.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I will! Only, if you could get -me off!”</p> - -<p>“My dear boy, if they would take me -in your stead——”</p> - -<p>“Den, I’m so sorry! I’m not -frightened, you know—only it’s horrid -to have to go! Just when you’ve come -and all! And it would have been so -jolly! And it’s such a bother for you, -too! I do wish I hadn’t done it!”</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later the two started—Roy -under the gendarme-escort, Ivor -keeping pace with them.</p> - -<p>Lucille then hastened away on her -sorrowful mission, leaving a message -with old M. Courant, in case either -Colonel or Mrs. Baron should return -during her absence—not the same -message for Mrs. Baron as for the -Colonel.</p> - -<p>Half-an-hour’s search brought her -into contact with the latter, and she -poured forth a breathless tale. Heavier -and heavier grew the cloud upon his -face. He knew too well the uses that -might be made of Roy’s boyish escapade. -At the sound of that dread word—“Bitche”—a -grey shadow came.</p> - -<p>“Captain Ivor went with Roy to the -citadel. He ought not—he has been so -suffering all day—but he would not let -Roy go alone. And he asked, would -you follow them as soon as possible? -For me, I will find Mrs. Baron, and -will stay with her.”</p> - -<p>The Colonel muttered words of thanks, -and went off at his best speed.</p> - -<p>Would he and Captain Ivor be able -to do anything? Would they even be -admitted to the presence of the autocratic -commandant? Denham might -talk of insisting; but prisoners had no -power to insist. If he did, he might -only be thrown into prison himself! -Was that what he wanted—to go with -the boy?</p> - -<p>“Ah, j’espre que non!” Lucille -muttered fervently.</p> - -<p>And if they were admitted, what -then? Would money purchase Roy’s -immunity from punishment? General -Wirion’s known cupidity gave some -ground for hope. Yet, would he neglect -such an opportunity for displaying -Imperialist zeal?</p> - -<p>Lucille put these questions to herself -as she flew homeward. On the way she -met little Mrs. Curtis, and for one -moment stopped in response to the -other’s gesture.</p> - -<p>“Is it true?” Mrs. Curtis asked, with -a scared look. “They tell me Roy has -been arrested. Is it so? My husband -could do nothing. The landlady was -off before he could speak to her again. -He thought that Roy and the Colonel -would be coming round directly, and so -he waited in. But they did not come. -And now two gendarmes are quartered -in our lodgings, and Hugh may not stir -without their leave. It is horrid! But—Roy?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot wait! Roy is taken -to the citadel! I have to see to -his mother! Do not keep me, -Madame.” And again Lucille sped -homeward.</p> - -<p>As she had half hoped, half dreaded, -she found Mrs. Baron indoors before -herself, alone in the salon, and uneasy -at Captain Ivor’s absence.</p> - -<p>“He ought not to have gone out,” -she said. “He will be seriously ill if -he does not let himself rest. It is Roy’s -doing, I suppose—so thoughtless of -Roy! I must tell Denham that I will -not have him spoil my boy in this way. -It is not good for Roy, and Denham -will suffer for it. You do not know -where he is gone?”</p> - -<p>“Oui!” faltered Lucille, and Mrs. -Baron looked at her.</p> - -<p>“You have been crying! What is -it?”</p> - -<p>As gently as might be, Lucille broke -the news of what had happened; and -Mrs. Baron seemed stunned. Roy—her -Roy—in the hands of the pitiless -gendarmes! Roy imprisoned in the -citadel! Lucille made no mention of -Bitche; but too many prisoners had -been passed on thither for the idea not -to occur to Mrs. Baron.</p> - -<p>“And it was I who brought him to -France! It was I who would not let -him be sent home when he might have -gone! O Roy, Roy!” she moaned. -Lucille had hard work to bring any -touch of comfort to her.</p> - -<p>Hour after hour crept by. Once a -messenger arrived with a pencil note -from Colonel Baron to his wife—</p> - -<p>“Do not sit up if we are late. We -are doing what we can. I cannot -persuade Denham to go back.”</p> - -<p>Not sit up! Neither Mrs. Baron nor -Lucille could dream of doing anything -else. This suspense drew them together, -and Lucille found herself to be one with -the Barons in their trouble.</p> - -<p>Nine o’clock, ten o’clock, and at -length eleven o’clock. Soon after came -a sound of footsteps. Not of bounding, -boyish steps. No Roy came rushing -gaily into the room. Lucille had found -fault with him that afternoon for his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">{292}</a></span> -noisy impulsiveness; but now, from her -very heart, she would have welcomed -his merry rush. Only Colonel Baron -and Ivor entered.</p> - -<p>The Colonel’s face was heavily overclouded, -while Denham’s features were -rigid as iron, and entirely without colour.</p> - -<p>“Roy?” whispered Mrs. Baron.</p> - -<p>Deep silence answered the unspoken -question. Colonel Baron stood with -folded arms, gazing at his wife. Denham -moved two or three paces away, -and rested one arm on the back of a -tall chair, as if scarcely able to keep -himself upright.</p> - -<p>“Roy!” repeated Mrs. Baron, her -voice sharpened and thinned. “You -have not brought—Roy!”</p> - -<p>A single piercing laugh rang out. -She stopped the sound abruptly with -one quick indrawing of her breath, and -waited.</p> - -<p>Colonel Baron tried to speak, and -no sound came. Denham remained -motionless, not even attempting to raise -his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Oui!” Lucille said restlessly. “Il -est—il est——”</p> - -<p>The Colonel managed a few short -words. There was no possibility of -softening what had to be said.</p> - -<p>“To-night—the citadel. To-morrow—to -Bitche!”</p> - -<p>“To Bitche!” echoed Lucille. -“Ah-h!”</p> - -<p>To Bitche—that terrible fortress-prison, -the nightmare of Verdun -prisoners! Their Roy to be sent to -Bitche! Mrs. Baron swayed slightly -as if on the verge of fainting. Roy, -her petted and idolised darling—her -boy, so tenderly cared for—to be hurried -away to Bitche!</p> - -<p>Lucille hardly could have told which -of the two she was watching with the -more intense attention—Mrs. Baron, -stunned and wordless, or Denham, with -his fixed still face of suffering.</p> - -<p>“And nothing—nothing—can be -done?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“We have tried everything!” the -Colonel answered gloomily.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - - -<p class="center">(<i>To be continued.</i>)</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - - - - -<h2><a name="A_RAMBLE_ABOUT_CHILDHOOD" id="A_RAMBLE_ABOUT_CHILDHOOD">A RAMBLE ABOUT CHILDHOOD.</a></h2> - -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">By Mrs. MOLESWORTH.</span></p> - - -<div> -<img class="drop-cap" src="images/i_292.jpg" width="125" height="300" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">No</span> true child-lover would -maintain that all children -are equally lovable, -or indeed, in -some—though, I -think, rare instances—lovable -at all.</p> - -<p>But in this, speaking -for myself, I detect no -inconsistency, no falsity -to one’s colours. -For the qualities or deficiencies -which make -a child unlovable may -be summed up in one -word; they are such -as make it unchildlike. -And this, not necessarily, -if at all, as regards -a child’s mental -qualities. It is the -moral side of child-nature -that attracts—the -heart, the spirit. -For painful as it is to meet with precocity of -mind in some instances, especially the precocity -of the kind forced upon the children of the -poor not unfrequently, this, unchildlike as it -is, is by no means incompatible with great -sweetness and beauty of the moral character, -great power of affection, delightful candour, -even that most exquisite of childlike possessions—trustfulness.</p> - -<p>Yes, the root of a child’s nature, the -essential groundwork of it, to be lovely and -lovable, must be childlike. But a literal -meaning must be given to the pretty adjective. -I would not even altogether eliminate from it -certain qualities which might, strictly speaking, -be perhaps more correctly described as -<i>childish</i>, seeing that if we limited the -word too narrowly, we should lose others of -the great charms of children, their queer, -delightful inconsistencies and exaggerations, -their quaint originality, their grotesque -imaginings, all of which, in more or less -degree, a real child, even a dull or stupid one, -possesses.</p> - -<p>Take, for example, the unconscious egoism, -almost amounting, logically speaking, to -“arrogance,” of most children. The world, -nay, the universe, is their own little life and -surroundings; their house and family are the -rules, the proper thing, all others exceptions. -It is not, in most instances, till childhood is -growing into a phase of the past, that the -sense of comparison is really developed, or -that the young creatures take in that other -circumstances or conditions besides their own -may be what <i>should</i> be, that they themselves do -not hold a monopoly of the model existence.</p> - -<p>There is something pretty as well as absurd -in this—to my mind, at least, in certain -directions, something almost sacred, which it -would be desecration to touch with hasty or -careless fingers; which, one almost grieves to -know, must pass, like all illusions, however -sweet and innocent, when its day is over.</p> - -<p>To recall some recollections of my own -childish beliefs—if the egotism may be -pardoned, on the ground that one’s own -experiences of this nature cannot but be the -most trustworthy. I often smile to myself, -with the smile “akin to tears,” when I look -back to some of the faiths, the first principles, -of my earliest years.</p> - -<p>Foremost among these was the belief in the -absolute perfection of my father and mother. -I thought that they could not do wrong, that -they knew <i>everything</i>. I remember feeling -extremely surprised and perplexed on some -occasions when, having involuntarily—for I, -like most children, but seldom expressed or -alluded to my deepest convictions—allowed -this creed of mine to escape me, the subjects of -it—though not without a smile—endeavoured -tenderly to correct my estimate of them.</p> - -<p>“There are many, many things I do not -know about, my little girl,” my father would -say, adding once, I remember—for this remark -impressed me greatly—“I only know enough -to begin to see that I am exceedingly -ignorant.” And my mother was even more -emphatic in her deprecation of our nursery -fiat that “mamma was quite, quite good.”</p> - -<p>Not that these protestations shook our -faith. In my own case I know that the -unconscious arrogance with regard to family -conditions extended to ludicrous details. I -thought that the Christian names of my parents -were the only correct ones for papas and -mammas; I believed that the order in which -we children stood—there were six of us, boy, -girl, boy, girl, boy, girl—was the appointed -order of nature, that all deviation from these -and other particulars of the kind was abnormal -and incorrect, and I viewed with condescending -pity the playmates whose brothers and -sisters were wrongly arranged, or whose -parents suffered under “not right” names.</p> - -<p>Gradually, of course, these queer, childish -“articles of belief” faded—melted away in -the clearer vision of experience and developing -intellect. But they left a something behind -them which I should be sorry to be without; -and they left too, I think, a certain faculty of -penetration into infant inner life, which -circumstances have shown themselves kindly -in preserving and deepening. I have learnt -to feel since that nearly all children have -their own odd and original theories of things, -though many forget, as life advances, to -remember about their own childhood’s beliefs -and imaginings. And this is not unnatural, -when we take into account the rarity and -difficulty of obtaining a child’s full confidence, -for uncommunicated, unexpressed thoughts -are apt to die away from want of word-clothing. -One really learns more about -children from the revelations of grown-up -men and women who “remember,” and have -cherished their remembrances, than from the -children of the moment themselves.</p> - -<p>Still, queer ideas crop out to others sometimes. -Not often—if it happened oftener we -should be less struck by their oddity, by their -grotesque originality. A few which, in some -instances, not without difficulty and the -exertion of some amount of diplomacy, I have -succeeded in extracting—no, that is not the -right word for a matter of such fairylike -delicacy—in drawing out, as the bee draws -the honey from the tiny flowers—occur to me -as I write, and may be worth mention.</p> - -<p>A small boy of my acquaintance, after a fit -of extreme penitence for some little offence -against his grandmother, whom he was very -fond of, added to his “so very sorry,” “never -do it again, never, never,” the unintelligible -assurance, “I will be always good to you, -dear little granny, always; and when you -have to go round all the houses, I’ll see that -our cook gives you lots and lots of scraps—very -nice ones—and nice old boots and shoes, -and everything you want. I’ll even”—with -a burst of enthusiastic devotion—“I’ll even -go round with you my own self.”</p> - -<p>Grandmother expressed her sense of the -intended good offices, but gingerly, with my -assistance, set to work to find out what the -little fellow meant—what in the world he had -got into his head; and it was no easy task, I -can assure you. But at last we succeeded. -It appeared that the confusion in the boy’s -mind arose from the, in a sense, double -meaning of the word “old.” He associated -it, naturally enough, with the idea of poverty, -material worthlessness, in conjunction with that -of age and long-livedness. Every human being, -he believed, had to descend, “when you gets -very old,” to a state of beggardom; his dear -granny, like everybody else, would have to -wander from door to door with a piteous tale -of want; but from his door she should never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">{293}</a></span> -be repulsed; nay indeed, he himself would -take her by the hand and lead her on the -painful round. Nor did he murmur at this -strange order of things; to him it was a -“has-to-be,” accepted like the darkness that -follows the day; like the gradual out-at-toe -condition of his own little worn-out shoes; -and I greatly doubt if our carefully-worded explanation -of his mistake carried real conviction -with it. I strongly suspect that he remained -on the look-out for granny in her new <i>rle</i> for -a good many months, or even years, to come.</p> - -<p>Some other curious childish beliefs recur to -my memory. I knew a little girl who -cherished as an undoubted article of faith a -legend—how originated who can say?—perhaps -suggested by some half poetical talk of her -elders about the aging year, the year about -to bid us farewell and so on, perhaps entirely -evolved out of her own fantastic little brain—that -on the 31st of December the “old year” -took material human form and strolled about -the world in the guise of an aged man, though -unrecognised by the uninitiated crowd. She -had the habit on this day of taking up her -quarters in a corner of the deep, old-fashioned -window-sill of her nursery, and there, in -patient silence, gazing down into the street -till Mr. Old-year should have passed by. -Nor were her hopes disappointed. She -always caught sight of him and nodded her -own farewell, unexpectful of any response.