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diff --git a/old/65356-0.txt b/old/65356-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 83e0150..0000000 --- a/old/65356-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2640 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 361, -November 27, 1886, 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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 361, November 27, 1886 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: May 16, 2021 [eBook #65356] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER, VOL. VIII, -NO. 361, NOVEMBER 27, 1886 *** - - - - -[Illustration: THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER - -VOL. VIII.—NO. 361. NOVEMBER 27, 1886. PRICE ONE PENNY.] - - - - -THE FLOWER GIRL. - -[Illustration: THE FLOWER GIRL.] - -_All rights reserved._] - - - What is she thinking of, what is she dreaming of, - Dreaming awhile ere the sun has quite set? - Is it the home of her earliest childhood - That for a brief hour she cannot forget, - Where the sweet violets grew blue in the wild wood - With dewdrops all wet? - - All the day long in the great crowded city— - Crowded, yet lonely to each in the crowd— - “Violets, sweet violets, a bunch for a penny!” - She has been crying, still crying aloud. - She has been merry at selling so many, - Merry and proud. - - Now as she watches the sun that is setting, - Far o’er the roofs and the masts of the ships, - Does her mind turn to the sweet unsold flowers, - Gathered by baby hands, pressed by child-lips, - While in a day-dream, through wild woodland bowers - Once more she trips? - - Is it the fragrance that clings to her basket— - Fragrance of violets that rich men have bought— - That takes her to woodlands away from the city, - Where with blue violets the moss is enwrought? - Surely the wings of God’s angel of pity - Shadow her thought. - - A. M. - - - - -MERLE’S CRUSADE. - -BY ROSA NOUCHETTE CAREY, Author of “Aunt Diana,” “For Lilias,” etc. - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -LABORARE EST ORARE. - -My mistress (how I loved to call her by that name!) was beginning to -give me her confidence. In a little while I grew quite at my ease with -her. - -She would sit down sometimes and question me about the book I was -reading, or, if we talked of the children, she would ask my opinion of -them in a way that showed she respected it. - -She told me more than once that her husband was quite satisfied with -me; the children thrived under my care, Reggie especially, for Joyce -was somewhat frail and delicate. It gratified me to hear this, for a -longer acquaintance with Mr. Morton had not lessened my sense of awe in -his presence (I had had to feel the pressure of his strong will before -I had been many weeks in his house, and though I had submitted to his -enforced commands, they had cost me my only tears of humiliation, and -yet all the time I knew he was perfectly just in his demands). The -occasion was this. - -It was a rule that when visitors asked to see the children, a very -frequent occurrence when Mrs. Morton received at home, that the head -nurse should bring them into the blue drawing-room, as it was called. -On two afternoons I had shirked this duty. With all my boasted courage, -the idea of facing all those strangers was singularly obnoxious; I -chose to consider myself privileged to infringe this part of my office. -I dressed the children carefully, and bade Hannah take them to their -mother. I thought the girl looked at me and hesitated a moment, but her -habitual respect kept her silent. - -My dereliction of duty escaped notice on the first afternoon; Mr. -Morton was occupied with a committee, and Mrs. Morton was too gentle -and considerate to hint that my presence was desired, but on the second -afternoon Hannah came up looking a little flurried. - -Master had not seemed pleased somehow; he had spoken quite sharply -before the visitors, and asked where nurse was that she had not brought -the children as usual, and the mistress had looked uncomfortable, and -had beckoned him to her. - -I took no notice of Hannah’s speech, for I had a hasty tongue, and -might have said things that I should have regretted afterwards, but my -temper was decidedly ruffled. I took Reggie as quickly as possible from -her arms, and carried him off into the other room. I wanted to be alone -and recover myself. - -I cried a good deal, much to Reggie’s distress; he kept patting my -cheeks and calling to me to kiss him, that at last I was obliged -to leave off. I had met with a difficulty at last. I could hear the -roaring of the chained lions behind me, but I said to myself that I -would not be beaten; if my pride must suffer I should get over the -unpleasantness in time. Why should I be afraid of people just because -they wore silks and satins and were strangers to me? My fears were -undignified and absurd; Mr. Morton was right; I had shirked my duty. - -I hoped that nothing more would be said about it, and I determined that -the following Thursday I would face the ordeal; but I was not to escape -so easily. - -When Mrs. Morton came into the nursery that evening to bid the children -good-night, I thought she looked a little preoccupied. She kissed them, -and asked me, rather nervously, to follow her into the night nursery. - -“Merle,” she said, rather hurriedly, “I hope you will not mind what I -am going to say. My husband has asked me to speak to you. He seemed a -little put out this afternoon; it did not please him that Hannah should -take your place with the children.” - -“Hannah told me so when she came up, Mrs. Morton.” - -In spite of all my efforts to restrain my temper, I am afraid my voice -was a little sullen. I had never answered her in such a tone before. I -would obey Mr. Morton; I knew my own position well enough for that, but -they should both see that this part of my duty was distasteful to me. - -To my intense surprise she took my hand and held it gently. - -“I was afraid you would feel it in this way, Merle, but I want you -to look upon it in another point of view. You know that my husband -forewarned you that your position would entail difficulties. Hitherto -things have been quite smooth; now comes a duty which you own by your -manner to be bitterly distasteful. I sympathise with you, but my -husband’s wishes are sacred; he is very particular on this point. Do -you think for my sake that you could yield in this?” - -She still held my hand, and I own that the foolish feeling crossed me -that I was glad that she should know my hand was as soft as hers, but -as she spoke to me in that beseeching voice all sullenness left me. - -“There is very little that I would not do for your sake, Mrs. Morton, -when you have been so good to me. Please do not say another word -about it. Mr. Morton was right; I have been utterly in the wrong; I -feel that now. Next Thursday I will bring down the children into the -drawing-room.” - -She thanked me so warmly that she made me feel still more ashamed of -myself; it seemed such a wonderful thing that my mistress should stoop -to entreat where she could by right command, but she was very tolerant -of a girl’s waywardness. She did not leave me even then, but changed -the subject. She sat down and talked to me for a few minutes about -myself and Aunt Agatha. I had not been home yet, and she wanted me to -fix some afternoon when Mrs. Garnett or Travers could take my place. - -“We must not let you get too dull, Merle,” she said, gently. “Hannah is -a good girl, but she cannot be a companion to you in any sense of the -word.” And perhaps in that she was right. - -I woke the following Thursday with a sense of uneasiness oppressing me, -so largely do our small fears magnify themselves when indulged. As the -afternoon approached I grew quite pale with apprehension, and Hannah, -with unspoken sympathy, but she had wonderful tact for a girl, only -hinted at the matter in a roundabout way. - -I had dressed Reggie in his turquoise blue velvet, and was fastening -my clean frilled apron over my black gown, when Hannah said quietly, -“Well, it is no wonder master likes to show people what sort of nurse -he has got. I don’t think anyone could look so nice in a cap and apron -as you do, Miss Fenton. It is just as though you were making believe to -be a servant like me, and it would not do anyhow.” - -I smiled a little at Hannah’s homely compliment, but I confessed it -pleased me and gave me courage. I felt still more like myself when my -boy put his dimpled arms round my neck, and hid his dear face on my -shoulder. I could not persuade him to loosen his hold until his mother -spoke to him, and there was Joyce holding tightly to my gown all the -time. - -The room was so full that it almost made me giddy. It was good of Mrs. -Morton to rise from her seat and meet me, but all her coaxing speeches -would not make Reggie do more than raise his head from my shoulder. He -sat in my arms like a baby prince, beating off everyone with his little -hands, and refusing even to go to his father. - -Everyone wanted to kiss him, and I carried him from one to another. -Joyce had left me at once for her mother. Some of the ladies questioned -me about the children. They spoke very civilly, but their inquisitive -glances made my face burn, and it was with difficulty that I made -suitable replies. Once I looked up, and saw that Mr. Morton was -watching me. His glance was critical, but not unkindly. I had a feeling -then that he was subjecting me purposely to this test. I must carry out -my theory into practice. I am convinced all this was in his mind as he -looked at me, and I no longer bore a grudge against him. - -Not long afterwards I had an opportunity of learning that he could own -himself fallible on some points. He was exceedingly just, and could -bear a rebuke even from an inferior, if it proved him to be clearly in -the wrong. - -One afternoon he came into the nursery to play with the children for -a few minutes. He would wind up their mechanical toys to amuse them. -Reggie was unusually fretful, and nothing seemed to please him. He -scolded both his father and his walking doll, and would have nothing -to say to the learned dog who beat the timbrels and nodded his head -approvingly to his own music. Presently he caught sight of his -favourite woolly lamb placed out of his reach on the mantelpiece, and -began screaming and kicking. - -“Naughty Reggie,” observed his father, complacently, and he was taking -down the toy when I begged him respectfully to replace it. - -He looked at me in some little surprise. - -“I thought he was crying for it,” he said, somewhat perplexed at this. - -“Reggie must not cry for things after that fashion,” I returned, -firmly, for I felt a serious principle was involved here. “He is only a -baby, but he is very sensible, and knows he is naughty when he screams -for a thing. I never give it to him until he is good.” - -“Indeed,” a little dryly. “Well, he seems far off from goodness now. -What do you mean by making all that noise, my boy?” - -Reggie was in one of his passions, it was easy to see that; the toy -would have been flung to the ground in his present mood; so without -looking at his father or asking his permission, I resorted to my usual -method, and laid him down screaming lustily in his little cot. - -“There baby must stop until he is good,” I remarked, quietly, and I -took my work and sat down at some little distance, while Mr. Morton -watched us from the other room. I knew my plan always answered with -Reggie, and the storm would soon be over. - -In two or three minutes his screams ceased, and I heard a penitent -“Gargle do;” then “Nur, nur.” I went to him directly, and in a moment -he held out his arms to be lifted out of the cot. - -“Is Reggie quite good?” I asked, as I kissed him. - -“Ood, ood,” was the triumphant reply, and the next moment he was -cuddling his lamb. - -“I own your method is the best, nurse,” observed Mr. Morton, -pleasantly. “My boy will not be spoiled, I see that. I confess I should -have given him the toy directly he screamed for it; you showed greater -wisdom than his father.” - -It is impossible to say how much this speech gratified me. From that -moment I liked as well as respected Mr. Morton. - -My first holiday arrived somewhat unexpectedly. A little before the -nursery dinner Travers brought a message from Mrs. Morton that Joyce -was to go out with her in the carriage, and that if I liked to have -the afternoon and evening to myself, Mrs. Garnett could take charge of -Reggie. - -The offer was too tempting to be refused. I do not think I ever knew -the meaning of the word holiday before. No schoolgirl felt in greater -spirits than I did during dinner time. - -It was a lovely April afternoon. I took out of my wardrobe a soft -grey merino, my best dress, and a little grey velvet bonnet that Aunt -Agatha’s skilful hands had made for me. I confess I looked at myself -with some complacency. “No one would take me for a nurse,” I thought. - -In the hall I encountered Mr. Morton; he was just going out. For the -moment he did not recognise me. He removed his hat hurriedly; no doubt -he thought me a stranger. - -I could not help smiling at his mistake, and then he said, rather -awkwardly, “I did not know you, Miss Fenton. I am glad you have such -a lovely afternoon for your holiday; there seems a look of spring in -the air,” all very civilly, but with his keen eyes taking in every -particular of my dress. - -I heard from Mrs. Garnett afterwards that he very much approved of Miss -Fenton’s quiet, ladylike appearance, and as he was a very fastidious -man, this was considered high praise. There was more than a touch of -spring in the air; the delicious softness seemed to promise opening -buds. Down Exhibition-road the flower-girls were busy with their -baskets of snowdrops and violets. I bought a few for Aunt Agatha, then -I remembered that Uncle Keith had a weakness for a particular sort of -scone, and I bought some and a slice of rich Dundee seed cake. I felt -like a schoolgirl providing a little home feast, but how pleasant it -is to cater for those we love. I was glad when my short journey was -over, and I could see the river shimmering a steely blue in the spring -sunshine. The old church towers seemed more venerable and picturesque. -As I walked down High-street I looked at the well-known shops with an -interest I never