</p> - -<p>“He couldn’t say good-bye to everybody; -he wouldn’t have time,” was her explanation -to the little sister to whom she at last confided -her odd fancy, and through whose indiscretion -it leaked out to the rest of the nursery group.</p> - -<p>“But how do you know him?” she was -asked. “Is he always dressed the same?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no,” was the reply, “he sometimes -wears a black coat and sometimes a brown; -and one year he had a blue one with brass -buttons. That was the first year I saw him, -and I have never missed him since. He has -always white hair, and he walks slowly, -looking about him. I always know him, -almost as well as you’d know Santa Claus -if he came along the street, though, of course, -he never does. <i>He</i> comes down chimneys, -and I don’t think children ever do see him, -for they’re always asleep.”</p> - -<p>The little woman was, wisely I think, left -undisturbed in her innocent fancy. How -many more times she ensconced herself in her -window on the 31st of December I cannot -say. The belief in the poor Old-year’s lonely -wandering interested her for the time and did -her no harm, then gently faded, to be revived -perhaps as a story of “When mother was -a little girl,” when mother came to have -little girls of her own to beg for her childish -reminiscences.</p> - -<p>This personification of abstract ideas is a -peculiarity, a speciality of children, as it -was no doubt of the children of the world’s -history—our remote ancestors. And I have -noticed that among abstract ideas that of -<i>time</i> has a particular fascination for imaginative -little people. Many years ago I happened -to be staying in a country house when -a group of children arrived from town to -spend their summer holiday with the uncle -and aunt to whom it belonged. Entering the -room where these little sisters were quartered, -early in the morning after their journey, I was -surprised to find the trio wide awake, each -sitting up in her cot, in absolute silence as if -listening for something.</p> - -<p>I too stood silent and still for a minute or -two, till yielding to curiosity I turned to the -nearest bed, which happened to be that of the -youngest, a girl of five or six.</p> - -<p>“What is it, Francie?” I inquired. “Are -you trying to hear the church bells”—for -it was Sunday morning—“or what?”</p> - -<p>With perfect seriousness she turned to me -as she replied—</p> - -<p>“No, auntie dear. We are listening to -<i>time passing</i>. We can always hear it when -we first come to the country. In London -there is too much noise. Meg”—her mature -sister of ten—“taught us about it. So we -always try to wake early the first morning on -purpose to hear it.”</p> - -<p>Another friend of mine, now an elderly, if -not quite an old, woman, had a curious fancy -when a very young child, in connection with -which there is a pretty anecdote of the poet -Wordsworth, which may make the story -worth relating. This little girl believed that -during the night before a birthday a miraculous -amount of “growing” was done, and on -the morning on which her elder brother attained -the age of six, she, his junior by two -years, flew into the nursery when he was being -dressed, expecting to see a marvellous transformation. -But—to her immense disappointment—there -stood her dear Jack looking -precisely as he had done when she bade him -good-night the evening before. Maimie’s -feelings were too much for her.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Jack,” she cried, bursting into tears, -“why haven’t you growed big? I thought -you’d be kite a big boy this morning.”</p> - -<p>Jack and nurse stared at her. I am afraid -they called her a silly girl, but however that -may have been, her disappointment was vivid -enough for the remembrance of it to have -lasted through well nigh half a century, and -her tears flowed on. Just then came a tap -at the door, followed by the entrance of the -cook, a north countrywoman and a great -favourite with the children. A glance at her -showed Maimie that she was weeping, and -when their old friend threw her arms around -the little people, and kissed them, amidst -her sobs Maimie felt certain that the source -of her grief was the same as of her own.</p> - -<p>“Is you crying ’cos Jack hasn’t growed for -his birthday?” asked the little girl. But -Hannah shook her head.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know what you mean, my sweet -one,” said the old woman. “I’m crying -because I’ve got to leave you. This very -morning I’m going, and I’ve come to say -good-bye.”</p> - -<p>This startling announcement checked -Maimie’s tears, or if they flowed again it was -from a different cause.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear Hannah,” the two exclaimed, -“why must you go if it makes you so unhappy? -Doesn’t mamma want you to -stay?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, dearie,” was the reply, “but it’s -my duty to go to my old mistress. She’s ill -now and sad, and she thinks Hannah can -nurse her better than anyone else.”</p> - -<p>So with tender farewells to the children -she was never to see again, poor Hannah went -her way.</p> - -<p>Her “old mistress” was Miss Dorothy -Wordsworth. And though Jack and Maimie -never saw the faithful servant any more, they -heard from, or rather of, her before long. For -only a few weeks had passed when one morning -the postman brought a small parcel -directed to themselves, and a letter to Jack, -Hannah’s particular pet. The letter and the -addresses were in a queer, somewhat shaky -hand-writing, that of Mr. Wordsworth himself, -now an aged man, for it was within a few -years of his death; the parcel contained a -tempting-looking volume, bound in red and -gold—“Selections for the young”—of the -laureate’s poems, with Jack’s name inscribed -therein, and even more gratifying, from the -kindly thoughtfulness it displayed, a little -silk neckerchief in tartan—the children’s -own tartan, for they belonged to a Scotch -clan—for Maimie. And the letter, written to -the old servant’s dictation, for she could not -write herself, told of her consultation with her -master as to the most appropriate presents -to choose for her little favourites.</p> - -<p>Almost more touching than the trustfulness -of children is their extraordinary endurance—a -quality often, I fear, carried to a painful and -even dangerous point. It has its root, I suspect, -in their innate trust, their belief that -whatever their elders deem right must be so; -also perhaps, in a certain almost fatalistic -acceptance of things as they are. But on few -subjects connected with childhood have I felt -more strongly than on this. No parent is -justified in “taking for granted” the moral -qualifications, even the suitability of the persons -in charge of their little boys and girls, -however unexceptionable may be the references -and recommendations they bring. It -takes tact and gives trouble, but it is among -the first of the duties of mothers especially to -make sure on such points for themselves. For -besides their trust in their elders and their -natural resignation to the conditions about -them, there is an extreme sense of loyalty in -most children, a horror of “tell-taling,” -such as are often far too slightly appreciated -or taken into account.</p> - -<p>As these remarks are professedly a -“ramble” I may be forgiven for reverting to -that beautiful trustfulness, by relating an -incident which, though trivial in the extreme, -has never faded from my memory. We were -returning, late at night, or so at least it -seemed to me, from some kind of juvenile -entertainment at Christmas time. It was a -stormy evening; I was a very little girl, and -since infancy, high wind has always frightened -me, and that night it was blowing fiercely. I -was already trembling, when the carriage -suddenly stopped. My father at once sprang -out, for there was no second man on the box; -there was nothing wrong, only the coachman’s -hat had blown off! He got down and -ran back for it, and my father replaced him -and drove on slowly, for the wind had made -the horse restless.</p> - -<p>“Oh, mamma,” I exclaimed, “I am so -frightened. The coachman has gone away.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, darling,” said my mother, “but -don’t you see papa is driving?”</p> - -<p>I shall never forget the impression of -absolute comfort and fearlessness that came -over me at her words.</p> - -<p>“Papa is driving,” I repeated to myself. -“We are quite, quite safe.”</p> - -<p>And all through the many years since that -winter night, the impression has never faded; -often and often it has returned to me as a -suggestion of the essential beauty of trust, -the germ of the “perfect love” towards -which we strive.</p> - -<p>Not <i>a propos</i> of the foregoing reminiscences, -yet not, I hope, <i>mal a propos</i> in a -roundabout paper, two anecdotes of a different -kind, of children, recur to me, showing the -odd directions that their cogitations sometimes -take.</p> - -<p>A little boy of my acquaintance, partly -perhaps from nervousness, was subject to -violent fits of crying, most irritating and perplexing -to deal with. Once started—often by -some absurdly trivial cause—there was literally -no saying when Charley would leave off. One -day, after an unusually long and exhausting -attack, to his mother’s great relief, the floods -gave signs of abating; she left the room to -fetch him a glass of water. On her return the -sobs had subsided.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Charley,” she said, with natural but -ill-advised expression of her feelings, “you -have really worn me out. If ever you have -children of your own, who cry like you, I -hope you will remember your poor mother.”</p> - -<p>Forthwith, to her dismay, the wails and -tears burst out again, and it was not till some -time had elapsed that the child would listen -to her repeated inquiries as to what in the -world he was crying for now. At last came -the little looked-for reply.</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t because of this morning,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">{294}</a></span> -(what had started the fit I do not remember) -“I’d left off crying about that. It was you -thinking I would bring up my children so -badly.”</p> - -<p>Anecdote No. 2 relates to a more exalted -personage than Master Charley.</p> - -<p>Several years ago I was gratified by hearing -from a friend then resident in Italy and -acquainted with the Court circle, that one of -my earliest books for children, <i>Carrots</i>, -had found great favour in the eyes of the -young Crown Prince, then a mere boy. His -exact sentiments on the subject were conveyed -to me in a letter written at his request. -The story had amused and interested him at a -moment when he was specially in want of -entertainment, for it was just at the date of -the death of his grandfather, the great Victor -Emanuel, and his little namesake had not been -allowed to go out riding or driving as usual -for several days. He did not know how he -would have passed the time but for -<i>Carrots</i>, he said. He wished Mrs. Molesworth -to know this, and he also wished to -make a request to her. Would she write -another book as soon as possible—(not, as -one might have expected, of further details of -my little hero’s boyhood, but)—to tell how -“Carrots” brought up his own children when -he became a big man and was married!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - - -<h2><a name="ABOUT_PEGGY_SAVILLE" id="ABOUT_PEGGY_SAVILLE">ABOUT PEGGY SAVILLE.</a></h2> - -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">By</span> JESSIE MANSERGH (Mrs. G. de Horne Vaizey), Author of “Sisters Three,” etc.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER XVIII.</h3> - -<div> -<img class="drop-cap" src="images/i_294.jpg" width="100" height="240" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">“Something</span> has happened! -Something -terrible has -happened to the -child! And she -was left in our -charge. We are responsible. -Oh, if -any harm has happened -to Peggy, -however, ever, ever, -can I bear to live -and send the news -to her parents——”</p> - -<p>“My dearest, you -have done your best; -you could not have -been kinder or more -thoughtful. No -blame can attach to -you. Remember -that Peggy is in -higher hands than yours. However far -from us she may be, she can never stray -out of God’s keeping. It all seems very -dark and mysterious, but——”</p> - -<p>At this moment a loud rat-tat-tat -sounded on the knocker, and with one -accord the hearers darted into the hall -and stood panting and gasping while -Arthur threw open the door.</p> - -<p>“Telegram, sir!” said a sharp, -young voice, and the brown envelope -which causes so much agitation in quiet -households was thrust forward in a -small cold hand. Arthur looked at the -address and handed it to the Vicar.</p> - -<p>“It is for you, sir, but it cannot possibly -be anything about——”</p> - -<p>Mr. Asplin tore open the envelope, -glanced over the words, and broke into -an exclamation of amazement. “It is! -It is from Peggy herself!—‘Euston -Station. Returning by 10.30 train. -Please meet me at twelve o’clock.—Peggy.’ -What in the world does it -mean?” He looked round the group -of anxious faces, only to see his own -expression of bewilderment repeated on -each in turn.</p> - -<p>“Euston! Returning! She is in -London. She is coming back from -town!” “She ran away to London, -to-night when she was so happy, when -Arthur had just arrived! Why? Why? -Why?” “She must have caught the -seven o’clock train.” “She must have -left the house almost immediately after -going upstairs to dress for dinner.” -“Oh, father, why should she go to -London?”</p> - -<p>“I am quite unable to tell you, my -dear,” replied the Vicar drily. He -looked at his wife’s white, exhausted -face, and his eyes flashed with the -“A-word-with-you-in-my-study” expression, -which argued ill for Miss -Peggy’s reception. Mrs. Asplin, however, -was too thankful to know of the -girl’s safety to have any thought for herself. -She began to smile, with the tears -still running down her face, and to draw -long breaths of relief and satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“It’s no use trying to guess at that, -Millie dear. It is enough for me to -know that she is alive and well. We -shall just have to try and compose ourselves -in patience until we hear Peggy’s -own explanation. Let me see! There -is nearly an hour before you need set -out. What can we do to pass the time -as quickly as possible?”</p> - -<p>“Have some coffee, I should say! -None of us have had too much dinner, -and a little refreshment would be very -welcome after all this strain,” said -Arthur, promptly, and Mrs. Asplin -eagerly welcomed the suggestion.</p> - -<p>“That’s what I call a really practical -proposal! Ring the bell, dear, -and I will order it at once. I am -sure we shall all have thankful hearts -while we drink it.” She looked appealingly -at Mr. Asplin as she spoke, -but there was no answering smile on -his face. The lines down his cheeks -looked deeper and grimmer than ever.</p> - -<p>“Oh, goody, goody, goodness, aren’t -I glad I am not Peggy!” sighed -Mellicent to herself, while Arthur -Saville pursed his lips together, and -thought, “Poor little Peg! She’ll -catch it. I’ve never seen the dominie -look so savage. This is a nice sort of -treat for a fellow who has been ordered -away for rest and refreshment! I wish -the next two hours were safely over.”</p> - -<p>Wishing unfortunately, however, can -never carry us over the painful crises of -our lives. We have to face them as -best we may, and Arthur needed all -his cheery confidence to sustain him -during the damp walk which followed, -when the Vicar tramped silently by his -side, his shovel hat pulled over his eyes, -his mackintosh coat flapping to and fro -in the wind.</p> - -<p>They reached the station in good -time, and punctually to the minute the -lights of the London express were seen -in the distance. The train drew up, -and among the few passengers who -alighted the figure of Peggy, in her -scarlet trimmed hat, was easily -distinguished. She was assisted out of -the carriage by an elderly gentleman, in -a big travelling coat, who stood by her -side as she looked about for her friends. -As Mr. Asplin and Arthur approached, -they only heard his hearty, “Now you -are all right!” and Peggy’s elegant -rejoinder, “Exceedingly indebted to you -for all your kindness!” Then he -stepped back into the carriage, and she -came forward to meet them, half shy, half -smiling, “I—I am afraid that you——”</p> - -<p>“We will defer explanations, Mariquita, -if you please, until we reach home. A -fly is waiting. We will return as quickly -as possible,” said the Vicar frigidly, -and the brother and sister lagged behind -as he led the way out of the station, -gesticulating and whispering together -in furtive fashion.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you Peggy! <i>Now</i> you have -done it! No end of a row!”</p> - -<p>“Couldn’t help it! So sorry. Had -to go. Stick to me, Arthur, whatever -you do!”</p> - -<p>“Like a leech! We’ll worry through -somehow. Never say die!” Then the -fly was reached, and they jolted home -in silence.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Asplin and the four young folks -were sitting waiting in the drawing-room, -and each one turned an eager, -excited face towards the doorway as -Peggy entered, her cheeks white, but -with shining eyes, and hair ruffled into -little ends beneath the scarlet cap. Mrs. -Asplin would have rushed forward in welcome, -but a look in her husband’s face -restrained her, and there was a deathlike -silence in the room as he took up -his position by the mantelpiece.</p> - -<p>“Mariquita,” he said slowly, “you -have caused us to-night some hours of -the most acute and painful anxiety -which we have ever experienced. You -disappeared suddenly from among us, -and until ten o’clock, when your telegram -arrived, we had not the faintest notion -as to where you could be. The most -tragic suspicions came to our minds. -We have spent the evening in rushing to -and fro, searching and inquiring in all -directions. Mrs. Asplin has had a -shock from which, I fear, she will be -some time in recovering. Your brother’s -pleasure in his visit has been spoiled. -We await your explanation. I am at a -loss to imagine any reason sufficiently -good to excuse such behaviour; but I -will say no more until I have heard what -you have to say.”</p> - -<p>Peggy stood like a prisoner at the bar, -with hanging head and hands clasped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">{295}</a></span> -together. As the Vicar spoke of his -wife, she darted a look at Mrs. Asplin, -and a quiver of emotion passed over her -face. When he had finished she drew -a deep breath, raised her head and -looked him full in the face with her -bright, earnest eyes.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry,” she said slowly. “I -can’t tell you in words how sorry I am. -I know it will be difficult, but I hope -you will forgive me. I was thinking -what I had better do while I was -coming back in the train, and I decided -that I ought to tell you everything, even -though it is supposed to be a secret. -Robert will forgive me, and it is Robert’s -secret as much as mine. I’ll begin at -the beginning. About five weeks ago -Robert saw an advertisement of a prize -that was offered by a magazine. You -had to make up a calendar with quotations -for every day in the year, and the -person who sent in the best selection -would get thirty pounds. Rob wanted -the money very badly to buy a microscope, -and he asked me to help him. I -was to have ten pounds for myself if we -won, but I didn’t care about that. I -just wanted to help Rob. I said I -would take the money, because I knew -if I didn’t he would not let me work so -hard, and I thought I would spend it -in buying p—p—presents for you all at -Christmas.”—Peggy’s voice faltered at -this point, and she gulped nervously -several times before she could go on -with her story.—“We had to work very -hard, because the time was so short. -Robert had not seen the advertisement -until it had been out some time. I printed -the headings on the cards; that is why I -sat so much in my own room. The last -fortnight I have been writing every -morning before six o’clock. Oh, you -can’t think how difficult it was to get it -finished, but Robert was determined to -go on; he thought our chance was very -good, because he had found some beautiful -extracts, and translated others, and the -pages really looked pretty and dainty. -The MS. had to be in London this morning; -if it missed the post last night -all our work would have been wasted, -and at the very last Lady Darcy took -Rob away with her, and I was left with -everything to finish. I <i>may</i> have slept -a little bit the last two nights; I did lie -down for an hour or two, and I <i>may</i> -have had a doze, but I don’t think so! I -wrote the last word this morning after -the breakfast-bell had rung, and I made -up the parcel at twelve o’clock. I -thought of going out and posting it -then; of course, that is what I should -have done, but”—her voice trembled -once more—“I was so tired! I thought -I would give it to the postman myself, -and that would do just as well. I didn’t -put it with the letters because I was -afraid someone would see the address -and ask questions, and Rob had said -that I was to keep it a secret until we -knew whether we had won. I left the -parcel on my table. Then Arthur came! -I was so happy—there was so much to -talk about—we had tea—it seemed like -five minutes. Everyone was amazed -when we found it was time to dress, -but even then I forgot all about the -calendar. I only remembered that -Arthur was here, and was going to stay -for four days, and all the way upstairs I -was saying to myself, ‘I’m happy, I’m -happy; oh, I <i>am</i> happy!’ because, you -know, though you are so kind, you have -so many relations belonging to you -whom you love better than me, and my -own people are all far away, and sometimes -I’ve been very lonely! I thought -of nothing but Arthur, and then I opened -the door of my room, and there, before -my eyes, was the parcel; Rob’s parcel -that he had trusted to me—that I had -solemnly promised—to post in time——”</p> - -<p>She stopped short, and there was a gasp -of interest and commiseration among the -listeners. Peggy caught it; she glanced -sharply at the Vicar’s face, saw its sternness -replaced by a momentary softness, -and was quick to make the most of her -opportunity. Out flew the dramatic little -hand, her eyes flashed, her voice thrilled -with suppressed excitement.</p> - -<p>“It lay there before my eyes, and I -stood and looked at it ... I thought of -nothing, but just stood and stared. I -heard you all come upstairs, and the -doors shut, and Arthur’s voice laughing -and talking; but there was only one thing -I could remember—I had forgotten Rob’s -parcel, and he would come back, and I -should have to tell him, and see his -face! I felt as if I were paralysed, and -then suddenly I seized the parcel in my -hands, and flew downstairs. I put on -my cap and cloak and went out into the -garden. I didn’t know what I was -going to do, but I was going to do -something! I ran on and on, through -the village, down towards the station. -I knew it was too late for the post office, -but I had a sort of feeling that if I were -at the station something might be done. -Just as I got there a train came in, and -I heard the porter call out ‘London -express.’ I thought—no! I did not -think at all—I just ran up to a carriage -and took a seat, and the door banged -and away we went. The porter came -and asked for my ticket, and I had a -great deal of trouble to convince him -that I had only really come from here, -and not all the way. There was an old -lady in the carriage, and she told him -that it was quite true, for she had seen -me come in. When we went off again, -she looked at me very hard, and said, -‘Are you in trouble, dear?’ and I said, -‘Yes I am, but oh, please don’t talk to -me! Do please leave me alone!’ for I -had begun to realise what I had done, -and that I couldn’t be back for hours -and hours, and that you would all be so -anxious and unhappy. I think I was -as miserable as you were when I sent off -that telegram. I posted the parcel in -London, and went and sat in the waiting-room. -I had an hour and a half to -wait, and I was wretched, and nervous, -and horribly hungry. I had no money -left but a few coppers, and I was afraid -to spend them and have nothing left. -It seemed like a whole day, but at last -the train came in, and I saw a dear old -gentleman with white hair standing on -the platform. I took a fancy to his -appearance, so I walked up to him, and -bowed and said, ‘Excuse me, sir, I -find myself in a dilemma! Will you -allow me to travel in the same carriage -as yourself?’ He was most agreeable. -He had travelled all over the world, and -talked in the most interesting fashion, -but I could not listen to his conversation. -I was too unhappy. Then we arrived, -and Mr. Asplin called me ‘M—M—Mariquita!’ -and w—wouldn’t let you -kiss me——”</p> - -<p>Her voice broke helplessly this time, -and she stood silent, with quivering lip -while sighs and sobs of sympathy echoed -from every side. Mrs. Asplin cast a -glance at her husband, half defiant, half -appealing, met a smile of assent, and -rushed impetuously to Peggy’s side.</p> - -<p>“My darling! I’ll kiss you now. -You see we knew nothing of your -trouble, dear, and we were so very, very -anxious. Mr. Asplin is not angry with you -any longer, are you, Austin? You know -now that she had no intention of grieving -us, and that she is truly sorry——”</p> - -<p>“I never thought—I never thought—” -sobbed Peggy; and the Vicar gave a -slow, kindly smile.</p> - -<p>“Ah, Peggy, that is just what I complain -about. You don’t think, dear, and -that causes all the trouble. No, I am -not angry any longer. I realise that the -circumstances were peculiar, and that -your distress was naturally very great. -At the same time, it was a most mad -and foolish thing for a girl of your age -to rush off by rail, alone, and at nighttime, -to a place like London. You say -that you had only a few coppers left in -your purse. Now suppose there had -been no train back to-night, what would -you have done? It does not bear thinking -of, my dear, or that you should have -waited alone in the station for so long, -or thrown yourself on strangers for protection. -What would your parents have -said to such an escapade?”</p> - -<p>Peggy sighed, and cast down her eyes. -“I think they would have been cross -too. I am sure they would have been -anxious, but I know they would forgive -me when I was sorry, and promised that -I really and truly would try to be better -and more thoughtful! They would say, -‘Peggy, dear, you have been sufficiently -punished! Consider yourself -absolved!...’”</p> - -<p>The Vicar’s lips twitched, and a -twinkle came into his eye. “Well, -then, I will say the same! I am sure -you have regretted your hastiness by this -time, and it will be a lesson to you in the -future. For Arthur’s sake, as well as -your own, we will say no more on the -subject. It would be a pity if his visit -were spoiled. Just one thing, Peggy, to -show you that, after all, grown-up -people are wiser than young ones, and -that it is just as well to refer to them -now and then, in matters of difficulty! -Has it ever occurred to you that the -mail went up to London by the very -train in which you yourself travelled, -and that by giving your parcel to the -guard it could still have been put in the -bag? Did not that thought never occur -to your wise little brain?”</p> - -<p>Peggy made a gesture as of one -heaping dust and ashes on her head. -“I never did,” she said, “not for a -single moment! And I thought I was so -clever! I am covered with confusion!”</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>To be continued.</i>)</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">{296}</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter w600"> -<img src="images/i_296.jpg" width="600" height="458" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center">WILD -ROBIN -AND -OAK-LEAF.</p></div> -</div> - - - - -<h2 class="p2"><a name="LINNAEA" id="LINNAEA">LINNA;</a></h2> - -<p class="ph3">THE STORY OF A FRIENDSHIP.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“What a thing friendship is, world without end!”—<i>Browning.</i><br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Yes</span>, Linna March was the dunce of the -school. She was neither pretty nor attractive, -nor did she seem to wish to be either. -Nobody understood Linna. She made -friends with no one, and no one made friends -with her. Even the teachers said she was a -girl nothing could be done with, and concluded -to leave her alone.</p> - -<p>One new governess, Miss Golding, had -brought a look of interest to the girl’s face -over a story of Indian life, and had determined -to follow up her advantage and make friends -with this solitary pupil; but her next advance -had been met with such decided coldness that -Miss Golding went over to the opinion of the -other teachers, that “it was best to leave -Linna March alone.”</p> - -<p>The truth of the matter was that Linna -had overheard a remark from the lips of the -wit of the school—“Golding is trying to -cultivate the March hare. Don’t you wish -she may succeed?” This name had been -given her by the same girl, Marion Edwards, -very soon after she came to school. Marion -was not a girl who actually meant to be -unkind, but she had a ready tongue, and, -when she saw a chance to make a witty -remark, did not trouble herself to consider -anyone’s feelings.</p> - -<p>How cruel schoolgirls are to each other -without knowing it! And these were not -hard-hearted girls—some of them developed -into the very sweetest and best of women. -Had they known or thought what a lonely -life Linna had had, they might have taken -more trouble to approach her; but it was the -fashion of the school to shun her, and she -certainly gave no one any encouragement to -do otherwise.</p> - -<p>No one came into Linna’s cubicle to -discuss some little bit of gossip before going -to bed; no one gave a playful tap on the -wooden partition, which divided her room -from the next, as was done to everyone else -now and then. Friends kissed each other -when they met in the morning; no one -dreamed of kissing Linna, unless it was the -governesses, who did it to all as a matter of -form.</p> - -<p>Did she miss it, do you ask?</p> - -<p>She said vehemently to herself over and -over again that she did not—she loved none -of them, and wanted nobody’s love. Nobody -knew it, nobody suspected it, but—ah, what -a wealth of love lay dormant in that lonely -heart!—what a hungering after affection that -seemed doomed to be for ever denied!