felt before. - -When I reached the cottage I rang very softly, that Aunt Agatha -should not be disturbed. Patience uttered a pleased exclamation when -she caught sight of me. “Is it really yourself, Miss Merle? I could -hardly believe my eyes. Mistress is in there reading,” pointing to the -drawing-room. “She has not heard the bell, I’ll be bound, so you can -surprise her finely.” - -I acted on Patience’s hint, and opened the door noiselessly. How cosy -the room looked in the firelight! and could any sight be more pleasant -to my eyes than dear Aunt Agatha sitting in her favourite low chair, in -her well-worn black silk and pretty lace cap. I shall never forget her -look of delight when she saw me. - -“Merle! Oh, you dear child, do you mean it is really you? Come here and -let me look at you. I want to see what seven weeks of hard work have -done for you.” - -But Aunt Agatha’s eyes were very dim as she looked. - -“There, sit down, and get warm,” giving me an energetic little push, -“and tell me all about it. Your letters never do you justice, Merle. I -must hear your experience from your own lips.” - -What a talk that was. It lasted all the afternoon, until Patience -came in to set the tea-table, and we heard Uncle Keith’s boots on the -scraper; even that sound was musical to me. When he entered the room I -gave him a good hug, and had put some of my violets in his button-hole -long before he had left off saying “Hir-rumph” in his surprise. - -“She looks well, Agatha, does she not?” he observed, as we gathered -round the tea-table. “So the scheme has held out for seven weeks, eh? -You have not come to tell us you are tired of being a nurse?” - -“No, indeed,” I returned, indignantly. “I am determined to prove to -you and the whole world that my theory is a sensible one. I am quite -happy in my work—perfectly happy, Uncle Keith. I would not part with my -children for worlds. Joyce is so amusing, and as for Reggie, he is such -a darling that I could not live without him.” - -“It is making a woman of Merle, I can see that,” observed Aunt Agatha, -softly. “I confess I did not like the plan at first, but if you make it -answer, child, you will have me for a convert. You look just as nice -and just as much a lady as you did when you were leading a useless life -here. Never mind if in time your hands grow a little less soft and -white; that is a small matter if your heart expands and your conscience -is satisfied. You remember your favourite motto, Merle?” - -“Yes, indeed, Aunt Agatha, ‘Laborare est orare.’ Now I must go, for -Uncle Keith is pulling out his watch, which means I have to catch my -train.” - -But as I trudged over the bridge beside him in the starlight, and saw -the faint gleams lying on the dark, shadowy river, a voice seemed to -whisper to my inner consciousness, “Courage, Merle, a good beginning -makes a glad ending. Hold fast to your motto, ‘Laborare est orare.’” - -(_To be continued._) - -[Illustration] - - - - -THE BROOK AND ITS BANKS. - -BY THE REV. J. G. WOOD, M.A., Author of “The Handy Natural History.” - - -CHAPTER III. - -Enemies of the water-vole—The heron—The death-stroke—Ways of the -heron—Watching for fish—A hint to naturalists—Observers in the New -Forest—Return to wild habits—The fox, the cow, and the owl—The heron -and the eel—The cormorant and the conger—The heron’s power of wing—How -the heron settles—Its resting-place—Power of the heron’s beak—Heronry -in Wanstead Park. - -The water-vole has but few enemies whom it need fear, and one of them -is now so scarce that the animal enjoys a practical immunity from -it. This is the heron (_Ardea cinerea_), which has suffered great -diminution of its numbers since the spread of agriculture. - -Even now, however, when the brook is far away from the habitations of -man, the heron may be detected by a sharp eye standing motionless in -the stream, and looking out for prey. Being as still as if cut out of -stone, neither fish nor water-vole sees it, and if the latter should -happen to approach within striking distance, it will be instantly -killed by a sharp stroke on the back of the head. - -The throat of the heron looks too small to allow the bird to swallow -any animal larger than a very small mouse; but it is so dilatable that -the largest water-vole can be swallowed with perfect ease. - -The bird, in fact, is not at all fastidious about its food, and will -eat fish, frogs, toads, or water-voles with perfect impartiality. It -has even been known to devour young waterhens, swimming out to their -nest, and snatching up the unsuspecting brood. In fact, all is fish -that comes to its beak. - -If the reader should be fortunate enough to espy a heron while watching -for prey, let him make the most of the opportunity. - -Although the heron is a large bird, it is not easily seen. In the first -place, there are few birds which present so many different aspects. -When it stalks over the ground with erect bearing and alert gestures -it seems as conspicuous a bird as can well be imagined. Still more -conspicuous does it appear when flying, the ample wings spread, the -head and neck stretched forwards, and the long legs extending backwards -by way of balance. - -But when it is on the look-out for the easily-startled fish it must -remain absolutely still. So it stands as motionless as a stuffed bird, -its long neck sunk and hidden among the feathers of the shoulders, and -nothing but the glancing eye denoting that it is alive. - -This quiescence must be imitated by the observer, should he wish to -watch the proceedings of the bird, as the least movement will startle -it. The reason why so many persons fail to observe the habits of -animals, and then disbelieve those who have been more successful, is -that they have never mastered the key to all observation, _i.e._, -refraining from the slightest motion. A movement of the hand or foot, -or even a turn of the head is certain to give alarm; while many -creatures are so wary that when watching them it is as well to droop -the eyelids as much as possible, and not even to turn the eyes quickly, -lest the reflection of the light from their surface should attract the -attention of the watchful creature. - -One of the worst results of detection is that when any animal is -startled it conveys the alarm to all others that happen to be within -sight or hearing. It is evident that all animals of the same species -have a language of their own which they perfectly understand, though it -is not likely that an animal belonging to one species can understand -the language of another. - -But there seems to be a sort of universal or _lingua-franca_ language -which is common to all the animals, whether they be beasts or birds, -and one of the best known phrases is the cry of alarm, which is -understood by all alike. - -I need hardly say that it is almost absolutely necessary to be alone, -as there is no object in two observers going together unless they can -communicate with each other, and there is nothing which is so alarming -to the beasts and birds as the sound of the human voice. - -Yet there is a mode by which two persons who have learned to act in -concert with each other can manage to observe in company. It was shown -to me by an old African hunter, when I was staying with him in the New -Forest. - -In the forest, although even the snapping of a dry twig will give the -alarm, neither bird nor beast seems to be disturbed by a whistle. -We therefore drew up a code of whistles, and practised ourselves -thoroughly in them. - -Then, we went as quietly as we could to the chosen spot, and sat down -facing each other, so that no creature could pass behind one of us -without being detected by the other. We were both dressed in dark grey, -and took the precaution of sitting with our backs against a tree or a -bank, or any object which could perform the double duty of giving us -something to lean against, and of breaking the outlines of the human -form. - -Our whistled code was as low as was possible consistent with being -audible, and I do not think that during our many experiments we gave -the alarm to a single creature. - -When the observer is remaining without movement, scarcely an animal -will notice him. - -I remember that on one occasion my friend and I were sitting opposite -each other, one on either side of a narrow forest path. The sun had -set, but at that time of the year there is scarcely any real night, and -objects could be easily seen in the half light. - -Presently a fox came stealthily along the path. Now the cunning of the -fox is proverbial, and neither of us thought that he would pass between -us without detecting our presence. Yet, he did so, passing so close, -that we could have touched him with a stick. - -Shortly afterwards, a cow came along the same path, walking almost -as noiselessly as the fox had done. It is a remarkable fact that -domesticated animals, when allowed to wander at liberty in the New -Forest, soon revert to the habits of their wild ancestors. - -As the cow came along the path, neither of us could conjecture the -owner of the stealthy footstep. We feared lest it might be that of -poachers, in which case things would have gone hard with us, the -poachers of the New Forest being a truculent and dangerous set of men, -always provided with firearms and bludgeons, having scarcely the very -slightest regard for the law, and almost out of reach of the police. - -They would certainly have considered us as spies upon them, and as -certainly would have attacked and half, if not quite killed us, we -being unarmed. - -But to our amusement as well as relief, the step was only that of a -solitary cow, the animal lifting each foot high from the ground before -she made her step, and putting it down as cautiously as she had raised -it. - -Then, a barn owl came drifting silently between us, looking in the -dusk as large and white as if it had been the snowy owl itself. Yet, -neither the fox, nor the cow, nor the owl detected us, although passing -within a few feet of us. - -In the daytime the observer, however careful he may be, is always -liable to detection by a stray magpie or crow. - -The bird comes flying along overhead, its keen eyes directed downwards, -on the look-out for the eggs of other birds. At first he may not notice -the motionless and silent observer, but sooner or later he is sure to -do so. - -If it were not exasperating to have all one’s precautions frustrated, -the shriek of terrified astonishment with which the bird announces the -unexpected presence of a human being would be exceedingly ludicrous. -As it is, a feeling of wrath rather prevails over that of amusement, -for at least an hour will elapse before the startled animals will have -recovered from the magpie’s alarm cry. - -Supposing that we are stationed on the banks of the brook on a fine -summer evening, while the long twilight endures, and have been -fortunate enough to escape the notice of the magpie or other feathered -spy, we may have the opportunity of watching the heron capture its prey. - -The stroke of the beak is like lightning, and in a moment the bird is -holding a fish transversely in its beak. The long, narrow bill scarcely -seems capable of retaining the slippery prey; but if a heron’s beak -be examined carefully, it will be seen to possess a number of slight -serrations upon the edges, which enable it to take a firm grasp of the -fish. - -Very little time is allowed the fish for struggling, for almost as soon -as captured it is flung in the air, caught dexterously with its head -downwards, and swallowed. - -It is astonishing how large a fish will pass down the slender throat -of a heron. As has been already mentioned, the water-vole is swallowed -without difficulty. Now the water-vole measures between eight and nine -inches in length from the nose to the root of the tail, and is a very -thickset animal, so that it forms a large and inconvenient morsel. - -It is seldom that the heron has, like the kingfisher, to beat its prey -against a stone or any hard object before swallowing it, though when -it catches a rather large eel it is obliged to avail itself of this -device before it can get the wriggling and active fish into a suitable -attitude. The eel has the strongest objection to going down the heron’s -throat, and has no idea of allowing its head to pass into the heron’s -beak. The eel, therefore, must be rendered insensible before it can be -swallowed. - -Generally it is enough to carry the refractory prey to the bank, hold -it down with the foot, and peck it from one end to the other until it -is motionless. Should the eel be too large to be held by the feet, it -is rapidly battered against a stone, just as a large snail is treated -by a thrush, and so rendered senseless. - -If the feet of the heron be examined, a remarkable comb-like appendage -may be seen on the inside of the claw of the hind foot. - -What may be the precise office of this comb is not satisfactorily -decided. Some ornithologists think that it is utilised in preening the -plumage, I cannot, however, believe that it performs such an office. I -have enjoyed exceptional opportunities for watching the proceedings of -the heron when at liberty, as well as in captivity, but never saw it -preen its feathers with its foot, nor have I heard of anyone who has -actually witnessed the proceeding. - -[Illustration: IN WANSTEAD PARK.] - -It is not always fair to judge from a dead bird what the living bird -might have been able to do. But I have tried to comb the plumage of a -dead heron with its foot-comb, and have not succeeded. - -Another suggestion is that the bird may use it when it holds prey under -its feet, as has just been narrated. These suggestions, however, are -nothing more than conjectures, but, as they have been the subject of -much argument, I have thought it best to mention them. - -Sometimes it has happened that the heron has miscalculated its powers, -and seized a fish which was too large and powerful to be mastered. -Anglers frequently capture fish which bear the marks of the heron’s -beak upon their bodies, and in such cases neither the fish nor the -heron is any the worse for the struggle. - -But when the unmanageable fish has been an eel, the result has, more -than once, been disastrous for the bird. In Yarrell’s work on the -British birds, a case is recorded where a heron and eel were both found -dead, the partially swallowed eel having twisted