</p> - -<p>She nursed and fostered an intense love for -the mother she had never seen, unless in -babyhood. She had been born in India, -where her parents still were, and her mother -had been so ill for a long time after the birth -that it had been deemed wise to send the -delicate baby of eighteen months home to -England to be brought up by a maiden aunt, -as, in any case, she must very soon, like all -Anglo-Indian children, leave the trying climate. -Thus Linna could not remember the face of -her mother, but she cherished a photograph -of her, and her letters were the bright spots in -an otherwise colourless life.</p> - -<p>Miss March had no love for the child -committed to her care, and made no pretence -of any. Her comfort and training were -strictly looked after—no suspicion of neglect -could be breathed—but the love which is -necessary to the happiness of a child’s life was -a-wanting.</p> - -<p>“Such a very unattractive child!” Miss -March described her to her acquaintances, -even at times in the presence of the little girl, -so that she grew up with the idea firmly -rooted in her mind that she was plain, stupid, -and that no one cared for her. Companions -she had none—in fact, was not allowed to -have—for her aunt could not tolerate any -noise or disorder in her well-regulated house. -Mrs. Sedley, the Rector’s wife, had invited -the solitary child to come and have a romp -with her lively boys and girls; but the -invitation had been refused, because Miss -March could not think of having them at her -house in return.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Sedley’s motherly heart was glad -when she heard it had been decided that -Linna should go to a boarding school. -“She will have companions now, poor child; -and lead a much brighter life than she has -led here.” But the life she led now was little -if any brighter than the other had been.</p> - -<p>The first morning after her arrival in school -Linna was introduced to her companions by -Miss Elder, the principal.</p> - -<p>“This is a new companion for you—Linna -March. I hope you will all be friendly to her -as she is a stranger yet.”</p> - -<p>Plainly dressed to severity, her face more -forbidding than usual from the fact that she -felt shy but would not show it, Linna sat on -a chair near the door, and the other girls did -their duty by staring at her unmercifully.</p> - -<p>One governess was in the room and, unfortunately, -not a very judicious one. After a -few minutes had passed, she looked over at -the newcomer and said—</p> - -<p>“Now, little girl, don’t look so sulky. You -must put on a nice pleasant face, so that your -companions will like you.”</p> - - - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">{297}</a></span></p> - -<p>It was an unhappy remark. Some of the -more forward girls tittered, and the forlorn, -lonely child felt even more isolated and -friendless than she had felt in her aunt’s -house.</p> - -<p>“Come away over here,” said the governess -again, “and tell us how old you are and where -you come from.”</p> - -<p>“From the Ark, I should guess!” whispered -one girl, who was supposed to be witty by -some—herself in particular.</p> - -<p>Linna was forthwith subjected to a string -of small questions, which she answered mostly -in monosyllables. The whispered remark had -been overheard by the sensitive child, and her -heart had begun to harden towards girls and -governess alike.</p> - -<p>Some of the pupils made advances at first, -but Linna met them all with a suspicion and -distrust that chilled and disappointed. Therefore, -incredible as it may seem, at the age of -sixteen, and after seven years at Meldon Hall, -Linna March was utterly without a friend in -the school.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3> - -<p class="ph3">THE “NEW GIRL.”</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">And</span> was her grandfather really an earl?”</p> - -<p>“And shall we have to call her Lady -Gwendoline when we speak to her?”</p> - -<p>“I wonder what she is like; I am dying to -see her!”</p> - -<p>“She is coming to-night; but perhaps Miss -Elder won’t trot her out until to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>What an excited hubbub was going on in -Meldon Hall schoolroom. The girls had -been told that a new pupil would arrive that -night. This alone, in mid-term, would have -been enough to arouse some interest, but -when it got abroad by some means or another -that the importation was a beauty, an heiress, -and related to an earl, their excitement -knew no bounds.</p> - -<p>Marion Edwards, perched on the back of -a chair, gave out what she had heard, and a -little more, to an admiring audience who -took Marion’s words for vastly more than -they were worth. In every school there are one -or two leading spirits, and Meldon Hall had -at present two leaders—Marion Edwards and -Edith Barclay. Edith was the clever, -studious girl of the school; and amongst those -who were inclined to be industrious, she was -looked up to with great reverence. Marion -was handsome, rich, and had an aptitude for -making witty remarks, which made her at once -admired and feared by her “set.” The two -leaders were quite friendly; they were in no -wise rivals of each other, being altogether -different in disposition and aims. Edith loved -study for study’s sake, and had secret thoughts -of entering a profession. Marion cared -nothing for her lessons, but easily managed -to get along in a superficial way; she was an -only daughter and rich, and was looking -forward to entering society after she left -school. Marion’s feelings were divided between -pleasure at the prospect of knowing a -girl whose grandfather was an earl, and a -secret fear that this rich beauty might want to -queen it even over her, and that her set might -forsake her for the greater light.</p> - -<p>The only one who was really indifferent to -the new arrival was Linna. She had had -her times of hidden excitement over an -expected newcomer, and vague longings that -she might be “nice,” but these feelings were -over and done, with long ago. Successive -disappointments had embittered her, and now -it was a matter of little moment to her who -came and went. This night she had a slight -headache and felt tired of her schoolfellows’ -chatter and not inclined to face the introduction -of a new girl, proud and haughty, who -would doubtless criticise her looks and -manners and set her down—as all the others -had done—as hopelessly unattractive. She -therefore slipped quietly away to her room.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I do wish Miss Elder would bring -her in to-night!” said one; and, as if in -response to her wish, the door opened and the -principal entered, followed by the new girl.</p> - -<p>“This is Miss Gwendoline Rivers,” said -Miss Elder, introducing a few of the girls who -were nearest her by name. “I shall leave -her with you for twenty minutes, but after -that she must go to bed, as she has come a -long way to-day.”</p> - -<p>Shyness was not one of the new pupil’s -failings, and she asked more questions than -she answered. Soon she had found out all -the rules and regulations of the school, and -had taken mental note of a few of the -characters around her. Report had been -correct as far as her beauty and wealth were -concerned—her connection with the earl was -a little more remote—she was indeed a lovely -girl. Her dark eyes were large and lustrous, -and her face had an almost southern richness -of colouring. Her appearance was aristocratic -to a degree, and her clothes were expensive -and in the best of taste.</p> - -<div class="figcenter w250"> -<img src="images/i_297.jpg" width="250" height="349" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p>THE DUNCE OF THE SCHOOL.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>“Are you all here?” she said by-and-by, -looking round on the group.</p> - -<p>“All except two. Alice Melrose is in bed -with neuralgia, and Linna March has retired -for the night.”</p> - -<p>“And, pray, why has Linna March retired -for the night? Had she not the curiosity -to wait up and see the newest thing in girls? -I suppose she knew I should arrive to-night, -as you all did, and I know you were all -dying for me to put in an appearance so -that you might deluge me with questions. -But I think I have got more out of you -than you have out of me. I find the only -way to avoid too many questions is to ask -a great many yourself. Tell me about Miss -March, please; I am quite excited. What -an outlandish name, too? She is altogether -very mysterious!”</p> - -<p>“There is not much to tell about Linna -March, as you will soon know. You will find -the best way is to leave her alone, for, as sure -as fate, she will not trouble herself about you, -any more than she has about the rest of us.”</p> - -<p>“But that is precisely what I never do! I -never allow anyone to be indifferent to me; -they may hate me, if they please, but they -shall not be indifferent!”</p> - -<p>“You don’t know Linna. I don’t believe -she knows what love and hate are—love, at -least; she might manage to hate you, -perhaps!”</p> - -<p>“I shall make her love me then!”</p> - -<p>The girls laughed. There was something -very fresh and original about this young lady -who spoke as if the world and anything in -it were hers for the asking. It was easily -seen she had not been denied much during -her life, and most of them felt very much -inclined to carry on the spoiling process if -only they might be termed friends of this -beautiful and determined young woman; for -if there is anything young people worship, it -is determination. But to talk of making -Linna March love her was a little too absurd.</p> - -<p>“How long is it since this unimpressionable -young lady left the company? She won’t be -in bed yet, will she? One of you go up to -her room and tell her the new girl wants to -see her, and bring her down.”</p> - -<p>Really, this was most ridiculous! Who -was to go and give this extraordinary message -to Linna March? As if to-morrow were -not soon enough to see her! Whoever went -would not get a very great reception.</p> - -<p>“Has she a chum here?”</p> - -<p>“She has no chum at all.”</p> - -<p>“Then do you go!” said the imperious -Miss Rivers, pointing to a pleasant-looking -girl beside her. “Listen to me,” said -Gwendoline, when the messenger had departed; -“I mean to make this Linna March -like me; in fact, I mean to make her fall over -head and ears in love with me, and none of you -must say a word to influence her in any way. -I have never yet made up my mind to do a -thing that I have not done, and I shall show -you that I can do this.”</p> - -<p>The excitement of the school was aroused, -and the girls awaited with great interest the -development of the comedy to be enacted in -their midst. Would it be a comedy or a -tragedy? If, as she boasted, Gwendoline -Rivers were able to awaken the love which -lay dormant in that sensitive heart, woe to -Linna if she should discover the motive -which had called it forth; it would run a -chance of souring her whole after life.</p> - -<p>After a few minutes the door opened and -the messenger returned, accompanied by -Linna.</p> - -<p>“Now, you know, I don’t think it was nice -of you to go off to bed without waiting to see -me!” said Gwendoline, advancing towards -her with a smile and holding out her hand.</p> - -<p>Linna’s sensitive face flushed.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry if I appeared rude,” she said; -“I did not think of it.”</p> - -<p>“You will be forgiven this time; but”—looking -serious—“I hope you have not a -headache; if so, I shall be sorry I brought you -down.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, thank you! I am quite well. I -often go up earlier than the others.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I sha’n’t keep you down long, for -I am going to bed myself. I shall go up with -you now and try if I can find my cubicle -again.”</p> - -<p>Calling good-night to the others, Gwendoline -slipped her arm through Linna’s, and -the two walked away in the direction of the -stairs.</p> - -<p>“How strange it is, coming in amongst a -lot of girls one has never seen before! It is -fortunate for me I am not shy, else, I suppose, -I should feel dreadfully put out. How long -have you been here?”</p> - -<p>“Seven years.”</p> - -<p>“Seven years! Such a long time to be -away from home!”</p> - -<p>“My father and mother are out in India.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">{298}</a></span> -I shall go there when I am finished with -school.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, how splendid! I should love to go -to India. I have a brother who went out last -year, and when I leave school I mean to pay -him a visit. Perhaps we may happen to go -together. Wouldn’t that be nice? Is this -your cubicle? Horrid, bare places, aren’t -they? I was warned about it and brought -some pictures and things with me; but I -sha’n’t unpack them to-night—I am too -sleepy. Shall we say good-night, then? I -somehow think we shall be friends.”</p> - -<p>Gwendoline, as she spoke, leant over and -kissed Linna on the cheek, then ran away to -find her bedroom.</p> - -<p>“Funny, quiet little thing!” said Gwendoline -as she went. “I wonder if I shall -make good my words? She seemed almost -workable to-night. I was prepared to brave -a few snubs to begin with.”</p> - -<p>And what about Linna? She did not -begin to undress at once as usual. Why was -she so excited to-night? Something had -come over her, and it was nothing more nor -less than a subtle magnetism towards this -beautiful girl who had taken more notice of -her than of any of the others—who had kissed -her when she bade her good-night. Why -had she felt so wooden and stupid? Why -had she not returned the kiss? What must -this girl think of her?</p> - -<p>She was in bed at last, but could not sleep. -She seemed to feel the kiss on her cheek and -hear the voice saying they might be friends. -By-and-by, when sleep came, she dreamt that -her father and mother had come to school to -take her home—the time she had looked -forward to through all the seven years—and -she told them she wanted to stay another year -because Gwendoline had come.</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>To be continued.</i>)</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<h2><a name="THE_PRINCESS_ELIZABETH_AUNT_OF_THE_QUEEN2" id="THE_PRINCESS_ELIZABETH_AUNT_OF_THE_QUEEN2">THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH: AUNT OF THE QUEEN.</a><a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></h2> - - -<div> -<img class="drop-cap" src="images/i_298.jpg" width="125" height="123" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">The</span> letters of a favourite -daughter of George -III., and an aunt of -the Queen, whose life -extended through -the eventful period -1770-1840, make a -book of great interest -and permanent -value. The period -referred to takes in -some of the more momentous events in modern -history—the loss of the American colonies, the -French Revolution, the battle of Waterloo, -and the fall of Napoleon—as well as various -important parliamentary movements at home. -Letter-writing is now generally supposed to be -a lost art; but the Princess Elizabeth, as one -who “ever remained an Englishwoman to the -backbone,” wrote letters of the genuine old-time -order to her confidante. She imposed -wholesome restraint on herself in days when -party spirit was more violent than we can -realise; but being in fullest accord with her -father, who aimed at personal government, her -sympathy was rather for the cause of “Church -and King than for that of reform and progress.” -The Princess did not deal in scandal, however, -she was not a politician, and in other respects -she showed a delicacy of language not common -in those times.</p> - -<p>In reference to his heroine, Mr. Yorke says -that “the familiarity of her style brings us -all the closer to her, and the more familiar it -is the more intimate becomes our friendship -for her. Sometimes it is the case that where -the style is most imperfect, there most -appear the individuality and originality of the -Princess, and her portrait drawn by herself -must be of more value and interest to us than -any accuracy or polish of diction.” The -Princess also loved her friends, and this led -her to write to them <i>con amore</i>, so that, as we -read, “a whiff of old times is breathed upon -us.” She was in the best sense a woman of -her own times, one who inherited her father’s -good qualities; and during the ailments of -youth she proved her good constitution by -surviving the medical treatment of the day. -A girl of fifteen in these days may still be liable -to congestion of the lungs, but what would she -now say to being bled five times in forty-eight -hours, to having to take “emetics every other -day,” and to having her “backbones rubbed -with musk?” In other respects the Princess -seems to have been subjected to very old-fashioned -treatment. Even at the age of -twenty-six she was not allowed to read a book -which her mother had not previously examined. -Nor does she appear to have possessed an -income of her own until she was forty-two -years old. The Princess was six years older -when she married Frederick VI. of Hesse-Homburg.</p> - -<p>The attention which the Princess extended -to certain of her chosen friends, appears to -have been quite extraordinary. Thus, Lady -Harcourt, wife of the second Earl, says: -“Once, when I was ill and confined to the -house for six weeks, I received from her in -that time 143 letters.” The crosses of life, -its joys and sorrows, with adventures which -vividly show how different those times were -from our own, all in turn come in for a share -of attention. The journey between Windsor -and Weymouth was then a familiar one, and -it was possible even for Royalty to meet with -rough adventures on the road. On October, -3, 1792, the Princess writes: “Anything so -disgusting as the breakfast at Woodgate’s -Inn, on the way from Weymouth, I thank -God I never saw before and never wish to see -again. Bad butter, tea, coffee, bread, etc.; -nothing to eat but boiled eggs, which were so -hard that I could not eat them. So I returned -to the carriage just as I got out—starved.” -Anxieties connected with public affairs and the -wars gave far more serious trouble, however. -The brothers of the Princess, the Duke of -York, and the father of the present Duke of -Cambridge, were with the army on the -Continent in the summer of 1793, and when -news came that the heroes were “within -sixty yards of Valencienne,” their sister -turned sick at thought of the peril; but the -Queen, their mother, showed “such an -uncommon share of fortitude,” that she would -not even speak about it. Still more alarming -was the King’s being attacked by the mob -when on his way to open Parliament. A -bullet even entered the royal carriage, the -street crowd following “in an insolent manner, -moaning and screaming.” In private the -Queen cried over that adventure; “but I, -who naturally cry a great deal, scarcely shed a -tear,” remarks Elizabeth. “It was indeed -very horrid,” she adds; “and my poor ears, I -believe, will never get the better of the groans -I heard on the Thursday in the Park, and my -eyes of the sight of that mob!” A plot to -murder the King, and to attack the Tower, -the Bank and the prisons, and on account of -which Colonel Despard and six others were -executed, followed in 1801. In May, 1810, -the Duke of Cumberland was attacked while -in bed by a servant. “My brother, by all -accounts, has been mercifully preserved by the -interference of a wise and good Providence, -but sadly wounded,” remarks the Princess; -and then she adds, “We live in such a state -of constant anxiety, that upon my word when -I rise in the morning I feel, ‘What will -happen before night?’”</p> - -<p>Things happened beyond what were looked -for, so hard and troublous were the times; -but the heaviest trials of the Royal family -culminated in the blindness and insanity of -the King and in the death of the Princess -Charlotte in November, 1817. As regarded -the old monarch, the distress occasioned by -his condition was for others rather than for -himself; personally, his bodily health was -good, he was happy in his mind, and found -something wherewith to amuse himself through -each day.</p> - -<p>There is one letter relating to the death -of the Princess Charlotte which affords us a -vivid glimpse into the inner circle of the Royal -family in November, 1817—</p> - -<p>“Just after we had set down to dinner -at six, Gen. Taylor was asked out; our hearts -misgave us; he sent out for Lady Ilchester, -which gave us a moment for to be sure -that something dreadful had happened: the -moment he came in my mother said, ‘I am -sure it is all over,’ and he desired her to go -upstairs. You may conceive that the horror, -sorrow, and misery was far beyond show, for -it struck the heart, and no tear would fall -after such a dreadful shock.... It is indeed -most tremendous, but it is the Lord’s doing, -and we must with great humility bow, and -kiss the rod, and remember that the Lord -giveth and the Lord taketh away, and that all -that proceeds from that hand is right; and -that He does all things for the best.”</p> - -<p>This faith in God was as characteristic of -the King as it was of this favourite daughter. -It is true that at the time of Princess Charlotte’s -death George III. knew nothing of the -crushing sorrow which had come upon the -Royal family; but the King had very remarkable -lucid intervals in his insanity when -his Christian fervour never failed to find -expression. It had been so before his intellect -had become finally clouded, however.</p> - -<p>At that crisis of danger from the mob -already referred to, the King sought to calm -the feelings of excited peers, when about to -step into his carriage after opening Parliament, -by saying—</p> - -<p>“Well, my lords, one person is proposing -this, and another is supposing that, forgetting -that there is One above us all Who is disposing -of everything, on Whom alone we depend.”</p> - -<p>After her marriage in 1818, the Princess -was thoroughly happy with her husband, the -Landgrave Frederick VI. of Homburg. Some -would ridicule the state and ceremonial of the -little court as being a mimicry of the Royal -magnificence of greater nations; but it was -picturesque, full of interest, and probably -gave far more satisfaction or enjoyment than -courtiers found either at London or Paris. -At all events, while she remained thoroughly -English, and never even quite conquered the -German language, the Princess would speak -of her own “dear little Homburg” in the -language of genuine affection. After the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">{299}</a></span> -death of the Landgrave, who expired April -2, 1829, through influenza affecting an old -wound received in the wars, she refers to the -palace as “My own dear home, once the -happiest of happy homes.”</p> - -<p>Certain fashionable people in London made -it their business to ridicule the Landgrave; -but all impartial readers will see that his -character was superior to that of his -detractors.</p> - -<p>The Princess lived for about twenty-two -years after her marriage, and during half that -period she was a widow. In some respects, -to the English reader, this was the more -interesting period of a quietly interesting life. -Home life afforded genuine pleasure, and -while there may have been no pretentious -magnificence, gardens, pictures and books -afforded tasteful recreation, though the poor -were not forgotten. The Princess even lent -books to such friends as could be trusted with -them.</p> - -<p>“If you wish to take any home, I shall be -happy to lend them, knowing you to be -careful,” she writes to Miss Swinburne. “I -have been obliged to give it up here, for if -you could have seen some that were returned -to me you would have been disgusted; I was -quite provoked.”</p> - -<p>Unhappily, the ill-usage of books is not -confined to Germany. On many matters -strong common-sense opinions are expressed. -She does not accept exaggerated local gossip; -and though she never had measles, she says, -“I have no fears, I trust in God, and don’t -let myself think about catching anything, -otherwise I should be miserable.”</p> - -<p>We have glimpses of Brighton as it was -sixty or seventy years ago, when the reigning -sovereign had a palace there.</p> - -<p>“It appears as if it was a petty London, -and all the fine ladies come down in parties to -enjoy a few days of the sea and back again in -no time,” writes the Princess in December, -1832.</p> - -<p>There was a great procession to celebrate -the town being made into a parliamentary -borough by the Reform Bill of 1832; but -“why they would not turn it at once into a -marine city or town, I cannot think. It was -large enough when I was there and now much -increased.”</p> - -<p>Early in 1835 we find the Princess at the -Pavilion on a visit to her brother William IV.</p> - -<p>“I generally drive out with my brother,” -she writes. “He goes out, and stays out till -the lamps are well lighted, when we come in; -to-day the dear Queen is gone with him, so -I may remain quiet.”</p> - -<p>Political feeling still ran high, but Princess -Elizabeth confessed to hating politics. “I -had rather talk of winter potatoes, though a -very mealy subject.”</p> - -<p>In 1833, being over sixty, she realised that -she was growing old.</p> - -<p>“I am still from all accounts a fine old -lady,” she remarks. “My looking-glass tells -me at times rather tall, and I say to you with -truth that no one enjoys more their old age -than me, and am convinced that I have been -a much happier being since the spring and -summer of life are over—so many things I do -and can do without bearing anything unpleasant.” -She was able even to wear a -winter tippet which her sister Augusta presented. -“I look like a bear in it; but -what signifies looks when health is in -question?”</p> - -<p>As time passed, Elizabeth had other reminders -that she was growing old.</p> - -<p>“I blush to think how often I am late of a -morning, which is not like me, but my poor -legs require time,” she writes in November, -1833. “First I read my serious readings, -then write, and do what business I must do, -and of late I have had a good deal of what I -call parish business, settling work for the -poor and trying to content them if possible.” -She seems to have cultivated her mind in a -wholesome way without harbouring any foolish -ambitions. “I have taught myself to see -everything with pleasure and without envy,” -she remarks, and added later, “Without -religion there can be no peace, no order, no -blessing.”</p> - -<p>The Princess was struck with the excess of -luxury in England in 1836. “More jewels -and more extravagance than ever.”</p> - -<p>It was then that she saw the last of her -brother William IV., whose death in the -following year she sincerely deplored. Elizabeth -thus survived to see the opening of the -present reign; but she belonged too much -to a former age and to a different order of -things to have much sympathy with the new -and more promising outlook of the Victorian -era.</p> - -<p>The memorial volume which Mr. Yorke -has so well edited is of considerable interest -and of permanent value.</p> - -<p class="right"> -G. H. P. -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - - -<h2><a name="VARIETIES" id="VARIETIES">VARIETIES.</a></h2> - - -<p class="p2 center"><span class="smcap">He Threw Away the Stone.</span></p> - -<p>The haughty favourite of an oriental -monarch once in the public street threw a -stone at a poor dervish or priest.</p> - -<p>The dervish did not dare to throw it back -at the man who had assaulted him, for he -knew the favourite was very powerful. So he -picked up the stone and put it carefully in his -pocket, saying to himself: “The time for -revenge will come by-and-by, and then I will -repay him for it.”</p> - -<p>Not long afterwards this same dervish, in -walking through the city, saw a great crowd -coming towards him. He hastened to see -what was the matter, and found to his astonishment -that his enemy, the favourite who had -fallen into disgrace with the king, was being -paraded through the principal streets on a -camel, exposed to the jests and insults of the -populace.</p> - -<p>The dervish, seeing all this, hastily grasped -the stone which he carried in his pocket. -“The time,” he said, “has now come for my -revenge, I will repay him for his insulting -conduct.”</p> - -<p>But after considering a moment he threw -the stone away, saying: “The time for revenge -never comes, for if our enemy is powerful, -revenge is dangerous as well as foolish; and if -he is weak and wretched, then revenge is worse -than foolish, it is mean and cruel. And in all -cases it is wicked and forbidden.”</p> - - -<p class="p2 center"><span class="smcap">When Things go Wrong.</span></p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">What’s the use of wooing trouble,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And of nursing every sorrow?<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Though to-day is black as Egypt,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">There’s another day to-morrow.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Lightly treat each hour’s distresses—<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Sing a song for gloom to borrow;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Mirth and cheer can chase all phantoms—<br /></span> -<span class="i2">There’s another day to-morrow.<br /></span> -</div></div> - - -<p class="p2 center"><span class="smcap">Why They Hanged the Dogs.</span></p> - -<p>On one of the early visits to Scotland of -Sir Edwin Landseer, the famous animal -painter, he stopped at a village and took a -great deal of notice of the dogs, jotting down -rapid sketches of them on a bit of paper.</p> - -<p>Next day, on resuming his journey, he was -horrified to find dogs suspended from trees -in all directions, or drowned in the river with -stones round their necks.</p> - -<p>He stopped a weeping urchin who was -hurrying off with a pet pup in his arms, and -learned to his dismay that he was supposed to -be an excise officer, who was taking note of -all the dogs he saw in order to prosecute the -owners for unpaid taxes.</p> - - -<p class="p2"><span class="smcap">Charity as it ought to be.</span>—If our -mercy to the poor is to be true mercy, it must -never be careless giving, dictated by mere -sentimental impulse. Sentiment may be -nobler than insensibility, but it often does -more harm. The Samaritan would have been -no good example for us if he had passed on -with an easy conscience after administering -the two pence and had omitted to consider -whether the special needs of the case did not -also require oil and wine.</p> - - -<p class="p2"><span class="smcap">The Average Woman.</span>—We have been -favoured with this definition of the average -woman:—She is lovable but limited, for on the -north side she is bounded by servants; on the -south by children; on the east by her ailments, -and on the west by her clothes.</p> - - -<p class="p2"><span class="smcap">Take a Right View of Life.</span>—It is a -sad thing to begin life with low conceptions of -it. It may not be possible for a girl to -measure life, but it is possible for her to say, -“I am resolved to put life to its noblest and -best use.”</p> - - -<p class="p2 center"><span class="smcap">Triple Acrostic I.