itself round the neck -of the heron in its struggles. - -A very similar incident occurred off the coast of Devonshire, the -victim in this case being a cormorant. The bird had attacked a -conger-eel, and had struck its hooked upper mandible completely through -the lower jaw of the fish, the horny beak having entered under the chin -of the eel. - -The bird could not shake the fish off its beak, and the result was -that both were found lying dead on the shore, the powerful conger-eel -having coiled itself round the neck of the cormorant and strangled it. -The stuffed skins of the bird and eel may be seen in the Truro Museum, -preserved in the position in which they were found. - -Having procured a sufficiency of prey, the heron will take flight for -its home, which will probably be at a considerable distance from its -fishing ground. Twenty or thirty miles are but an easy journey for the -bird, which measures more than five feet across the expanded wings, and -yet barely weighs three pounds. Indeed, in proportion to its bulk, it -is believed to be the lightest bird known. The Rev. C. A. Johns states -that he has seen the heron fishing at a spot fully fifty miles from any -heronry. - -The peculiar flight of the heron is graphically described in a letter -published in the _Standard_ newspaper, Sept. 25th, 1883. - -“One summer evening I was under a wood by the Exe. The sun had set, and -from over the wooded hill above bars of golden and rosy cloud stretched -out across the sky. The rooks came slowly home to roost, disappearing -over the wood, and at the same time the herons approached in exactly -the opposite direction, flying from Devon into Somerset, and starting -out to feed as the rooks returned home. - -“The first heron sailed on steadily at a great height, uttering a loud -“caak, caak” at intervals. In a few minutes a second followed, and -“caak, caak” sounded again over the river valley. - -“The third was flying at a less height, and as he came into sight -over the line of the wood, he suddenly wheeled round, and holding his -immense wings extended, dived, as a rook will, downwards through the -air. He twisted from side to side like anything spun round by the -finger and thumb as he came down, rushing through the air head first. - -“The sound of his great vanes pressing and dividing the air was -distinctly audible. He looked unable to manage his descent, but at the -right moment he recovered his balance, and rose a little up into a tree -on the summit, drawing his long legs into the branches behind him. - -“The fourth heron fetched a wide circle, and so descended into the -wood. Two more passed on over the valley—altogether six herons in about -a quarter of an hour. They intended, no doubt, to wait in the trees -till it was dusky, and then to go down and fish in the wood. Herons -are here called cranes, and heronries are craneries. (This confusion -between the heron and the crane exists in most parts of Ireland.) - -“A determined sportsman who used to eat every heron he could shoot, in -revenge for their ravages among the trout, at last became suspicious, -and, examining one, found in it the remains of a rat and of a toad, -after which he did not eat any more herons. Another sportsman found a -heron in the very act of gulping down a good sized trout, which stuck -in the gullet. He shot the heron and got the trout, which was not at -all injured, only marked at each side where the beak had cut it. The -fish was secured and eaten.” - -I can corroborate the accuracy as well as the graphic wording of the -above description. - -When I was living at Belvedere, in Kent, I used nearly every evening -to see herons flying northwards. I think that they were making for the -Essex marshes. They always flew at a very great height, and might have -escaped observation but for the loud, harsh croak which they uttered -at intervals, and which has been so well described by the monosyllable -“caak.” - -As to their mode of settling on a tree, I have often watched the -herons of Walton Hall, where they were so tame that they would allow -themselves to be approached quite closely. When settling, they lower -themselves gently until their feet are upon the branch. They then keep -up a slight flapping of the wings until they are fairly settled. - -An idea is prevalent in many parts of England that when the heron sits -on its nest, its long legs hang down on either side. Nothing can be -more absurd. The heron can double up its legs as is usual among birds, -and sits on its nest as easily as if it were a rook, or any other -short-legged bird. - -In many respects the heron much resembles the rook in its manner of -nesting. The nest is placed in the topmost branches of a lofty tree, -and is little more than a mere platform of small sticks. Being a larger -bird than the rook, the heron requires a larger nest, and on an average -the diameter of a nest is about three feet. - -Like the rook, the heron is gregarious in its nesting, a solitary -heron’s nest being unknown. In their modes of feeding, however, the -two birds utterly differ from each other, the heron seeking its food -alone, while the rook feeds in company, always placing a sentinel on -some elevated spot for the purpose of giving alarm at the approach of -danger. - -The heron is curiously fastidious in its choice of a nesting-place, -and, like the rook, prefers the neighbourhood of man, knowing -instinctively when it will be protected by its human neighbours. -Fortunately for the bird, the possession of a heronry is a matter of -pride among landowners; so that even if the owner of a trout-stream -happened also to possess a heronry, he would not think of destroying -the herons because they ate his trout. - -In captivity the heron can be tamed; but it is not to be recommended as -a pet. It is apt to bestow all its affections on one individual, and to -consider the rest of the human race as enemies, whose eyes ought to be -pecked out. - -I was for some time acquainted with such a bird, but took care to keep -well out of reach of its terrible beak, which it would dart to an -unexpected distance through the bars of its cage. - -It formerly ran loose in a garden, and was almost slavishly -affectionate to the gardener, rubbing itself against his legs like a -pet cat, and trying in every way to attract his attention. He had even -taught it a few simple tricks, and I have seen it take his hat off his -head, and then offer it to him. - -But just in proportion as it became friendly with the gardener it -became cross-grained with the rest of the world, attacking everyone -who came into the garden, and darting its beak at their eyes. Its last -performance caused it to be placed in confinement. - -An elderly gentleman had entered the garden on business, when the bird -instantly assailed him. Knowing the habits of the heron, he very wisely -flung himself on his face for the purpose of preserving his eyes, and -shouted for help. - -Meanwhile the heron, wishing to make the most of its opportunity, -mounted upon his prostrate victim, and succeeded in inflicting several -severe pecks upon his body and limbs before the gardener could come to -the rescue. - -The peck of a heron’s beak is no trifle, the mandibles being closed, -and the blow delivered with the full power of the long neck, so that -each blow from the beak is something like the stab of a bayonet, and so -strong and sharp is the beak that in some foreign lands it is converted -into an effective spearhead. - -Few people seem to be aware that a large and populous heronry exists in -Wanstead Park, on the very outskirts of London. - -At the end of summer, when the young birds are fledged, the heronry -is nearly deserted, but during the early days of spring the heronry -is well worth a visit. The great birds are all in full activity, as -is demanded by the many wants of the young, and on the ground beneath -may be seen fragments of the pale-blue eggs. On an average there are -three young ones in each nest, so that the scene is very lively and -interesting, until the foliage becomes so thick that it hides the birds -and their nests. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -THE ROMANCE OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND; - -OR, - -THE OLD LADY OF THREADNEEDLE STREET. - -BY EMMA BREWER. - - -CHAPTER II. - -Just for a little time I must leave my personal history to inquire how -England managed to do without me so long, and what the circumstances -were which at length rendered my existence imperative. - -In the days following the Norman Conquest, the Jews, whose one pursuit -in life was the commerce of money, were the compulsory bankers of the -country. - -They were subject to much cruelty and persecution, as you may see for -yourselves in your histories of the Kings of England. It is not to be -denied that their demands for interest on money lent by them were most -extravagant. In 1264 the rate of interest exceeded 40 per cent., and I -believe that 500 Jews were slain by our London citizens because one of -them would have forced a Christian to pay more than twopence for the -usury of 20s.[1] for one week, which sum they were allowed by the king -to take from the Oxford students. - -They were ill-treated and robbed from the time they came over with the -Conqueror until the reign of Edward I., who distinguished himself by -robbing 15,000 Jews of their wealth, and then banishing the whole of -them from the kingdom; and thus, as much sinned against as sinning, the -compulsory bankers of the period departed. - -There was no time to feel their loss, for immediately after their -expulsion the Lombards (Longobards), or merchants of Genoa, Florence, -Lucca and Venice, came over to England and established themselves in -the street which still bears their name. - -There was no doubt as to their purpose, for it was a well-known fact -that in whatever country or town they settled they engrossed its trade -and became masters of its cash, and certainly they did not intend to -make an exception in favour of London. - -I am not going to deny that they introduced into our midst many of -the arts and skill of trade with which we in England were previously -unacquainted; and it is to these Lombards or goldsmiths we owe the -introduction of bills of exchange, a wonderful invention, and one which -has served to connect the whole world into one, as you will see when -the proper place arrives for their explanation. - -These Lombards, immediately after their arrival in London, may have -been seen regularly twice a day parading Lombard-street with their -wares, exposing for sale the most attractive articles; and in a short -time became so successful that they were able to take shops in which to -carry on their business as goldsmiths. - -These shops were not confined to the one street which bears their name, -but were continued along the south row of Cheapside, extending from the -street called Old Change into Bucklersbury, where they remained until -after the Great Fire, when they removed to Lombard-street. There seems -to be no street in the world where a business of one special character -has been carried on so continuously as in Lombard-street. In the time -of Queen Elizabeth it was the handsomest street in London. In addition -to the art of the goldsmith, they added the business of money-changing, -the importance of which occupation you will be able to estimate when we -come to the subject of the coins of the realm. - -From money-changers they became money-lenders and money-borrowers—money -was the commodity in which they dealt, and 20 per cent. the modest -interest they asked and obtained for their money. - -Of course they gave receipts for the money lodged with them, and these -circulated and were known by the name of “goldsmiths’ notes,” and were, -in fact, the first kind of bank-notes issued in England. - -The Lombards were a most industrious class of people, and left no -stone unturned by which they could obtain wealth; and in an incredibly -short time we find them not only wealthy, but powerful, and occupying -a very prominent position; and you may be quite sure that under these -circumstances they did not escape persecution. - -Under the pretext that the goldsmiths were extortioners, Edward III. -seized their property and estates. Even this seemed but slightly to -affect them; for in the fifteenth century we find them advancing large -sums of money for the service of the State on the security of the -Customs. - -In the latter days, and, indeed, up to the time of my birth, the -banking was entirely in the hands of the goldsmiths, but carried on in -a very rapacious spirit, as is frequently the case when unrestrained by -rivals. - -I dare say you have all noticed the three golden balls on the outside -of pawnbrokers’ shops. Originally these were three pills, the emblem of -the Medici (physician) family; but in some way they became associated -with St. Dunstan, the patron saint of the goldsmiths, under the name of -the three golden balls—an emblem which the Lombards have retained. - -Are you curious to know how the sign has so degenerated as to be the -inseparable companion of the pawnbrokers of the land? Well, listen. - -Pawnbrokers’ shops, or loan banks, were established from motives of -charity in the fifteenth century. Their object was to lend money to -the poor upon pledges and without interest. Originally they were -supported by voluntary contributions, but as these proved insufficient -to pay expenses, it became necessary to charge interest for the money -lent. These banks were first distinguished by the name of _montes -pietatis_. The word _mont_ at this period was applied to any pecuniary -fund, and it is probable that _pietatis_ was added by the promoters -of the scheme, to give it an air of religion, and thus procure larger -subscriptions. - -Well, these banks were not only called mounts of piety, but were -known also as Lombards,[2] from the name of the original bankers or -money-lenders. Now you see how it is pawnbrokers bear the sign of the -goldsmiths. - -You who know so well where to place your money, both for interest -and security, when you have any to spare, can scarcely understand -the trouble and annoyance which our merchants and wealthy people -experienced at having no place of security wherein they could deposit -their money. At one time they sent it to the Mint in the Tower of -London, which became a sort of bank, where merchants