</span></p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">In yonder bower, one glorious May,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Three lovely sisters grew;<br /></span> -<span class="i0"><i>One</i>, in imperial bright array<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Of richest purple hue;<br /></span> -<span class="i0"><i>One</i>, who conceal’d her drooping head<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Amid her foliage green;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And <i>one</i> with fragrant petals spread,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Our beauteous Summer-Queen.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">1. Waster of time, of mind, of health,<br /></span> -<span class="i5">This useless creature see:<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Yet once, in print, he gather’d wealth<br /></span> -<span class="i5">And greatly sought was he.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">2. From the north-east adventurers came<br /></span> -<span class="i5">And built this City fair;<br /></span> -<span class="i3">They call’d it by the river’s name<br /></span> -<span class="i5">And yet—no river’s there!<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">3. A monster was to be destroy’d,<br /></span> -<span class="i5">A hero claim’d the feat;<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Alas! the means that he employ’d<br /></span> -<span class="i5">Were sadly incomplete.<br /></span> -<span class="i3">My ready help he needs would ask,<br /></span> -<span class="i5">Which I was prompt to give,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Or else he must forego his task<br /></span> -<span class="i5">And let the creature live:<br /></span> -<span class="i3">While he, with heavy axe in hand,<br /></span> -<span class="i5">Struck off each slimy head,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">I tear’d the wound with flaming brand<br /></span> -<span class="i5">And laid the monster dead.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">4. ’Tis sometimes good, and sometimes bad,<br /></span> -<span class="i5">And sometimes none at all;<br /></span> -<span class="i3">This in his belt the Roman had,<br /></span> -<span class="i5">Sharp-pointed, bright, and small.<br /></span> -<span class="i3">For centuries it fix’d remain’d,<br /></span> -<span class="i5">And might have kept so still<br /></span> -<span class="i3">But that a Pontiff pow’r obtain’d<br /></span> -<span class="i5">To change it at his will.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Ximena.</span> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">{300}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="MISCHIEVOUS_JACK" id="MISCHIEVOUS_JACK">MISCHIEVOUS JACK.</a></h2> - -<div class="figcenter w600"> -<img src="images/i_300.jpg" width="600" height="789" alt="“Jack” -sunneth himself. He studieth Entomology. He disdaineth the Fair Sex. He arrangeth the Table." /> -<p class="center caption">“Jack” sunneth himself.<br /> -He studieth Entomology.<br /> -He disdaineth the Fair Sex.<br /> -He arrangeth the Table.</p> -</div> - - -<p>I am gradually learning to estimate -rightly the responsibility -of having a jackdaw loose upon -the premises.</p> - -<p>There is really no way of -circumventing Jack’s craftiness -except by keeping him -shut up all day in an outdoor -aviary. I feel sorry to be driven -to this course, and would far -rather let him roam where he -pleases; but his mischievous -pranks have become unendurable.</p> - -<p>I thought to-day I had made a -great discovery, and that by placing -a large stuffed flamingo at the -open French window I should -effectually frighten the jackdaw -from entering.</p> - -<p>I found him in the drawing-room -on my writing-table busy -about some evil deed, so I held -up the great stuffed bird, at which Jack -cast one horrified glance and then fled precipitately -out at the window as if his last -hour had come. Now, I thought, by placing -the flamingo near the window, I could leave -the room with an easy mind. Vain hope! I -came back after a few minutes and found the -impertinent jackdaw hopping about as happy -as a king. He had pulled to pieces a rare -foreign insect I had just been setting on a -piece of cork. He had overturned all the -small curios he could find, had pulled all the -pins out of a pin-cushion, and, worst of all, he -had opened a Mudie book and torn its map -and pages to ribbons. That book will have to -become my property and remain a monument -of Jack’s misplaced energy.</p> - -<p>It was humiliating to think how he must -have chuckled at my flamingo. He had seen -through the device at once and had no idea of -submitting to be scared away by such a bogie.</p> - -<p>During the winter months we do not often -have weather which will admit of open -windows, so Jack exercised his talent for -mischief out of doors by hiding the padlock -of the aviary, pulling up flower labels, and -drawing nails out of the walls. In these -varied occupations he managed to spend his -hours of idleness.</p> - -<p>As a rare treat he was sometimes allowed -to bask on the fender before the fire, and, -charmed by the delicious warmth, he would -assume the various attitudes shown in the -illustration. His wings and tail expanded, his -head on one side and beak wide open, he looked -like a dying bird, but we knew that in reality -he was in a state of ecstasy.</p> - -<p>When next summer arrived Jack was again -kept in the aviary, and I am sorry to have to -reveal a very dark page in his moral character. -He was usually content with raw meat and -sopped bread; but, alas, he much preferred -to catch his own dinner! And when, attracted -by his food, innocent little robins, chaffinches, -and sparrows found their way into his domain, -I grieve to record the dreadful fact -that none came out alive! Jack -feasted on their small bodies, and -left only a little bunch of -feathers to show what he -had been doing.</p> - -<p>I have said -enough to -prove that Jack is -neither to be loved nor -respected; but he is -unquestionably clever, -and evidently has his -own thoughts and -ideas.</p> - -<p>He will fly at one’s -hand like a fury even -when food is being -given him; but when -his mood changes and -he wishes to be caressed, -he picks up a -twig or a dead leaf. -This is a signal of -peace, and whilst he -continues to hold it in -his bill he is quite safe, -and may be stroked -and petted.</p> - -<p>One day in the height of summer Jack was -perfectly electrified by a visit from six lively -young magpies. The aviary door happened -to be open, and these birds came hopping in -with their usual free and easy manner, chattering -to each other and coolly abstracting any -morsels of food which suited their taste. At -first Jack tried to drive out these audacious -visitors, but they ignored him altogether and -at last he had to stand aside and watch their -depredations, a very discomfited and astonished -bird. The magpies came at intervals for several -days in succession, and then I suppose they went -off to the woods, for we saw them no more.</p> - -<p>It is rather curious that the mating instinct -has not led Jack into the bands of matrimony. -I have seen several attractive specimens of his -own kind making overtures to him, but he -treats them all with lofty disdain and elects to -remain a bachelor.</p> - -<p>Perhaps next year he may yield to the -fascinations of a wild mate, and settle happily -somewhere in my woods. It would be the -best thing that could happen, only I -fear we should all eagerly bid him -good-bye without the addition of <i>au -revoir</i>.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Eliza Brightwen.</span> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">{301}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="NEW_DRIED_FRUITS" id="NEW_DRIED_FRUITS">NEW DRIED FRUITS.</a></h2> - -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">By</span> DORA DE BLAQUIRE.</p> - - -<div> -<img class="drop-cap" src="images/i_301.jpg" width="150" height="195" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="upper-case">Most</span> of my -readers can -recall, I -fancy, the -days when -we had only -prunes and -Normandy -pippins in -the way of -dried fruits. -The dried -apricots, -apples, and -plums of the -present day -are very modern -and recent -gifts to -a grateful world. So recent are they indeed -that the ignorance about them is very great; -and, strange to say, the grocers who have them -for sale have not been supplied as they should -have been with small printed papers describing -how to cook them.</p> - -<p>In using the term “dried fruits,” you will -notice, I hope, that I am dealing with what -may be called stewing fruits; for, though we -stew, or can stew, raisins, figs, and even -currants, I believe the first treatment of these -fruits is not to cook them in that manner. -Raisins and currants speak to us more distinctly -of our Christmas mince-pies and plum -puddings, and of a regular dessert dish -throughout the year in some houses, than of -any other kind of cooking.</p> - -<p>The stewing of raisins was introduced, I -believe, by vegetarians, and in this form with -a flavouring of lemon-peel. They are not at -all bad when added to a milk pudding or -some blancmange.</p> - -<p>The stewing of dried figs comes almost -under the same description, and their chief -objection lies in their extreme sweetness, -which is a cause of quite unmerited and -needless toothache at times. The best way -of cooking figs will always be in the way of -a fig pudding, which is an excellent though -rich dish.</p> - -<p>Dried apples have always been a great -household requisite in cold countries like -Canada and the northern states of America, -and I remember that the making of them -constituted a very large part of the many -winter preparations which used to be necessary -when the country was less civilised than it is -now, the fruit less plentiful, and the means -of keeping it very imperfect.</p> - -<p>It was not always easy to guard against the -frost, which penetrated the ground to a depth of -four or even five feet when the winters were too -snowless. On these occasions when the earth -is left bare and without her warm coating of -snow, the frost has been known to penetrate -even six feet into the ground in exposed places. -This fact is verified in cold countries like -Canada in a very painful manner when graves -have to be dug. So difficult is this that in -large cities where there are many to dig a -cemetery hall is built to contain the bodies of -those who die in the winter, so that the frost -may be out of the ground before the graves -are dug.</p> - -<p>This will explain to you why in Canada all -kinds of root crops and apples must be so -carefully guarded from frost; and when the -country was less settled, and even to-day in -the less inhabited parts, the apples are still -dried in a primitive manner. They are peeled -generally by a small machine, then quartered -and cored, and strung on long threads by -means of a coarse needle. Then they are -dried, either near the stove or else in the sun; -but this last is not often possible, because of -the lateness of the season. The apples thus -dried are very good, but if cooked carelessly are -apt to be rather tough.</p> - -<p>In Italy figs are dried in the sun by the -peasantry. Each fig is cut open, but not -divided, and carefully dried. Then, when -dried, they are closed together so as to look -like whole figs again, and strung one by one -on the long flexible mulberry twigs. They -are very good and are less sweet than the -dried fig of commerce, as no sugar is added -to them in drying.</p> - -<p>Last year I saw quantities of figs dried -by the peasantry in this manner for sale in -Switzerland, where they appeared to be quite a -novelty. I could not find out where they came -from; but I daresay from the Italian canton of -Ticino, or, as the French call it, Tessin. This -is, of course, warmer than its sister cantons -on the northern side of the Alps. I have -not seen these yet in England, but there have -been some Californian dried figs that were -very good for eating, and perhaps we shall -see more of them in the future, as the market -for them grows more assured.</p> - -<p>Dried figs are said by the scientists to -contain nerve and muscle food, heat and -waste, but to be bad for the liver. The same -is said of dried prunes, but they afford the -best and highest kind of nerve or brain food. -They also supply heat and waste; but they -are not muscle feeding.</p> - -<p>All stone fruits are said to be injurious for -people who suffer from the liver and should -be used rather cautiously.</p> - -<p>Apples are thought a most valuable food in -every way but one—they do not afford staying -properties, but they supply the highest nerve -and muscle food.</p> - -<p>If you be fond of almonds, you may like to -know that they afford no heat, but give the -highest brain, nerve, and muscle food. I -hope this applies to the salted almonds which -are so popular.</p> - -<p>The process of drying is called “desiccation” -or, usually in America, “evaporated.” -The original desiccator is an apparatus much -used in chemistry and physics and the word -comes from the Latin <i>desicco</i>, “I dry up”—meaning -that the water is evaporated out of -the fruit or any substance to be dried. This -idea was carried out into the drying up of the -water and fruit juices for commercial purposes. -An oven with trays in it to hold the fruit is -one of the forms of using heat, and in -Lower California the heat of the sun is -utilised for the drying of prunes. Some time -ago there were notices of the commencement -of this industry and the importation of work-people -from the neighbourhood of Tours.</p> - -<p>The ordinary prunes sold in the shops are -the fruit of the St. Julian plum, a common -species which is grown everywhere in France -for the purpose. The best French or dessert -plums come from Provence, and the Californian -plums must be of the same variety as the -Brignole plum. The latest competitor in the -English market is Bosnia, and those which -I have tried were quite as good as the French -plums. Under Austrian rule, Bosnia has -developed wonderfully, and the climate is a -delightful one, well suited to fruit growing.