left their money -when they had no need of it, and drew it out only as they wanted it; -but this soon ceased to be a place of security. In 1640 Charles I., -without leave asked or granted, took possession of £200,000 of the -money lodged there. Great was the wrath of the merchants, who were -compelled, after this unkingly act, to keep their surplus money at -home, guarded by their apprentices and servants. Even here the money -was not safe, for on the breaking out of the war between Charles and -his Parliament, it was no uncommon occurrence for the apprentices to -rob their masters and run away and join the army. - -When the merchants found that neither the public authorities nor their -own servants were to be trusted, they employed bankers, and these -bankers were goldsmiths. - -Many a tale, however, has reached me of the shifts and contrivances -of people to secure their savings and surplus money—people whose -experience had taught them to distrust both authorities and places, and -who would not, under the new state of things, have anything to do with -the bankers. One I will relate to you. - -A man whose life had been one of hard work and self-denial, and who had -two or three times lost his all through the untrustworthiness of the -people with whom he had lodged it, determined to be their dupe no more. -Money began once more to accumulate, and all things prospered with him; -but no one could imagine what he did with it; as far as his household -could tell, he did not deposit it with anyone outside the house, -neither could they discover any place within where it was possible -to stow it away. No persuasion could move the man to speak one word -concerning it. - -At length he died, without having time or consciousness to mention -the whereabouts of his money. Search was made in all directions, but -without success. - -While living he had been a regular attendant at one of our City -churches, and, occupying always the same corner in the old-fashioned -square pew, was well known to the clergy and servants. - -A few weeks after his death the pew-opener told the rector, in a -frightened voice, that she could no longer keep the matter from him, -for as surely as she stood there, the ghost of the man who died a week -or two ago haunted the church by night and by day. - -Instead of ridiculing her for her foolish fancy, the rector allowed her -to tell her story quietly, seeing that she was superstitious and very -nervous. - -She related that several times during the past weeks, when quite alone -in the church for the purpose of sweeping and dusting, she had heard a -peculiar noise proceeding from the pew where the old man used to sit, -and it sounded to her exactly as though he were counting out money, and -she would be very glad if he would look to it and verify her statement. - -Accordingly the rector and his curate accompanied the woman to the pew. -At first all was quiet, but as they listened, assuredly the sound came -exactly as described; they felt round about the pew, and at length -discovered a movable panel near the flooring. It was the work of a -moment to remove it, and there, in a good sized cavity, lay heaps of -money wrapped up in paper, which last had attracted the mice, and it -was their little pattering feet among the coins which had caught the -woman’s ear. The man had evidently dropped in his week’s savings on -Sundays, believing that it would be safer in the church than elsewhere. - -It seems that after the restoration of Charles II., he being greatly -in want of money, the goldsmiths lent it, demanding ten per cent. for -the loan. Often, however, they obtained thirty per cent. from him, and -this induced the goldsmiths to lend more and more to the king, so that -really the whole revenue passed through their hands. - -In 1672 a sad calamity befel the bankers, and put a check on their -prodigal lending. King Charles, who owed them £1,328,526, which he had -borrowed at eight per cent., utterly refused to pay either principal or -interest, and he remained firm to his resolution. - -The way in which bankers transacted their loans with the king, was in -this manner:—As soon as the Parliament had voted to the king certain -sums of money out of special taxes, the goldsmith-bankers at once -supplied the king with the whole sum so voted, and were repaid in -weekly payments at the Exchequer[3] as the taxes were received. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Ruding, vol. I. - -[2] The Lombards, or _montes pietatis_, lent on gold and silver -three-quarters of their value; on other metals half of their value; -and on jewels according to circumstances. The rate of interest was -determined in 1786 at five per cent. - -[3] Exchequer, so called because there was a building with a square -hole in the floor, through which they used to drop the notes and gold -on to a table beneath, covered with a chequered cloth. - -[Illustration] - - - - -DRESS: IN SEASON AND IN REASON. - -BY A LADY DRESSMAKER. - - -We have had such a mild and delightful autumn, that all kinds of winter -garments have been delayed in making an appearance. This is especially -the case with mantles and the heavier class of jackets. However, there -is enough to show us that no great novelty has been introduced. Mantles -are all small and short, and the majority have ends in front more or -less long. Black plush seems a very favourite material, and is much -overladen with trimming. Plain plush is also used for paletôts, and for -large cloaks; but there is a new-patterned plush, with ribs in layers, -that is much used also. Beaded shoulder-straps and epaulettes are worn -as well as ornaments at the back, and sometimes beaded braces round -the join of the sleeve in the small mantles, and a strip of the same -may be used to outline the seam at the back. These hints may help some -of my readers to do up a last year’s mantle with some of the moderate -priced bead trimmings now in vogue. Paletôts or cloaks are made both -long and medium in length. They are made in plush, cloth, and rough -cloths, but are not seen in the finer fancy stuffs which are made use -of for mantles and jackets. These fancy cloths have an appearance as -if braid were sewn on to the surface. The cloak paletôts, when long, -close in front to the feet, and the fronts are trimmed with a border -of fur, which is shaped on the shoulders like a pointed old-fashioned -“Victorine.” No fur is placed at the lower edge of the cloak; the cuffs -are deep. Fur trimmings on jackets that are tight-fitting follow the -same rule, and have no trimming of fur at the edge. Fur boas are very -decidedly the fashion this winter, and there seems no end to their -popularity. Some of them are flat at the neck, like a collarette; and -others are attached to the mantle. The newest boas are rather shorter, -and some are nothing more than fur collars that clasp round the throat; -and these collars, or “tippets,” will probably take the place of the -fur capes that have been worn so long. Grey furs are more in fashion -than brown ones—such as chinchilla, grey fox, squirrel-lock, and -opossum, and I see that quantities of American raccoon are also being -prepared. Of course, the best kind of furs, like sable, marten-tail, -mink, or blue fox, are not within the ordinary range of purchasers, and -few people care to spend so much money on dress as their acquirement -entails. There is also a new feeling to be taken into account; the same -feeling that makes thinking women and girls decline to wear birds, -and their heads and wings, _i.e._, the feeling that the seal fishery -as hitherto conducted is cruel; and that one may wear furs that are -too costly in other ways. I often think if mighty hunters—instead of -hunting down the buffalo, and the other animals useful to the Indian in -the North West—would go to India and hunt the tigers that so cruelly -prey on the natives there, we should wear those skins with much -pleasure as well as advantage. But the account of the slaying of a -mother-seal ought to be enough for a tender-hearted woman. I have never -cordially liked sealskins since I read of the devotion of one poor -mother-seal in particular to her young; and I have never had a sealskin -jacket since. - -[Illustration: AT THE ENGLISH LAKES.—AUTUMN AND WINTER GOWNS.] - -There are numbers of jackets in every style, but all are made of -woollen materials, not of silk nor of velvet. Most of them are -tight-fitting, and are smart looking and stylish. Both single and -double-breasted ones are seen. Hoods are much worn, but are by no means -general. Coloured linings are used to pale-coloured or checked cloth -jackets, but not to black or brown ones. Small mantles and cloaks -are tied at the neck by a quantity of ribbons to match the colour of -the cloth or plush. One of the new ideas for mantles is that of a -semi-fitting jacket over a long close-fitting cloak. - -[Illustration: UNDER NORTHERN SKIES.—A STUDY OF COMFORT IN DRESS.] - -The new bonnets and hats are much smaller and prettier now, and there -are in consequence many of these quieter hats to be seen worn by -well-dressed girls in the streets of London. Formerly no girl who -wished to be thought somebody ever wore anything but a bonnet in London. - -The velvet trimmings of bonnets are put on gathered, doubled and -pleated, sometimes with as many as three frills at the edge. Many of -the bonnets are without strings, and have pointed fronts, and there is -much jet trimming used even on coloured velvet bonnets. I am sorry to -say that our fashionable caterers continue to prey upon the feathered -creation all over the world. This winter the owl has evidently fallen -a victim, and there are besides the tern, kingfisher, and the heron. -How I wish this wicked and cruel bird slaughter could be prevented, and -that my numberless girl-readers would try to avoid giving it the least -encouragement. While we have the beautiful ostrich feathers, we cannot -need these other poor victims offered up on the altar of feminine -vanity and unthinking cruelty. - -Some of the felt hats for the season are very pretty. They have high -and sloping crowns, the brims are often only bound with ribbon, but if -wide and turned up at the back, they are lined with velvet, or rather -only partly lined, as half of the brim at least is left unlined. Many -of them have brims turned up all round, like one of the old turban hats. - -The ribbons in use at present are of all kinds, satin and velvet -reversible, as well as _moiré_ and velvet, or satin and _moiré_. These -have an edge of lacet, or one with tufts of silk, in colour. Velvet -ribbons with corded stripes have one edge purled and the other fringed; -and the strings of bonnets are of narrow _picot_-edged ribbon. - -The number of white gowns that have been worn during the past season -and up to the present moment has been remarkable, and has quite -justified the name of a “white season.” Even as the weather became -colder, a charming mixture of materials was introduced, viz., white -corduroy, and some soft woollen stuff, like serge or flannel. For the -winter white will be the special fashion for young people for the -evening, and any colour can be given by trimming. It seems likely that -perfectly smooth cloths, of the nature of habit-cloths, will be used -for winter day dresses, trimmed with bands of short dark-hued fur, or -with velvet to match the colour of the cloth. The colours that will -be worn in these will be myrtle, a new shade of blue, a tint like -heliotrope, and a reddish violet. - -Fancy materials in mixed colours abound, the mixtures being green -and ruby, brown and red, sage and vermilion, and others of the same -unæsthetic nature. The new browns are called Carmelite, chestnut, -rosewood, hair, and earth; the new reds are, Bordeaux, Indian, currant, -and clove. A new green is called verdigris. Grey does not seem to be -popular, and brown and red violet are the special colours of the season. - -In the making of dresses there is but little change. The skirts are -still short, and the draperies still long; while there is a fancy -for over-trimming bodices of all kinds. This will be a blessing for -the possessors of half-worn and very ancient bodices. Bracers are -one of the novelties as a form of trimming for the latter. They are -also trimmed in imitation of a Zouave jacket. Polonaises seem to be -returning to favour, and will be worn later on over lace skirts for -evening dress. Serge seems to me to be the most favoured material this -winter, and it forms the ground work of half the fancy cloths and -mixtures. Stripes and crossbars are in the highest favour, and both -alpaca and foulard are used, and with poplin, chuddah cloth, velvet, -and silk rep, form the generality of the new dresses. There are numbers -of hairy-looking woollen materials, but I should not think they would -wear as well as a good serge, which is always a useful purchase. - -The new petticoat materials in winceys are very gay and pretty, and the -pattern is usually of stripes; but the materials are various, being -sometimes all wool, or wool and silk mixed, and in the weaving there is -usually a rough or knotted stripe. Some of the new petticoats have a -few steels in them, and the addition makes the dress hold out from the -heels a little. A small steel-wire dress-improver is, however, quite -enough for most people, and very little crinolette is now worn—nothing -ungraceful nor immoderate in size. Other petticoats of better quality -are made of plain silk or satin, and one of the new fashions is to line -them with chamois leather, so as to make them warmer. - -[Illustration: NEW WINTER JACKET BODICE.] - -Shoes are more worn in London than boots, and laced shoes more than -buttoned ones. The same is the case with boots, which are considered -to fit better, and to look more stylish when laced than buttoned. I -have been very glad to see that sensibly-shaped boots and shoes are -on the increase, having wider toes and lower, broader heels. At the -present moment many of the best shops have them in their windows, and -have found it best and wisest to keep them for their customers; in -fact, the knowledge of hygienic necessities, and of all kinds of proper -clothing, is being so much extended and impressed on the public mind -on all sides, that I should not wonder if we all became quite reformed -characters, and wore, ate, and drank only such things as were good for -us. - -I must not forget to mention gloves and their styles. Most people -usually wear Swede or kid gloves during the winter months; but this -year there are some such delightfully warm and pretty gloves in wool -and silk to be seen in the shops, that many will no doubt be tempted -to purchase them. If the dress be of a quiet colour, the gloves should -match it; but if red, or of a decided colour of any kind, the proper -gloves to wear would be tan-colour. These latter are also used in the -evening, except when the dress is black, or black and white, when the -gloves should be of grey Swede. - -Our illustrations for the month are full of suggestions for making new -gowns and for altering old ones. It will be seen that the gowns are -both simple and elegant, with long flowing lines, and little or no -fulness of drapery. The prevailing fancy for jackets is shown, and the -newest model of a cape-like sleeve is given in our large front picture -of a seashore, “Under Northern Skies.” Much braiding is used, and it -is shown in two ways—laid on in flat bands, and also in a pattern on -the mantle. The new shapes of hats are much more moderate, and most -of the new shapes are illustrated. Our paper pattern for the month is -represented as worn by a lady in the centre of the smaller picture, -“At the English Lakes;” the centre figure shows its pretty and jaunty -outlines. It may be worn with either a plain waistcoat or a full silk -plastron, divided into puffings as shown in our sketch, which may be of -a soft Indian silk. It is of the last and new design, and will be found -a most useful winter bodice for usual daily wear. The pattern consists -of a collar, cuff, front, half of back, side pieces, and two sleeve -pieces. About four yards of 30 inch material are required, perhaps -less, if very carefully cut. All patterns are of a medium size, viz., -36 inches round the chest, and only one size is prepared for sale. Each -of the patterns may be had of “The Lady Dressmaker,” care of Mr. H. G. -Davis, 73, Ludgate Hill, E.C., price 1s. each. It is requested that the -addresses be clearly given, and that postal notes crossed only to go -through a bank may be sent, as so many losses have recently occurred. -The patterns already issued may always be obtained, as “The Lady -Dressmaker” only issues patterns likely to be of constant use in home -dressmaking and altering, and she is particularly careful to give all -the new patterns of hygienic underclothing, both for children and young -and old ladies, so that her readers may be aware of the best method of -dressing. - -The following is a list of those already issued, price 1s. each. -April—Braided, loose-fronted jacket. May—Velvet bodice. June—Swiss -belt and full bodice, with plain sleeves. July—Mantle. August—Norfolk -or pleated jacket. September—Housemaid’s or plain skirt. -October—Combination garment (underlinen). November—Double-breasted -out-of-door jacket. December—Zouave jacket and bodice. January—Princess -underdress (underlinen, underbodice, and underskirt combined). -February—Polonaise with waterfall back. March—New spring bodice. -April—Divided skirt, and Bernhardt mantle with sling sleeves. May—Early -English bodice and yoke bodice for summer dress. June—Dressing -jacket, princess frock, and Normandy cap for a child of four years. -July—Princess of Wales’ jacket-bodice and waistcoat, for tailor-made -gown. August—Bodice with guimpe. September—Mantle with stole ends -and hood. October—“Pyjama,” or nightdress combination, with full -back.—November—New winter bodice. - -[Illustration] - - - - -THE BUILDERS OF THE BRIDGE. - -BY MRS. G. LINNÆUS BANKS, Author of “God’s Providence House,” “The -Manchester Man,” “More than Coronets,” etc. - - -CHAPTER II. - - “But, Muse, return at last; attend the princely Trent, - Who, straining on in state, the north’s imperious flood, - The third of England called, with many a dainty wood - Being crowned, to Burton comes, to Needwood, where she shows - Herself in all her pomp, and as from thence she flows - She takes into her train rich Dove and Darwin[4] clear— - Darwin, whose font and fall are both in Derbyshire, - And of whose thirty floods that wait the Trent upon, - Doth stand without compare, the very paragon.” - -So began England’s descriptive poet, Michael Drayton, to sing the -praises of the glorious Trent in his “Polyolbion;” but Milton was more -terse in his invocation— - - “Rivers, arise! whether thou be the son - Of utmost Tweed, or Ouse, or gulfy Don, - Or Trent, who, like some earth-born giant, spreads - His thirty arms along the indented meads.” - -Thus much the poets; but in plain prose be it told that the Trent -needed no invocation to “arise.” It had, and has, a tendency to arise -and flood the meadows in its course most disastrously, as it did no -later than last May. The many arches of its bridges tell the tale. - -But long before bridges were built or were common, there was need to -cross the river, either by ford or ferry, and its treachery must have -been known in very ancient days, since Swark—whoever he might be, and -whether he found a natural ford or made an artificial one—set up on -end an unwrought monolith above the height of a man as a guide for -wayfarers to find the crossing-place when the waters happened to be -“out”; since there the waste and meadow-land lay low for many a broad -mile. - -There was scarcely a speck in the blue vault of heaven when Earl -Bellamont and his friends, leaving a cloud of dust behind them, crossed -the shrunken, snake-like river that mirrored their gleaming armour in -its broken, scale-like wavelets, as if it held their images and would -fain clasp them. And so the sun had shone for weeks, - - “All in a hot and copper sky,” - -until the earth cried out for rain from its parched and cracking lips. -Only near the red, marly banks of the river did the grass and herbage -retain its vivid tint of green. As the days went by the air seemed to -grow hotter; the cooks in the kitchen, piling fresh logs upon the fire, -wished the guests gone and the wedding over. The falconer out on the -moor in the glare with William Harpur and other squires, or the anglers -by the streams, had scarcely the best of it, though Lady Bellamont -wearied of her many cares, and censured the languor of her daughters -and her maids. - -Preparations had not ceased, they had only renewed; and there had been -unwonted doles to the villagers of good things that would have spoiled. - -At length, when even the weaving of tapestry or the twanging of the -lute was a toil, there rose a cloud in the north-western sky. The -cattle lowed, the leaves turned themselves over to welcome it, the -hawks screamed in the mews. That was the morning of the 14th, when -the very hush in the air was significant. The cloud spread, darkened, -blackened, but in the distance. - -“There is a storm somewhere over our northern hills!” exclaimed the -prior, who had been up on the battlements. “The clouds hang black and -low over Dovedale.” - -“It seemeth such a day as heralded the great storm three years ago,” -cried Lady Bellamont, in alarm. “And, ah! what a flash was that!” - -The younger ladies gathered together in shrinking groups, as if the -fears of the matron were infectious. Only Idonea kept at her word, and -scorned to show timidity, whatever she might feel, as the mutterings of -thunder rumbled over the hall. - -It was high noon, but the sky was darkening overhead. The horn at the -great gates was blown. A messenger in hot haste had come spurring from -the ford and up the hill, glad to save himself a drenching, for the -great drops were pattering on the leaves and leads like hail. - -He had come at full speed from Oxford. King Henry had ratified the -great charter of English liberty. His master, the earl, and his friends -would be home ere nightfall. The bridal must be upon the morrow. He -had, moreover, private messages and tokens for the ladies, Idonea and -Avice, from their coming bridegrooms. - -The messages were not for general ears; the love-tokens were a couple -of golden crosses richly wrought and set with gems. Five rubies -clustered in the centre of Sir Ralph’s gift to Idonea, five pearls in -Sir Gilbert’s to Avice. - -They were dainty trinkets, but Avice took hers shrinkingly. “They seem -like crosses set with tears and drops of blood,” she whispered, with -white lips, to Idonea, who started, and, if she said “Tut, tut! they -are precious tokens,” was not altogether unaffected by her sister’s -superstitious dread. - -In answer to inquiries, the messenger replied that he “thought the -Trent was rising. It was higher than when his lord had left Swarkstone.” - -It had been still lower at sunrise that day. - -Two hours later Friar John blew the horn at the gate. He and his mule -were pitiably drenched. - -The Dove was swollen when he crossed the bridge near Egginton, he said, -though the downpour did not come until he had left it five miles behind. - -“Now, heaven forfend there be not such a flood as swept Swark’s Stone -away three summers back. The passage of the ford would be perilous to -my lord now that is gone,” cried Lady Bellamont, wringing her hands, -and it might seem with reason, for now the floodgates of the skies were -loosed, and heaven’s artillery waged war with earth. - -“Storms and travellers are in Almighty hands, good dame,” said Prior -John, soberly. “Tell your beads devoutly, and trust your all to Him.” - -Avice and Idonea, with other damsels and dames, were already on their -knees in prayer, their hearts beating wildly. - -William Harpur, pacing up and down, glanced through the dim glass -windows on the scene without, and then from one to other of the -shuddering women within. - -“I think, Prior John,” he observed, with a slight curl of lip, “it will -be a sorry welcome for my noble kinsman and his friends when they come -in, wet and weary, if no board be spread, no dry garments ready for -their use.” - -The taunt seemed to sting the good dame. - -“Storm or no storm, Will, my lord shall not find us unprepared. -Maidens, attend me.” And she swept from the tapestried reception-room, -followed by her daughters and the noble maids who did probationary -service under her, and soon her silver whistle might be heard, as one -or other did her bidding, and all below-stairs was speed and bustle—and -covert fear. - -The hours sped. The storm seemed to abate. The board was spread. The -time for the evening meal came and went. - -There were no arrivals. There were whisperings among hungry guests, for -time was flying. - -Squire Harpur paced the rush-strewn floor impatiently, biting his nails -and cogitating. - -The dark came down—the double dark of storm and evening. The great -time-candle in its sheltering lanthorn burnt the quarters down, and the -hours. - -Villagers came scurrying to the hall in dismay. The meads were under -water. Their fresh-cut hay was floating down the stream, with many a -tree and bush from parts beyond in the west. - -The lovely sisters had busked themselves afresh to receive their -lovers; dark tresses and fair were coiled in golden nets, and on each -bosom shone her token cross of gold. - -But as the hours and minutes flew, dress was disregarded, their lips -quivered with anxiety. - -At length Avice whispered to her mother, “Had we not best set a cresset -burning on the watch-tower, and send torch-bearers to light the passage -of the ford?” - -“I have already given orders, child; I feared to speak my alarm to you.” - -But even torches will not keep alight in rain and hurricane. The men, -headed by Will Harpur, returned to the hall drenched and discomfited. - -“The blazing sky will be their surest guide,” said he; “we cannot keep -a torch alight. But do not give way to bootless terror, good aunt, the -storm will have kept our friends at Ashby, or, at least, have driven -them back. They would never be so mad as to attempt the passage of the -ford.” Then, aside to the prior he added, “The land is covered for -more than half a mile, and in mid-stream the marly water runs like a -torrent, bearing bushes, beams, and haycocks swiftly out of sight. They -must have gone back.” - -Almost as he spoke there was a rapid thud of hoofs heard advancing up -the hill. - -There was the strong black charger of Earl Bellamont, and close behind -came the bay mare of Sir Gilbert. - -They were both riderless! - -A moment of speechless horror, then shrieks and wailing filled the air. - -Mid the sobbing and lamentations of women, and the clamour of men, -fresh torches were kindled, horn lanthorns lighted and affixed to -poles. Then, with the prior and Will Harpur at their head, all the men -about the place rushed forthwith ropes and shepherds’ crooks, and aught -that might save a drowning man. - -Alas! it was all too late. - -Their bravest and best beloved were gone for aye. - -Too rashly impatient, and trusting the leadership of impetuous Earl -Bellamont, Sir Ralph and Sir Gilbert had disregarded the remonstrances -of more cautious companions, and dashed across the waste of waters, so -low at first as barely to cover their horses’ fetlocks. - -Alas! some floating bush may have misled the old man, for all at once -they seemed to be carried down stream and disappear, as if they had -missed the ford, or the current had been too strong for men weighted -with armour. - -Sir Ralph had mounted his foot page behind him, and the scion of -another noble house was lost. - -Their esquires, following behind, had been impotent to save, and only -by turning sharply round and fighting with the rising waters did they -manage to preserve their own lives. - -Day by day as the thick waters subsided did the search continue along -the devastated banks until the dark Derwent, rolling its great volume -of water into the Trent, barred further passage, and made the quest -hopeless. - -A silken scarf caught in a bush, a broken lance and pennon, a battered -casque, a saddle-bow, were all the relics found of father, bridegrooms, -page. - -Lady Bellamont was borne down by the shock. Avice drooped like a broken -lily; only Idonea seemed capable of thought or action. - -The subsidence of the flood brought spurring in the more prudent party -to comfort their own wives and daughters, along with the downcast -esquires to tell the needless tale. - -There was no consoling Lady Bellamont. She seemed to take the triple -loss to her own heart, and grieve for her daughters as