</p> - -<p>The best of all the French dried prunes -come from Provence, the land of poetry and -romance. They are made of the kinds of -prunes called the <i>Perdrigon blanc</i>, and <i>Violette</i>, -and <i>Prune d’Ast</i>. The two former come -under one category and are called <i>Pruneaux -de Brignole</i>, from the place where they are -prepared, the small town of Brignole, in -Provence, a name I am sure you will have -often seen on the boxes of prunes used for -dessert. The common kinds of prunes are -gathered by merely shaking the trees; but -those for preparing as French plums must be -gathered in the morning, before the sun is up, -by taking hold of the stalk without touching -the fruit and laying each plum very gently on -vine leaves in baskets. The latter must be -filled without the plums being allowed to -touch each other, and then they are carried to -the fruit-room and exposed to the sun and -air for three or four days, after which they -become quite soft. The next process is to -put them on trays into a spent oven and shut -up quite closely for twenty-four hours. Then -they are taken out, the oven is re-heated, and -made rather warmer, and the plums are put -in again for the same time; then they are -taken out, carefully turned over, and the oven -is heated to one-fourth hotter than it was -before, and the plums are returned to it again -for the third time, and after remaining the -twenty-four hours, are taken out and left -exposed till they become quite cold. Then -comes the most curious part of the process, -which, when once explained to me, was a -solution of an enigma over which I had much -wondered, namely, why the stones of the good -French plums are loose and unattached, while -those of the common prune are so much more -fixed in the fleshy substance of the fruit. This -part of the process is called “rounding,” and -is performed by turning the stones in the -plums without breaking the skins, and the -two ends are then pressed between the thumb -and finger to flatten the fruit. Then they are -once more laid on the sieves for drying and -placed in a rather hot oven for one hour, the -oven being closely shut. Lastly, they are put -again into a cool oven, left for twenty-four -hours, when the process is ended, and they -are packed in bottles or boxes for sale and -exportation. Now I have given this long -account, taken from a recent authority, because -I know my readers of the “G. O. P.” are -world-spread, and because this is the kind of -process adopted with any kind of dried fruit; -and an ordinary brick oven for bread-baking -can be perfectly well used for doing it. All -varieties of the plum can, I am told, be dried -in this manner, some, of course, with better -success than others.</p> - -<p>After the prunes come the kind which, I -daresay, most of my readers have seen in the -grocers’ shops, namely, the crystal or dried -yellow plums, which are likewise said to be -from California. They are so-called silver -plums, and are yellow, not black, and -were first seen in 1897, I believe. They -require soaking over-night in just enough -water to swell them, and the next day should -be put into a prepared syrup, which has had a -little lemon peel boiled in it, and very slowly -stewed, without breaking them. I find a war -rages about this question of soaking dried -fruit over-night, as many people consider that -long slow stewing is equally good, or better.</p> - -<p>Apricots are amongst the dried fruits that -have been introduced within the last few -years; and although they may be a novelty to -us, they have been used in the East in this -way for centuries. The apricot grows well as -a wall fruit in England, and is interesting -because it was brought here and first grown -in the gardens of Henry VIII. by his gardener, -Wolfe, who was a Roman Catholic priest, -and who brought it from Italy. Indeed, it -was during the reign of this monarch, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">{302}</a></span> -subsequent Tudors, that horticulture began -to make such progress in England; and no -politics made them forget the interests of their -gardens, to which, as a family, they appear to -have been much attached.</p> - -<p>The dried peach we have not yet seen, but -it is much used in that way in New Jersey, -Delaware, and in the Southern States; but -probably canning has rendered drying needless. -Dried pears are also of ancient origin, -and I find them excellent in the present day, -though I consider they need careful doing. -Any recipe for the stewing of winter pears -will answer for dried ones; and they must -be soaked over-night to ensure their being -tender. It is well to remember that the less -water used, the more flavour in the pear, and -the syrup should not be very abundant.</p> - -<p>And now we come to that most useful of -all fruits—the apple. This has been dried in -many forms, and canned as well. The most -recent are the evaporated apple rings—the -apple cut into rounds horizontally through -the fruit. When these first came out they -were called “Alden apple rings,” probably -from the town or district where they were -grown. They are said to be made from -greenings—the best of American cooking -apples—and one pound of the apples rings is -said to represent six pounds of ordinary apples. -The best recipe for cooking these is an -American one, and in this the food is required -to be soaked in a pie-dish in cold water—just -enough to cover it—for four hours; -then, without pouring off the water, add -sugar, a little lemon rind or spice, and then -put the dish in a slow oven and stew very -gently till sufficiently cooked. If intended -for a tart, soak as directed and stew gently -in a slow oven for half an hour before adding -the crust, or the latter will be done before the -apples are sufficiently cooked.</p> - -<p>The apples, which are dried whole, must be -rather differently treated. Take about a -dozen apples, place them in an earthenware -or porcelain-lined vessel, and add about a -pint and a half of water, and let them soak -for seven or eight hours. Then add sugar, -spice, and the rind of a lemon to your -taste; put them all together as they are into a -porcelain-lined saucepan, and stew gently for -an hour. If a more <i>recherche</i> dish be required -than merely the apples plainly stewed, -a little whipped cream may be inserted in the -place from whence the core has been taken, -and some cream poured round them in a glass -dish.</p> - -<p>“It is simply absurd,” says a recipe writer -in an American paper, “to soak evaporated -apples over-night”; so, as this is a case of -doctors differing, I must give the directions -which follow. Place the evaporated apples -in a saucepan, cover with water, and boil till -done; flavour to taste, and use for sauce, -tarts or conserve. Now this recipe I have -also found good; and I know that the writer -considers that soaking or leaving the apple -rings too long in water renders them tasteless -and vapid.</p> - -<p>It seems strange that the subject of dried -fruits, save and except the ancient pippins of -Normandy, should be quite ignored in our -cookery books; and yet there can be no doubt -of their value as foods, and adjuncts to other -things, at a time when fruit is dear and -scarce. They are always inexpensive; a -pound goes a long way, and, as a rule, if -well done, they are liked by the little folks.</p> - -<p>But alas, the general remembrance of -stewed prunes, apples or apricots is enough -to make anyone dislike them, sent up as -they generally are in a slop of tasteless, -coloured, watery fluid. If we only examine -into the ordinary methods of cooking them, -we shall see the cook washing them first in -one water, and then in another; perhaps -letting them remain for half an hour in soak, -then putting them into more water, with a -cupful of sugar in a dirty saucepan on the -fire, where she boils it violently, and finishes -it in half an hour.</p> - -<p>Now, from beginning to end, this is all -wrong. In the first place, you must remember -that the evaporated fruit took a long time -to do. The moisture was not removed from it -in one hour, nor two, but took a long time. So -if you want to restore it to them you must give -them time also. Thus, perhaps, you will agree -with me that the fruit must be soaked for -at least twenty-four hours, especially in the -case of apricots and peaches; and the water -should cover the fruit to the depth of an inch. -When you are ready to stew the fruit, take it -out and put it carefully into a porcelain-lined -saucepan; then pour the water in which they -have been soaking upon the fruit, leaving at -the bottom any dregs there may be. If not -sufficient to cover it, you must add a little -more, then give an hour’s very quiet boiling; -and a few minutes before you remove it from -the fire, add a little sugar, and use a silver -spoon to stir it in. I prefer to take the fruit -out when I add the sugar, for fear of breaking -and spoiling the look of the fruit; and then -the syrup is boiled up once or twice, and -poured over the fruit. Peaches require rather -more cooking than apricots.</p> - -<p>Apples and pears need care in the cooking, -and also in the flavouring; and the best thing -for both is the juice and grated rind of a -lemon. But before flavouring, you should -taste the fruit after stewing, as you will then -judge whether you should add sugar, or the -rind of a lemon, and not the juice. The sugar -should be put in first and thoroughly dissolved, -and then the flavouring. If you flavour -first, and sugar after, you will need double the -amount of sugar. Prunes, raisins, dates, and -figs can all be stewed in the same way; and -if you will only remember that haste is not -possible in preparing dried fruit for table, you -will always be successful.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<h2><a name="QUESTIONS_AND_ANSWERS" id="QUESTIONS_AND_ANSWERS">QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.</a></h2> - - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">A Correspondent</span> asks: “<i>Will the Editor -of <span class="smcap">The Girl’s Own Paper</span> be so kind as to -let ‘<span class="smcap">Dora</span>’ know through his columns, what -author first made use of the phrase, ‘Oil on -the troubled waters’.</i>”</p></div> - -<p>Although we cannot with absolute certainty -point <span class="smcap">Dora</span> to the first author who made use -of the expression, she may be interested to -know that it has its origin in antiquity.</p> - -<p>Pliny the Elder (23-79 <span class="smcap smalltext">A.D.</span>) says in his -Natural History (Book ii., Sect. 234)—</p> - -<p>“Everything is soothed by oil, and this is -the reason why divers send out small quantities -of it from their mouths, because it smoothes -every part which is rough.”</p> - -<p>Plutarch (46?-120?) asks in his <i>Symposiacs</i> -(Book viii., Question ix)—</p> - -<p>“Why does pouring oil on the sea make it -clear and calm? Is it for that the winds, -slipping the smooth oil, have no form, nor -cause any waves?”</p> - -<p>The Venerable Bede relates in his -Ecclesiastical History (completed in 735) a -story bearing on this point, which he says he -had from “a most creditable man in Holy -Orders.”</p> - -<p>A young priest was to set out by land, but -return by water, to escort a maiden destined -for the bride of King Oswy. He sought a -farewell blessing from St. Aidan, Bishop of -Lindisfarne, who gave him a cruse of holy oil, -saying, “I know that when you go abroad, you -will meet with a storm and contrary wind; but -do you remember to cast this oil I give you -into the sea, and the wind shall cease -immediately.” A storm did arise, and the -young priest, pouring oil on the waves, reduced -them to a calm.</p> - -<p>Apart from any suggestion of the miraculous, -the effect of oil on rough waters has been -observed in modern times. It is stated that -Professor Horsford, by emptying a vial of oil -on the sea in a stiff breeze, stilled the surface, -and Commodore Wilkes, of the United States, -saw the waves calmed in a storm off the Cape -of Good Hope by oil leaking from a whale -ship.</p> - -<p>The pictorial application of this physical -fact is so obvious that it could not help passing -into popular usage.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><i>“<span class="smcap">Mercia</span>,” “<span class="smcap">The Would-be Wise -One</span>,” and “<span class="smcap">Nothing but Leaves</span>,” all -ask us in effect the same question, the full -meaning of self-culture, and how it is to be -attained.</i></p></div> - -<p>In ways too many to particularise, “our -girls” are anxiously seeking this end. From -all quarters of the globe questions come to -us; not perhaps expressed in the same direct -fashion as the one above, but showing an -eagerness in some way to develop latent -faculty, to improve the whole nature. What, -then, is self-culture? It is briefly personal -cultivation of self; the bringing forth, or -“educing” talent and capability, the improvement -of taste, the storing of the mind with -what will elevate and help and inspire. There -is the same difference between a “cultured” -and an “uncultured” person as between a -cultivated and uncultivated plot of garden-ground. -The chief difficulty lies in having to -perform the affair for oneself. To yield -one’s nature to trained and skilful teachers is -delightful, but when no such teachers are at -hand, the task assumes a different complexion, -and looks well-nigh impossible.</p> - -<p>But there are teachers whom everyone can -command. The girl to whom Newnham and -Girton are undreamed-of possibilities, whose -education at school has been only just long -enough to make her crave for more, can call -to her aid the greatest and wisest of mankind. -Self-culture by books is within the reach -of all.</p> - -<p>What books? and how shall they be -studied?</p> - -<p>The subject is too vast to be dealt with in -even the longest answer to correspondents, -and we can only say here to “Mercia,” -“The Would-be Wise One,” and “Nothing -but Leaves,” that we have begun in this volume -a series of articles by Lily Watson on “Self-Culture -for Girls,” which deal practically -and in detail with the books that should be -read, the method of studying them, and -everything that girls anxious to make the best -of their opportunities can wish to know.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div><div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">{303}</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="ANSWERS_TO_CORRESPONDENTS" id="ANSWERS_TO_CORRESPONDENTS">ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.</a></h2> - - -<h3>MEDICAL.</h3> - -<div class="blockquot_ans"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Little Dot.</span>—1. The condition of your face is almost -for certain due to <i>acne rosacea</i>. The only other -disease which we think it likely that you could be -suffering from would be <i>lupus erythematosus</i>—a -form of lupus which is not due to tuberculosis or -scrofula, but which is a highly-developed form of -chilblains. Your description agrees so well with -that of <i>acne rosacea</i> that there can be little doubt -but that it is that complaint. This disease would -be in no way dependent upon nor influenced by any -disease that your parents may have had. This -complaint commonly goes by the name of “grog-blossoms”; -but is frequently caused by other -things than “grog.” In fact it is not the alcohol -itself so much as the indigestion that it causes -which produces the “blossoms.” Any form of -indigestion may be accompanied by rosacea; and -so the first thing in the treatment of the affection is -to look to the digestion. Locally use an ointment -of sulphur or ichthiol, preferably the latter. You -must guard carefully against constipation, as this -of itself will produce rosacea.—2. We think it -highly improbable that you suffer from stone in the -kidney; but of course we could not be certain -without personal examination. The only symptom -you give us is one which you are very likely to have -misinterpreted, whereas you tell us nothing which -to our minds suggests kidney disease.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Margaret.</span>—You <i>can</i> test for yourself whether the -water supplied to you contains lead; but it is -hardly worth your while to do so. Still, if you wish -to try, get a glass cylinder two feet long, and place -it on a sheet of white paper. Fill it with the water -to be tested, and pour into it a few drops of solution -of sulphuretted hydrogen, or let a jet of the pure -gas bubble through the water. If lead is present a -brownish discoloration of the water will occur, -varying in depth of tint according to the amount of -lead present. Copper and one or two other metals -give the same reaction. You must be careful of the -sulphuretted hydrogen, for it is poisonous. You -could get the water tested for less money than the -cylinder and reagent cost to buy.