much as for -herself. - -In vain the prior offered such consolation as his faith afforded. -She sat like a stone, rigid and immovable; would take no sustenance -whatever. - -The tears shed over her by Idonea and Avice seemed to petrify as they -fell rather than melt. Their affliction but intensified her own. - -“If they had died in battle as brave men should, we might have borne -it bravely,” she said, at last; “but to be slain by the cold, cruel, -treacherous waters in the height of joy and hope, almost within hail of -home, it is too terrible, too terrible, prior; I cannot be resigned. -And for my crushed roses—orphaned, widowed, ere they became wives—it is -too much; I cannot survive it.” - -And before that month was out the twin-sisters were left to weep out -their tears in each other’s arms, and bear the fresh blow as best -they might, with only the good prior to watch and guard them in their -orphanhood, and lead them to bow meekly to the inscrutable decrees of -heaven. - -There was William Harpur willing to do the co-heiresses suit and -service, and leave his own estate, a mile or so away, to the care of -his reeve, whilst he administered affairs at the hall, but neither the -prior nor the sisters cared for his interference, and when the old -retainers, with the seneschal at their head, came in a body at the -prior’s summons to swear fealty to the ladies Bellamont, and Idonea -accepted their homage for herself and her sweet sister, as one born to -command, he turned away to bite his nails in displeasure, and quitted -the hall before the sun went down. - -But though Idonea could order the household, and the seneschal could -keep the retainers in order, and the reeve overlook the villeins and -lands, nothing seemed to rouse the drooping Avice, or remove the more -rebellious sorrow that mutely burned on the cheeks and in the eyes of -Idonea. - -“My daughters,” said the prior, on the eve of his departure, “duty -calls me away to my own flock. The bridge I built over the Dove three -years agone, after the great hurricane, has, Friar Paul brings word, -been shaken sorely. I must needs see to its repair. The safety of -many lives depends on its stability. Yet I would fain see you more -submissive to the divine will ere I depart. Think how many sufferers -there have been by the same calamity—how many a hearth has been laid -bare, how many cry aloud for sustenance the flood has swept away. -Abandon not your hours to selfish lamentations, but go abroad, see -how the poor hinds bear their sorrows, and endeavour, by good and -charitable deeds, to win the favour of your offended Lord. Look on -the crosses that ye wear, and think of His wounds and His tears, and -remember that His blood and His tears were shed for others, not for -self.” - -Idonea’s eyes were fixed on him when he began; they drooped as low as -those of Avice ere he ended. - -“Father,” said she, “your rebuke is just. We have thought the world was -our own—in joy and in sorrow. It shall not be so henceforth. We ask -your blessing ere you go.” - -The benediction was spoken, and on the morrow he was gone. - -They, too, went forth in their mourning-weeds, and saw what sorrow -meant for the very poor and for the class above them. Tottering huts, -bare fields, where the only crop was dull red mud; mothers in rags -weeping over naked and famishing babes; churls looking hopeless on -desolation, or seeking wearily to repair a fence or clear a garden. And -wherever they went they left hope behind, as well as coin, or food, -or raiment from the hall. But some took their gifts and sympathy with -sullen thanklessness. They were little better than serfs, and were more -inclined to resent the ability to bestow than feel grateful to the -willing bestowers. - -Seneschal and reeve said they would spoil the peasantry with their -frequent alms; and even the prior when he came suggested moderation in -doles, which destroyed honest independence and fostered beggary. - -But the sisters had found ease in helping others, and ere long sought -the prior’s advice over a project to serve the people for generations -yet unborn. - -They had discovered that sorrow and calamity come to the poor as to the -rich, and they proposed to preserve others from losses and heartaches -such as theirs. - -There was a general lamentation that Swark’s Stone was gone and the -ford less readily found. - -“Sister,” said Idonea, “had there been a bridge over the Trent like -the Monks’ Bridge over the Dove, we had been happy wives, not mourning -maidens. Let us up and build one. If we cannot restore our dead, we may -preserve life for the living.” - -“Right gladly,” assented Avice. “We may so make our sorrow a joy to -thousands.” - -The prior hailed their project as a divine inspiration, hardly -conscious he had struck the keynote. They were rich. They would hear -nought of suitors. What better could they do with their wealth? - -He drew plans, he found them masons. Stone was not far to seek for -quarrying; but, to be of service, the bridge must cover broad lands as -well as common current. - -“Twenty-nine arches!” cried William Harpur. “The cost will be enormous. -It will swallow up your whole possessions! You must be mad; and the -prior is worse to sanction such a sacrifice.” - -“The sacrifice was made when the river robbed us of our dearest -treasures. We must save others a like sacrifice at any cost,” said -Avice, now as bold as her sister. - -The work began and went on steadily. Honest labour was paid for, and -churls, who had lived half on doles and housed like dogs, were paid a -penny[5] a day or a peck of meal, and took heart to work with a will. -There were always loose stones and wood about, and no one said nay when -they began to repair and improve their own dwellings. And so industry -came to Swarkstone with the building of the bridge. Heaven, too, seemed -to smile upon the undertaking, for never a disaster occurred to mar it. - -But, as Squire Harpur had prophesied, the cost was enormous. It was the -work of years. Woods were cut down to supply timber for scaffolding; -then lands were mortgaged or sold, and who but William Harpur was chief -buyer? But still the work proceeded. - -“Travellers who can cross the river dry-shod will gladly pay a small -toll for the privilege,” said the sisters, as the last of their -possessions, the old hall, passed into their cousin’s hands, and they -took refuge in a small house in a bye-way, which goes by the name of -“No Man’s-Lane” to this day. - -It was a glad day for travellers on horse or foot when Swarkstone -Bridge, of twenty-nine arches, was declared free for traffic, a bridge -which spanned the Trent and its low meads for three-quarters of a mile, -and the good Ladies Bellamont, who built it, had a right to expect -those who could thus travel safely and dry-shod at all seasons to be -grateful for the inestimable boon. - -They had no charter to exact a toll to repay the moneys they had -expended; but there was at the Swarkstone end a small chapel erected -and dedicated to St. James, in which it was fondly hoped the -users of the bridge would pause to thank God and drop their small -thank-offerings in a box set there to receive them. - -At first, when they began to build, people about called the sisters -“the twin angels;” but by the time the bridge was built it had -ceased to be a new thing. It was used as a matter of course; but the -thank-offerings grew fewer and fewer as people ceased to remember the -danger and discomfort of the passage by the ford. - -They had impoverished themselves for the security of strangers. The -offerings of gratitude would not keep life in the good sisters. They -began to spin flax for a livelihood. Avice bore her lot meekly. Not -so Idonea, into whose soul the sense of ingratitude was eating like a -canker. But Avice said gently, “If we gave our wealth to build a bridge -expecting a return, what answer can we make to our Lord when we go to -Him? Let us be content that our individual losses will be the gain of -thousands after us.” And that put an end to Idonea’s rebellion. - -At length the aged prior, who had built Monks’ Bridge between the -counties of Stafford and Derby for a people as ungrateful, stirred up -William Harpur to remember the poor kinswomen on whose lands he was -flourishing, and he offered them a home at Ticknall. - -The offer came too late to save them. The Ladies Bellamont died as -they had lived, together, and were buried with their two symbolic -crosses on their breasts. And then, thanks chiefly to the prior, who -reverenced them, a marble monument could be erected to their memories -with their sleeping effigies upon it. It was inscribed “The Builders of -the Bridge.” But the prior would fain have added, “They built unseen -another bridge over the troubled waters of life—a bridge from earth to -heaven.” - -THE END. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[4] The Derwent. - -[5] A penny a day was a good wage then. Money had a different value. - - - - -HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF MUSICAL FORMS. - -SKETCH II.—OPERA (SECULAR MUSICAL DRAMA). - -BY MYLES B. FOSTER, Organist of the Foundling Hospital. - - -Although it is stated that the ancient Greeks intoned their tragedies, -and introduced, besides, some form of melody (μέλος), the whole -question of the existence of opera at that period of artistic -prosperity, when all forms of learning were so powerfully nourished, -is a matter for speculation. Their authors certainly give us wonderful -accounts of the great effects that this music had, and state that it -formed an essential part of their drama, but beyond these records, in -all probability much exaggerated, we have no data. Opera we must assume -to be a comparatively recent invention. To the end of the sixteenth -century, composers had written all their finest work for the Church, -and had, very rightly, devoted their best efforts to the praise and -worship of the Giver of all musical ideas and beauties. - -Even that which was known as secular music, and was intended for -social occasions, was written in ecclesiastical forms, and the very -folksongs had their freshness rubbed off by contrapuntal developments -to which they were not suited, and were dragged in their new and -ill-fitting costume into the masses and motetts of the day. The Church -possessed most of the art and learning of the age, and, with that, a -corresponding power over the ignorant people. Thus music had been, -so far, choral music; all the secular forms, villanellas, glees, -madrigals, and lieder, being in from three to six parts and more. The -expressive solo form (_monodia_), whether _recitativo_ or _arioso_, was -as yet unknown. As the people attained more knowledge, and with it more -freedom, secular music gradually separated itself from the restraints -of the Church, and, as in other parallel cases, freedom at length -degenerated into licence. - -At the end of the great Renaissance period, when, after Suliman -had taken Constantinople, the great scholars there fled before the -conquering Turks into Italy and other new homes, an impetus was given -to the study of Greek literature, and a desire to repossess the Greek -drama in all its original beauty and perfection was the ambition of -many an Italian student. In Florence the poet Rinuccini, the singer -Caccini, Galilei, the father of the astronomer, and, at a rather later -date, Jacopo Peri, used to hold meetings in which they not only agreed -that the existing musical forms were inadequate for a true musical -drama, but they proceeded forthwith to compose pieces for one voice on -what they imagined to be the Greek model. - -Emilio del Cavalieri is one of the first composers known to have -tried to set music to the new form of drama. The poetess Guidiccioni -(mentioned in the sketch “Oratorio”) supplied the words. His first -efforts were “Il Satiro” and “La Disperazione di Fileno,” and they were -performed in Florence in 1590, the poems being set to music throughout. - -Peri followed with his “Daphne,” in which _aria parlante_, a kind of -recitation in strict time, first appears. It is well described by -Ritter, in his “History of Music,” as “something between well-formed -melody and speech.” It appears to have pleased the Greek revivalists -immensely, and they quite believed it to be the discovery of the lost -art. Peri composed “Euridice” in the year 1600, on the occasion of the -marriage of Henry IV. of France with Maria di Medicis, and in his work -we have a primitive version of all our operatic forms. - -Composers now occasionally used the _arioso_ style; but their Greek -beliefs prevented them from introducing a good broad melody form. -The principal numbers of “Euridice,” for example, were choruses and -declamatory recitatives. The orchestra was hidden behind the scenes, -the only purely orchestral piece being a little prelude (called -“Zinfonia”) for three flutes. - -With such material and upon so simple a basis was opera formed—an -art construction which, in its more modern garb, has played a very -important part in the history of European society. - -Of really great composers who advanced this _drama per musica_, one of -the earliest and most important was Claudio Monteverde. He imbued it -with his musicianship and originality, employing particular effects -for each scene and for each character, his object being to unite the -varying sentiment of the poem with his music. In his operas, the first -of which was “Orfeo,” new and less cramped forms of accompaniment, -giving singers greater freedom in dramatic action, followed such -reforms as a better use of rhythm and more truthful illustration of -sentiments, whilst an increased orchestral force was added to other -means of expression. - -The Italian Church writers began to compose operas, and in the -seventeenth century we find the recitation form receiving new vigour -and truthfulness of detail at the hands of, amongst others, Cavalli -(whose real name was Caletti-Bruni), Cesti, and Alessandro Scarlatti, -Carissimi’s greatest pupil. Scarlatti did much for the opera. He is -supposed to have invented the short interludes for instruments between -the vocal phrases, and he certainly introduced the first complete -form of aria, known as the “Scarlatti-form,” which, however, with -its tiresomely exact repetitions, seems to us quite artificial, and -anything but dramatic. About his time _recitativo_, as we know it, was -separated from the _aria parlante_. - -Succeeding Scarlatti, came the pupils of his Neapolitan school, amongst -whom were Durante, Buononcini, Porpora, Jomelli, and others, and with -them we reach a period during which the opera-form sadly deteriorated. - -Composers had broken away from the ecclesiastical forms—nay, more, the -chorus had become of no importance, but, instead, the new aria, which -might have taken an advantageous position as a means for occasional -soliloquy and meditation, without interference with the dramatic story, -now usurped the place of the latter altogether, and an opera meant -nothing more than a string of arias in set form, an excuse for showing -off the best voices to the greatest advantage, the most successful work -being that one which pandered most to the vanity of the singers, who -altered and embellished the melodies of their mechanical slave, the -composer. - -Dramatic significance was fast disappearing, and a reformer was sadly -needed, and that reformer appeared early in the eighteenth century -in the person of Gluck, a Bohemian, who, after studying in Italy and -writing several operas after the traditional Italian models, settled -in Vienna, and there worked out his great ideas of regeneration and -reform. - -His “Orfeo,” produced in 1762, created a great sensation, and in -Alceste (1766) we find him, to quote his own preface to it, “avoiding -the abuses which have been introduced through the mistaken vanity of -singers and the excessive complaisance of composers, and which, from -the most splendid and beautiful of all public exhibitions, has reduced -the opera to the most tiresome and ridiculous of spectacles.” - -He considered that music should second poetry, by strengthening the -expression of the sentiments and the interest of the situations, and -adds, “I have therefore carefully avoided interrupting a singer in -the warmth of dialogue, in order to wait for a tedious ritornel; or -stopping him during one of his sentences to display the agility of his -voice in a large vocal passage.” He greatly increases the importance of -the introduction or overture, making it foreshadow the nature of the -coming drama. - -Composers were either too hardened or too cowardly to at once follow -and imitate his excellent reforms, and great disputings and much -rancour ensued, Gluck being opposed by the singers and the old school -headed by Piccini. - -We will leave this _opera seria_ for a moment, restored to its high -position in art, and glance at a lighter form, the _opera buffa_, -or comic opera, which may be traced to the little _entr’actes_, or -_intermezzi_, given as a sort of relaxation between the acts of plays, -as early as the sixteenth century. At first, madrigals, or favourite -instrumental solos, were used for this purpose; later on, when -operatic forms appeared, you find scenas or duets, in which the chief -idea was to raise a laugh, very often at the expense of good taste. -Scarlatti’s pupils developed these _intermezzi_, and gave them such -artistic importance that they grew to be rivals to the grand opera, and -eventually held their own position as _opera buffa_. Pergolesi was most -successful in this style, and his “La Serva Padrona” (1746), one of the -earliest specimens, was a great favourite. The accompaniment was for -string quartett only, and there were but two _dramatis personæ_. His -fellow student, Leonardo Vinci, wrote several comic operas, and further -on, Nicolo Piccini, whom we have just left opposing Gluck in Paris, -made many advances in _opera buffa_, giving greater contrasts and more -elaborate and effective _finales_ than his forerunners. In fact, he was -stronger in this sort of composition than in _opera seria_, to which -latter we now return. - -We find at the end of the eighteenth century the brilliant and -successful works of Paisiello, a rival, at that time, of Mozart. At the -same period Sarti, Salieri, Cimarosa, Paër, Righini, and others wrote -operas. - -The spirit of revolution, which was uprooting all old traditions, good -and bad, at the end of the eighteenth century, forced even the Italian -composers to see that more was required than they had ever given, to -make opera what it should be, and they were compelled to acknowledge -that, after Gluck’s reforms and their still lasting effects, and after -Mozart’s influence and his noble examples, they must take up higher -ground if they would succeed in other than the Italian cities. - -They composed, therefore, in a more serious manner for Paris or Vienna, -and the Italian opera gained a fresh importance by the slight reforms -thus adopted, and through the successful power of Rossini it again held -sway in the principal European courts. - -Rossini made a great many melodies and much pecuniary profit, and -finding the singers ready to return to those abuses against which Gluck -had protested so strongly, rather than permit them to play tricks -with his music and embellish his melodies, he made the trills and -embroideries so fulsome himself that there was nothing left which they -could add! - -In the present century Mercadante, Bellini, and Donizetti followed -in his train; following them comes Verdi, who is still living, and -whose later works are very fine, being a happy combination of immense -dramatic insight with effective situations and great melodic charm. We -find in Boito the most decided attempt to unite Italian traditions and -the latest German development. Thus much for the land in which opera -was born. - -Opera soon spread, and travelled to the various European courts, and -became there the amusement of noble and wealthy patrons. Such prestige -did it carry with it, that to be successful in England or Germany, a -composer had to write in the Italian style. - -France, whilst building upon the Italian foundation, created an opera -in many ways differing from that form. Real French opera was first -written by Lulli at the end of the seventeenth century. He will be ever -remembered as the inventor of the overture, which replaced the small -introduction of the Italians. Another thing he did which was new: he -brought into his scheme the dance or ballet; and a third point was, -that in his operas the chorus played a most important part. - -Following Lulli, we see Rameau greatly developing all these resources. - -When Gluck migrated to Paris he found the supporters of Italian opera -backed by such essayists as Rousseau and Baron von Grimm, and named the -“Bouffonists,” opposing the “Anti-Bouffonists,” who adhered to Lulli -and Rameau. Also there were Philidor, Gretry, and others trying to -combine the new and old styles. Gluck cut down the superabundance of -melody, adapted his own reforms already referred to, gave the overture -its true connection with the poem, and, as it were, out-Rameaued -Rameau. With all his works produced in Paris he made great successes, -notwithstanding his rival Piccini’s powerful opposition. - -We will again leave Gluck elevating, for this time, the French stage -also, and glance at _opera comique_, a term used in France as early as -1712. - -I suppose that the equivalent of the Italian _intermezzo_ was the -_vaudeville_. Claude Gilliers appears to have written many about this -period. - -In the latter half of the century Dauvergne composed “Les Troqueurs,” -in imitation of the Italian _intermezzi_, and in this work the -dialogue, which in _opera buffa_ would have been sung, was spoken, -a custom still adopted in France. Duni, Philidor (a wonderful -chess-player), and Monsigny wrote many _operas comiques_. Gretry also -appeared at this time as one of the superior composers—also Gaveaux, -Gossec, and J. J. Rousseau, followed by D’Allayrac. - -To return to grand opera, the man most influenced by Gluck and his -advances was Mehul, whose “Joseph” and “Le Jeune Henri” are well known, -and who possessed undoubted talent. In the present century I may -mention Catel, Isouard, Berton, and Boildieu, the latter’s “Calife de -Bagdad” and “La Dame Blanche,” and other works having been received at -the time with enormous enthusiasm. - -Two composers, Italian by birth, Cherubini and Spontini, wrote much in -the style and under the influence of the French opera. We all know and -like Cherubini’s “Les Deux Journées,” “Medea,” and “Anacreon.” - -Spontini is spoken of as “the composer who embodied in his operas the -life and spirit of the Empire under the First Napoleon.” - -Coming into this century, we notice, as important French opera -composers, Hérold, of “Zampa” celebrity, Adolphe Adam, and Auber, who -studied under Cherubini, and composed more comic operas than anything -else, and whose work always contains light elegant melody and brilliant -orchestration. Halévy has earned a good name by such operas as “La -Juive” and “La Reine de Chypre.” - -An exceptionally great man was Hector Berlioz, who strove in new paths, -and in the face of great opposition, to base his efforts upon the study -of Gluck, Weber, and Beethoven. - -Meyerbeer, though born in Germany, wrote as much for French opera as -for any other. He seems to have been a sort of musical turncoat, and -every turn brought golden success. He became the greatest of French -opera writers; but, in addition, he wrote German opera for Germans, -Italian for Italians, and ensured by this system of “all things to all -men” the applause which he so highly coveted. - -To conclude our French list, there is a composer, whose “Faust” will -live long; I allude to Charles Gounod, who has written many other -operas containing great dramatic beauty, richness of orchestration, and -grace of melody. Following him are Bizet, whose “Carmen” has been so -popular, Massenet, and Ambroise Thomas. - -In England there is but little history to give you. - -English music and drama were first connected in a primitive way in the -early miracle-plays and mysteries performed at Chester and Coventry and -in other towns. - -Shakespeare, in his plays, gives several directions for musical -interludes, and introduces songs and choruses, more particularly in “As -You Like It,” “Twelfth Night,” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In the -first half of the seventeenth century William Lawes, and Henry, his -brother, wrote music to the masques, in which poetry, music, scenery, -and mechanical accessories were combined, producing a decided advance -in the direction of real opera; but, notwithstanding the patriotic -championship of budding English opera by these gentlemen of the Chapel -Royal, and notwithstanding the existence of the great school of -madrigal writers, they were never encouraged to attempt dramatic work, -as the nobility already demanded Italian opera and Italian composers -and singers. During the civil war, and until Charles II.’s restoration, -the theatres were closed by the Puritans, and even from 1660 they were -only opened for five years with an occasional performance of a masque -by Sir William Davenant, the then poet laureate, set to music by Locke, -in one of which, “The Siege of Rhodes,” we find the recitative style -used, and spoken of as new to England, although well known on the -Continent. - -After those five years came the Plague, and following it the Great -Fire, so that it was not until nearer the end of the century that a -fair start was made in opera, and that the powerful and masterly works -of Henry Purcell saw the light. His genius was undoubtedly superior to -that of Lulli in France or Scarlatti in Italy, and he became a power, -not in England only, but throughout Europe. Alas, that he should have -died so young! The form of opera settled by him and his followers was -similar to the French and German, in that whilst the important parts -would be sung, the subordinate dialogue was spoken, and there was no -accompanied recitative, excepting in some of Dr. Boyce’s and Dr. -Arne’s operas. Arne’s “Artaxerxes” has the dialogue, _à l’Italienne_, -set entirely in recitative form. - -But these were exceptions. Dibdin, Dr. Arnold, William Jackson (of -Exeter), Shield, Storace, Attwood, Sir Henry Bishop, and many others -adhered to the spoken dialogue. It should be quite understood that -their music, when it occurred, formed an integral portion of the whole -work, and, therefore, differed from interpolated pieces, which could be -withdrawn without breaking a sequence. - -In 1834 John Barnett produced his “Mountain Sylph,” the first important -English opera in the strictly modern style of that age, and one which -introduced the school typified by Balfe, Wallace, and Macfarren. -Italian influence was evident, and has only lately been supplanted -by the power of Germany, and, in one or two noteworthy instances, by -the graceful delicacy of the French school. But the time for English -opera is ripe; we have watched the dangers into which other schools -have fallen; we have seen their heroes extricate them from those -dangers; we have learnt what reforms are needful; the generous support -and encouragement which has assisted the Italian, French, and German -schools should now place all mercenary consideration on one side, and -extend itself freely to those native artists who, in a spirit of true -patriotism, are striving for the reputation and artistic honour of our -country. - -To Handel we owe the final settlement of Italian opera in London, for -which end he composed over forty operas, none of which are remembered, -but from whose pages the good numbers were extracted and transferred to -his oratorios! - -Comic opera, originating in Italy and developing in France, had, and -still has, some footing in England. A very successful specimen was “The -Beggar’s Opera,” performed in 1728 at Rich’s Theatre, in Lincoln’s Inn, -with a libretto by Gay. So enormous was its success, that people said, -“It made Gay rich, and Rich gay!” From this and following successes -arose the ballad opera, a form of comic opera taken up by the best -composers. “The Duenna,” music by Linley, words by Sheridan (Linley’s -son-in-law), may be quoted as an excellent specimen. Finally the wealth -of England has been able to procure and import the finest foreign works -and artists, and its riches have assisted in impoverishing what little -native art we possessed. - -For the last part of my sketch I have reserved German opera. - -Although Italian opera soon worked its way into Germany, in fact, as -early as the year 1627, when we reach the end of our