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">O Mimosa San.</span>—Certainly all your symptoms can -be traced to your bad teeth. You complain of -flatulency, headache, constipation, cold feet, and -poor appetite. Are not all these common symptoms -of dyspepsia? And what is commoner as a cause -of dyspepsia than bad teeth? Go to the dentist -again and have your teeth thoroughly overhauled. -But remember, if you have many teeth extracted, -you <i>must</i> have false ones inserted in their place. -Have the false teeth made at once, for after a -month or two the remaining teeth make an attempt -to fill up the gap where bad teeth have been -extracted and leave your teeth with narrow slits -between them. How few people recognise the -value of teeth! Normal digestion is quite impossible -without them.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">An Irish Reader.</span>—1. Do you wear a straw hat, and -do the spots on your forehead correspond to the -line where the hat presses? During the summer -many girls develop spots on their foreheads -from the irritation of straw hats. These spots -often trouble girls, who seek in vain for their -cause. The real cause scarcely ever presents -itself to their notice. If you have thoroughly tried -sulphur ointment without success, use ichthiol -ointment 2 per cent. instead. Also see that your -hats do not press upon your forehead.—2. The fifth -of September, 1877, was a Wednesday.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lorna Doone.</span>—One would naturally suppose that -such a simple subject as the care of the nails was -completely understood. But this is, nevertheless, -far from being the case, and it often gives more -trouble to cure thin or broken nails than it does to -cure some of the most deadly diseases to which we -are subject. We advise your friend to soak her -finger-tips every night in hot water and then to -smear them with lanoline or other simple ointment. -In the morning she should wipe off the ointment -and dip her fingers into pure alcohol for five -minutes. She should also be very careful to cut -and trim her nails properly. We do not promise to -cure her, but we have seen good results from this -treatment.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Maori.</span>—The hair frequently falls off in larger -quantities in autumn than in any other season. -Indeed, it appears that the hair of man “moults” -as does the fur of mammals and the feathers of -birds. After autumn, the spring is the time of year -at which the hair falls out in greatest quantities. -This periodical moulting of the hair does good -rather than harm, and there is really no call to -stop it—if, indeed, it could be stopped, which we -question.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Agricola.</span>—“What is the difference between a -sprained and a varicose vein?” We really do not -know what you mean by a “sprained vein,” so that -part of the question we cannot answer. Systematic -rubbing or massage is of some value for varicose -veins; but it is not altogether safe, and is not worth -a trial. Rest with the legs elevated, walking, and -the support given by an elastic stocking are the -chief items in the treatment of varicose veins. -Standing is to be avoided as far as possible.</p></div> - - -<h3>GIRLS’ EMPLOYMENTS.</h3> - -<div class="blockquot_ans"> - -<p>L. M. (<i>Employment on Board Ship</i>).—We fear you -would find this difficult to obtain, seeing that you -are not strong at present. Stewardesses need to be -decidedly vigorous people. Such positions are -commonly accorded by the steamship companies -to the relatives of their own officers. It would seem -that the work in a cotton mill, though well paid, is -likely to be injurious to your health, and therefore -if you could find some more healthy occupation, you -should certainly take it. Cannot your employer -put you in the way of emigrating to South Africa? -It would be well to lay the case before him. You -should likewise apply for advice to the Manchester -and Salford branch of the National Union of -Women Workers, 13, Temple Chambers, Brazenose -Street, Manchester. With this Union many -of the most important societies in Manchester for -women and girls are affiliated, and the secretary -could tell you which would be most likely to -help you. The secretary could also inform you -whether there is in Manchester any active member -of the British Women’s Emigration Association, -the headquarters of which are at the Imperial -Institute, Kensington, W. We imagine that -emigration would be best for you; at the same time -it is possible that work might be found for you in -this country under conditions that would better -accord with your health.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lace-Making.</span>—We know of no school for lace-making -in London, but very likely by inquiring of -the Secretary of the Home Arts and Industries -Association, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, -you might find somebody to teach you. London -ladies have interested themselves especially in the -revival of Buckinghamshire laces. The different -varieties of Honiton can best be studied in Devonshire. -In your place we should be disposed to give -particular study to the various kinds of guipure, as -these are likely to remain fashionable for some time -to come.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">An Anxious One</span> (<i>Gardening, Dairy-work, &c.</i>).—For -you we should say, Not gardening. It is too -precarious a calling for a young woman without -private means or any conspicuous fondness for the -occupation. Dairy-work, which you could learn at -the Dairy Institute, Reading, would be considerably -better. If you would like a colonial life with its -freedom from social conventions, and if you can do -every sort of housework (including, prominently, -cooking), then by all means try to emigrate to -Canada or Australia through the British Women’s -Emigration Association. Except if you think of -emigrating, we do not recommend you to call yourself -a useful help. In this country the woman who -specialises is the one who succeeds, not the -“Jill-of-all-Trades.” Make up your mind, we -would say, to become thoroughly efficient either as -cook, dressmaker, laundress or dairy-worker, then -you will be sure to prosper. Of course these occupations -are not for everybody; but one of them -would be best for you, seeing that your ability -seems to lie in the direction of practical rather than -intellectual work.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">A Mother</span> (<i>Clay Modelling</i>).—The organs of the pottery -trade are <i>The Pottery Gazette</i> (Scott, Greenwood -& Co., 19, Ludgate Hill, E.C.) and <i>The -British Potter</i> (W. Brickel, Longton, Staffordshire). -Both of these publications appear monthly, -and the second may be obtained gratis. But what -we should advise is that the modeller call with specimens -of work upon Messrs. Doulton of Lambeth. -It is probable, also, that Messrs. Goode of South -Audley Street, who deal in some of the finest china, -both English and foreign, would be kind enough to -advise in such a matter. But cannot the South -Kensington authorities themselves put their pupils -and examinees in the way of seeking employment in -the proper quarters? They ought to understand -these artistic trades better than anyone. Teachers -of clay-modelling are in some demand for evening -continuation schools and the like. It might be desirable -on this point to consult the Home Arts and -Industries Association, Royal Albert Hall.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Seventeen Summers</span> (<i>Typing and Shorthand -Writing</i>).—A typist and shorthand writer may earn -from 15s. up to 2 a week. Typewriting can be -learnt in about two months, shorthand takes a year -of steady practice at the least. You complain -that your handwriting is far from good, and that -you also have great difficulty in expressing yourself. -Now both these circumstances are serious obstacles -in the career of a clerk; your prospects in this -walk of life are not improved by the other disability -you mention. We strongly urge you to turn to some -other occupation. A person who finds it a “hard -job” to “compose” a letter is evidently not meant -to make letter-writing a conspicuous part of her -business, as she must do if she is to remain a satisfactory -clerk or secretary. Is there not some other -kind of work that is less of a “hard job”? You -might learn dress-cutting and pattern-cutting, -generally, or you could enter one of the better -kinds of manufactories. Pray think over your -qualifications, and discover which sort of work you -do best (for there must be some), and then try to -find the means of doing it.</p></div> - - -<h3>MISCELLANEOUS.</h3> - -<div class="blockquot_ans"> - -<p>M. A. R.—We think that your selection of Malvern -seems a wise one, especially as others should be -considered as well as the invalid. The waters are -of an alkaline earthy nature, specially suitable -to scrofulous sores and skin diseases, besides internal -complaints. There are hydropathic establishments, -and apart from the mineral waters, the -spring water is exceptionally pure. Great Malvern -occupies a fine position in the centre of the Chase -of Malvern, on the slopes of the hills, and those -who can walk find the latter very attractive, as -the air is bracing and the view very fine. The -distance from London is 123 miles by railroad. -For anmic patients the ferruginous waters of -Harrogate are specially suited. It has also sulphureous -and saline springs.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Curiosity.</span>—Do you not confuse the heir presumptive -and the heir apparent to the throne? The Grand -Duke Michael is the heir presumptive only, and -the “Czarevitch,” a term meaning only king’s son, -or prince. The title “Cesarevitch,” <i>i.e.</i>, “son of -the Czar,” is only given to the eldest son, who is -Crown Prince, Nashlyedrik, and heir apparent, and -his consort is “Cesarevna.” The first Czar of -Russia of the House of Romanoff was elected, and -the succession has never proceeded in regular -order. Peter the Great left the crown by will to -his daughter Elizabeth; but Anne was elected -instead, to Elizabeth’s prejudice, who had to wait -till after the death of the Emperor John before she -came to the throne. The four Empresses of Russia -who have reigned alone have been Catherine, -widow of Peter the Great; Anne, daughter of Ivan, -his elder brother; Elizabeth his daughter; and -Catherine II., widow of Peter III., a grandson of -Peter the Great. The Czar is the supreme ruler, -and the Government is an autocracy. The Salic -law does not obtain in Russia.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Pansy.</span>—The following is the way that rust may be -taken from steel, but great care is needed to do it. -Immerse the article to be cleaned for a few minutes, -till all dirt and rust be taken off, in a strong solution -of cyanide of potassium—about oz. in a -wineglassful of water. Take out and clean it with -a toothbrush, using some paste made of cyanide of -potassium, Castile soap, whiting and water, mixed -into a paste of about the consistency of thick -cream.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Martha.</span>—When washing linen you will find it advisable -not to place either soap or soda directly -into washing-tubs, coppers, or boilers of any kind. -Both should be thoroughly dissolved in warm or -cold water, and then only used in the coppers or -boilers. A great deal depends on the soaking of -linen before it is put into the boiler. It should be -placed in a large tub of tepid water in which borax -has been dissolved, or a little good soap has been -lathered. One tablespoonful of prepared Californian -borax to every gallon of hot water will be a -very effective soaking fluid. Do not use soda at -this stage of the process. You have probably been -using too much. The soaking-water, or bath into -which you put the linen must be tepid, not hot nor -cold. Many people rub a little soap on the soiled -place after the soaking and before boiling. The -rinsing is also very important, and must be attended -to or else the linen will be streaky or of a bad -colour. In fact, neglect of rinsing is the general -cause of a yellow hue in linen. The water used -should never be cold but warm. Cold water sets, -or fixes the grease and soap in the fabric. Boiling-bags -are very useful, and protect the linen from the -copper, but we think you will find too much soda is -the cause of trouble.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Waiting.</span>—It would be impossible for us to give such -a list, and, indeed, we could not without knowing -the kind of work it was and its subject, as some -firms publish one thing and others another. Some -deal with purely educational works, others take -fiction; and many limit themselves to high-class -works only, such as those of reference and research. -The safest way to proceed is, we think, to write to -the Incorporated Society of Authors, 4, Portugal -Street, Lincoln’s Inn Fields; Chairman, Sir Walter -Besant; Secretary, S. Squire Sprigge, Esq. From -them you will receive all requisite information and -advice on the subject.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Mab.</span>—There is no reason why any building or institution -should not be inspected if it were thought -needful. Health and sanitary inspectors have -power to go everywhere, we believe.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Tiny.</span>—Any strong wide-mouthed phial about -2 inches high and 1 inches in diameter, containing -spirits of wine, and having a cork stopper, will -answer for beetles; the cork should be secured -round the neck of the bottle by a piece of string. -A smaller bottle can be used with a quill through -the cork for smaller insects. But a proper bottle -of solid mixture is expressly sold for destroying -specimens. There is a very nice little book called -<i>The Home Naturalist</i>, published at 56, Paternoster -Row, which would be useful to you, as it contains -full directions for all the processes of catching and -preserving insects, plants, woods and stones. Its -price is 5s. Insects may be destroyed for collections -of specimens without causing suffering.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">{304}</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /></div> - -<div class="figcenter w600"> -<img src="images/i_304.jpg" width="600" height="433" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p class="center">“THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND ME.”<br /> -[<i>From the painting by M. -Ellen Edwards (Mrs. Staples), exhibited in the Royal Academy.</i>]</p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<p class="ph3">FOOTNOTES</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Actual fact: A young fellow at Verdun, prisoner -on parole, was closely imprisoned for knocking down -a bust of the Emperor in his lodgings.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> <i>Letters of Princess Elizabeth of England</i>, -daughter of George III., and Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg. -Written for the most part to Miss -Louisa Swinburne. Edited by Philip Ch. Yorke, -M.A., with portraits. London: T. Fisher Unwin, -1898.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note—The following changes have been made to this text:<br /> -Page 303: cyclinder to cylinder—“get a glass cylinder”.]</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX. 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