story, we shall -find the Germans in possession of the most advanced form of modern -drama. - -Heinrich Schütz set the first opera to music. It was Rinuccini’s -“Daphne,” already set by Peri in Florence. - -Italian style and Italian vocalists reigned supreme until the time -of Gluck, with such exceptions as the Hamburg operas of Keiser and -Handel, which contained German characteristics, and also the attempts -on the part of Hasse, Graun, and Naumann to combine Italian and German -qualities. - -With Gluck came the great reforms in Vienna, as elsewhere, and there, -too, party feeling ran high, Gluck being warmly opposed by Hasse and -his party. In Ritter’s admirable “History of Music,” already largely -quoted from, whilst blaming the German princes for obtaining Italian -operas at extravagant cost, he asks us to remember that these same -princes “prepared the road, however unconsciously, for a Gluck, a -Haydn, and a Mozart; for all these masters’ early efforts were rooted -in the Italian school of music.” - -Germany all this time had no national opera, the Hamburg attempt -failing for want of encouragement. - -As we have previously done in dealing with the other countries, so now -we will glance at the lighter form of opera for a moment. - -The German _operette_, or _singspiel_, was brought into notice by -Johann Adam Hiller about the middle of the eighteenth century. He -produced numbers of these, full of charming original melodies, and with -spoken dialogue, as in _opera comique_. - -Amongst several writers of these light works we may number Schweitzer, -André, and Benda, who introduced the melodrama, in which dialogue is -spoken during an undercurrent of expressive and illustrative music. -There is also Johann Friedrich Reichardt, composing, at the end of the -seventeenth century, a sort of _vaudeville_ known as the “Liederspiel.” - -Contemporary with these stand Dittersdorf and Haydn, and, in Southern -Germany, Klauer, Schenk, and Müller. - -These small operas at first rather imitated the French school; but -at the time of the above composers the national life and sentiment, -in however insignificant a manner, had crept in, and the germ of a -national type existed. - -At such a critical moment came the great genius who was to develop the -elements of both serious and comic opera, and raise them to a lofty -pedestal, and that genius was Mozart. - -Whilst accepting the forms of his day, he gave to them new life and -meaning, and his illustration of each character, together with his -masterly _ensembles_ and _finales_, in which, whilst each singer -maintains his individuality, clearness is still pre-eminent, will -ever abide as marvellous examples of dramatic scholarship and musical -beauty. Besides understanding exactly what the human voice was capable -of doing, he raised the orchestral accompaniment to a very high -position. - -Whilst Gluck _attacked_ Italian opera, Mozart _moulded_ it in such -a fashion that the old stiff traditions were no longer possible in -Germany. - -At the commencement of this century, I must add to the list such names -as Winter, Hummel the pianist, Weigl, Himmel, and, last and greatest, -Beethoven, whose one opera, “Fidelio,” will endure in its pure nobility -as long as music endures. - -The romantic school of poetry now finding its way into Germany, was -soon aided by appropriate musical settings by Spohr, Marschner, and -Weber—the greatest of them all. Of his operas, “Der Freischütz” is the -finest, the most popular, and the most thoroughly German. - -Schumann wrote one opera, “Genoveva,” and Mendelssohn, ever searching -for a libretto, commenced setting Geibel’s “Loreley,” but death came -before he could finish it. - -Meyerbeer, a Berliner by birth, and sometimes German in work, we have -already noticed in connection with his French operas. - -Richard Wagner, by his theories and his great compositions, has -caused opera once more to become the field for dispute, research, and -speculative thought. - -He maintains, to put it briefly, that the real character and meaning of -opera has been all this time misunderstood. He carries into practice -what Gluck preached, viz., that music should second poetry, in order to -be in its proper place. He says, “The error of the operatic art-form -consists in the fact that music, which is really only a means of -expression, is turned into an aim; while the real aim of expression, -viz., the drama, is made a mere means.” - -It seemed to him that the chief hindrance to the free action of drama -was the concert aria, so he drops it altogether, using a melodious -recitation in lieu of it, and calls his works dramas, not operas. His -orchestra illustrates the emotions and thoughts of each character, -and the peculiar timbre of each instrument supplies the individuality -of the person represented—a practice suggested first by Monteverde; -and he further binds together the various episodes and scenes in the -story, by using short _motovos_ or phrases which shall recall to the -audience previous situations and events—a device used by Gluck, amongst -others. Wagner very happily combines in himself the poet and musician. -He rightly claims that his music should not be heard apart from its -companions of equal value—the poem, the scenery, and the action. He -has met with as much opposition as did Gluck, but the time has come -when his works receive due recognition, and an appreciation increasing -yearly in proportion to our unbiassed study of them. - -However excessive we may feel the reformer’s zeal to have been, these -masterly art-forms supply wholesome food for meditation, and numberless -suggestions for action, to every earnest and unbigoted student of this -and coming generations. - - - - -ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. - - -MISCELLANEOUS. - -JOSEPHINE.—Your symptoms point to tight-lacing—red nose, spots, bad -digestion, bad breath, etc. A fine woman with a handsome figure (say -five feet five inches in height) should measure twenty-six inches round -the waist, and in later life twenty-eight. Of course, a very small or -very thin girl would naturally measure less. You know which description -applies to yourself. The modern girl, with a waist like a tobacco-pipe, -and bulging out above and below like a bloated-looking spider, may -solace herself with the assurance that her liver is cut in half, and -that she would make an admirable specimen for a lecturer to descant -upon. We advise her to bequeath her remains to some hospital for the -benefit of science and the warning of others. - -SEAGULL.—Beechy Head is not the highest cliff on our coast-line; that -at Holyhead is higher, and measures 719 feet, while the former is -only 564 above the sealine. The Great Orme’s Head, in Wales, is 678 -feet, and Braich-y-Pwll 584 in height; but St. Catherine’s Cliff, -on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, is higher than all those -before-named, and rises to 830 feet. - -PRUDENCE PRIM.—Do you know a small illustrated book called “The Flowers -of the Field”? Perhaps that would suit you; published by the Society -for Promoting Christian Knowledge. After a certain time, letters -waiting till called for at a foreign post-office are opened and -directed back to the respective writers. Your writing is too careless; -some letters well formed, others very nondescript. - -PAT OGAL.—Send the nun’s veiling dress and white kid gloves to a -cleaner’s, and if you can make a bargain about the dress, do. For -gloves you pay 2d. a pair. - -S. L. W. W.—1. There is a little book called “Line upon Line,” and -another called “The Peep of Day,” which are very suitable for children -of such tender years. 2. You should try to spell better. The word -“instruction” is not spelt “inscurction.” - -BERTHA.—Have you never heard of a little appliance called a -needle-threader? You would find it most useful, and could procure one -at a fancy-work shop. - -JOAN R.—Try to forget yourself, and to help and be polite to everyone -else—busy for them even in the smallest attentions. You will have no -time for brooding over your nervousness when you are married, so there -is probably “a good time coming” for you. Try to prepare for it by -studying nursing, cookery, patching and darning, etc. - -AN ANXIOUS ONE will find her question many times answered if she -takes the trouble to look through our correspondence columns under -“Miscellaneous.” - -E. K.—If you cut off the worn finger ends and sew them neatly at -the seams, they would be of use in a hospital for female patients -in winter. We may suggest the New Hospital for Women, 222, -Marylebone-road, N.W., of which we have given an illustrated account. -Any contributions in half-worn clothing (or new articles) of use for -wear would be gratefully received there, books included. - -LOVER OF THE SEA.—1. The hair darkens as years roll on, and the change -begins to take place at three years old, if not before. In middle life -it is very many shades darker than in youth. 2. The Bible does not say -that “it is never too late to repent.” We are always told “to-day is -the accepted time; to-day is the day of salvation ... now, while it -is called to-day,” etc. No promise is made for to-morrow. If you put -off making your peace with God, He may not bestow on you the grace of -repentance and the desire to turn to Him. - -JERRY.—Your verses are very freely written, and give a good deal of -promise, though some little errors need correction. Part of the small -illustration with pen and ink gives hope of better things to come, -and both do you credit; but it must be a matter of consideration -whether the verses can be inserted in the G. O. P. You did not have -them certified, which is a strict rule of ours when selecting amateur -contributions. - -A COUNTRY MEMBER OF THE G. F. S.—You appear to be in a very sad state -of health, and to need change of air, good diet, and perhaps, when -suffering from an attack of neuralgia, a tonic; but the latter should -be prescribed by a doctor. - -ALBERTA ROXLEY.—1. You do not give a sufficiently explicit description -of the “Hymn to Music” for us to divine which you mean. 2. The “Wide, -Wide World” has no sequel. Why are all our girls so crazy about -sequels? There are very few written, and a good thing too; a new story -is better than an old dish warmed up. - -LITTLE PUSS should ask her mother or governess for suitable books -to read. Some on natural history would be interesting, as well as -necessary for her to study. - -ONE ANXIOUS TO KNOW.—Should a husband die intestate, but leave a wife -and a sister, half goes to the wife and the other half to his sister, -or his brother, as the case may be. If the man had had children, the -wife would only have had a third instead of half. - -WEE WILLY WANKIE.—1. It depends on the age and size of your boy -companion. The less little girls of fifteen walk in the London streets -(the squares and certain residential quarters excepted) the better, -if without a lady companion much older than themselves, or a maid. 2. -What a ridiculous question your second is! “At what age should a girl -become engaged?” There is no “should” about the matter, and there is no -special age either. Any age after twenty-one, up to seventy, provided -the right man proposed and no family duties stood in the way. All -depends on God’s good Providence. He may see fit that you should never -marry. - -SCOTCH LASSIE.—We do not see that you were rendered more liable to the -complaint you name on account of having a bad digestion. - -TOPSY TURVEY.—Yes, there are luminous plants, which give a -phosphorescent light. The root-stock of a jungle orchid becomes -luminous when wetted; wrapped in a piece of damp cloth, in an hour’s -time it becomes very bright. A certain member of the fungi family, -which, if you have a damp cellar, may be found growing on the walls, -is known to emit so much light as to enable you to read without other -means. The nasturtium, double marigold, and hairy red poppy and -potatoes, when in process of decomposition, are all phosphorescent, -more especially the latter. - -MISLETOE.—If you wished to paint portraits or landscapes, your first -step would be to learn to draw and study perspective; then the colours, -and how to produce others by blending them. So, if you have any -original thoughts, and beautiful similes occur to you by which you -could illustrate those thoughts, you should study the art of metrical -composition in all its varieties, so that corresponding lines should -always correspond and the emphasis fall on the right syllable. What you -send us is not even good prose, the mere construction is all wrong, and -there is no new idea in it; but the religious feelings expressed are -very good. - -JACK.—If such an unfeminine name be selected by a girl, we certainly -advise her to wear gloves when rowing. Perhaps thick washed-leather -ones would be the most suitable. We suppose you mean a sign denoting a -pause, only you make a straight line over a dot instead of a curved one -with the points downwards. A pause leaves the duration of the note, or -the rest over which it is placed, to the performer’s taste and musical -feeling. Were there no dot beneath the short curved line, it would be a -“bind” or “tie” connecting two notes, the first of which alone is to be -struck. - - - - -_“FEATHERY FLAKES,”_ - -OUR NEW CHRISTMAS PART, - -IS NOW PUBLISHED. - -[Illustration] - - -FEATHERY FLAKES. - - What time we for a while have bidden - Farewell to summer’s bright array, - And azure skies again are hidden - By grim December’s garb of grey; - - When the pale sun, his warmth withholding, - Too often shows a cheerless face, - And falling snow is fast enfolding - Earth’s treasure in its soft embrace; - - We give these pure white showers a rival - And namesake in our Christmas page, - Whose charm shall have less brief survival, - And banish not with winter’s rage. - - Go, Feathery Flakes! Go forth, nor tarry - At limits of our colder zone; - And may you, for the trust you carry, - Be warmly met and widely known. - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber’s note—the following changes have been made to this text. - -Page 132: swalowed to swallowed—“swallowed with perfect ease.”] - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER, VOL. VIII, NO. -361, NOVEMBER 27, 1886 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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