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diff --git a/old/50795-8.txt b/old/50795-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 66b28d7..0000000 --- a/old/50795-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2796 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 990, -December 17, 1898, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 990, December 17, 1898 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: December 30, 2015 [EBook #50795] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Pamela Patten and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER - -VOL. XX.--NO. 990.] DECEMBER 17, 1898. [PRICE ONE PENNY.] - - - - -"OUR HERO." - -BY AGNES GIBERNE, Author of "Sun, Moon and Stars," "The Girl at the -Dower House," etc. - - -[Illustration: "THE HORSES IN QUESTION WERE SOMEWHAT SORRY BEASTS."] - -_All rights reserved._] - - -CHAPTER XII. - -ORDERED TO VERDUN. - -"Mamma! Mother!" cried Roy, bursting into the sitting-room at -Fontainebleau one wintry day. "Ma'am, what do you think?" - -Roy had by this time quite recovered from his illness, though his face -still bore evidence of the same in the shape of several small red pits, -which had not yet had time to lose their prominence. His eyes sparkled -with excitement. Mrs. Baron was on the sofa, resting after a walk -with her husband, and Colonel Baron sat near, book in hand. Ivor, who -happened to be in rear of them both, made a silencing gesture, but Roy -was much too eager to attend, or to read his meaning. - -"Only think, ma'am. Do but hear! All of us are ordered off from -Fontainebleau to Verdun. Verdun! Why, that is where Mademoiselle de St. -Roques lives. We shall see her again. And I shall like that, though I -don't like going farther away from England. That is horrid. Everybody -is saying what a shame it is! Must we go, do you think, Den? Verdun is -a fortified town, they say, and we are to be in stricter keeping, all -of us prisoners." - -Roy liked to speak of himself as a prisoner, even while he chafed -furiously against the restraints of imprisonment. He could not make up -his mind to the indignity of being looked upon as too young to be worth -detention. Thirteen years old!--with a Commission in His Majesty's Army -already secured! Roy was very conscious of his prospective position. -"I am quite as old already as lots of middies," he would declare, -"and only two years younger than General Moore when he began to be a -soldier." - -"You should not startle your mother, Roy," the Colonel said gravely, -as Mrs. Baron sat up, her eyes wide and terrified. "It is necessary -sometimes to think of other people before yourself. You understand?" - -"I'm sorry, sir; but is it true?" asked Roy, too much excited to be -penitent for more than three seconds. "Are we really and truly going to -Verdun?" - -"It is true, unfortunately. Den and I were told this morning of the -order at _appel_. But you should have waited until I spoke." - -Roy began to see the nature of his blunder, too late for reticence. - -"Then we really are going! I shall like to see Mademoiselle de St. -Roques again, only I would rather, ever so much, be going home. Shall -we do it by diligence, papa, or _poste_, or will you have a carriage? -Only four of us, and they say we may do it any way we like." - -Colonel Baron made up his mind to take the bull by the horns there -and then. He would have preferred to tell his wife quietly, with no -spectators, but since Roy had hurried matters on, he felt that it was -best to speak out at once. - -"I shall probably have a carriage for your mother and Denham and -myself, Roy," he said slowly. - -"And me!" - -Colonel Baron was silent, with a silence which spoke more plainly to -his wife than to Roy. Mrs. Baron knew what it meant, while Roy merely -supposed his own name to have been inadvertently left out. - -"What does all this mean, Roy?" his mother was asking, in a low voice. -"Tell me." - -"Why, mamma, I suppose old Nap wants to have us all more out of the -way. Perhaps he thinks Nelson will come and set us free some day." Roy -laughed. "Lots of détenus and prisoners are ordered off to Verdun, from -here and other places too. And everybody says it is such a tremendous -shame, this cold weather? Why couldn't they settle things sooner? It's -horrid of him." - -Mrs. Baron stood up, and with her slow graceful step she moved across -to Roy. Colonel Baron waited silently. He knew that in her mind, as in -his, was the promise she had given months before, that if they should -have to go farther away from England, she would then consent to Roy's -immediate return home. The dread of this had been on her all through -the autumn, and now abruptly the blow had fallen. - -Mrs. Baron would not draw back from her word--Colonel Baron knew -this--but neither would she try to hide what the keeping of it would -cost her. The détenus had pretty well ceased to hope for any speedy -release from their captivity, and she could not but be aware that a -parting from her boy at this juncture might mean long separation. -If Mrs. Baron idolised her husband, she idolised her son only one -degree less. It was hard to be away from Molly, but in that respect -Colonel Baron was the greater sufferer of the two, since he had always -especially doted on his little girl. To send Roy away would be to Mrs. -Baron simply heart-breaking. Yet she felt that it would have to be. She -had promised, and Colonel Baron would not let her off her promise. - -She laid one slender hand on either of the boy's shoulders, looking -into his face with a fixed wistful gaze, while tears gathered heavily -in her eyes. Roy was puzzled. - -"Why, ma'am, you don't mind it so much as all that! I would not cry for -old Napoleon!"--forgetting a certain little past scene in an upstairs -Paris bedroom. "And I'm tired of Fontainebleau. Aren't you? I think I -sha'n't mind a new place. I wonder what Verdun is like. Please don't -cry, mamma," entreated Roy, holding himself very upright. - -"My dear Harriette!" remonstrated the Colonel. - -He came close, and she turned from Roy to lean against him, breaking -into bitter sobs. - -"My dear heart, you must think of the boy--not of ourselves. Think how -much better for him to be at school in England. But for Den, this life -would be ruination for him." For Ivor, after acting as Roy's nurse, -had made himself tutor and guardian and companion to the lad; and Roy -by this time was ready to maintain against a world in arms that his -equal for either lessons or play did not exist on earth. It had been, -indeed, Ivor's chief consolation in captivity to look after Roy, and -the two were warmly attached. - -"How soon?" Mrs. Baron tried to ask, her voice half strangled with -tears. - -"In a few days. Not directly. There is time for arrangements. We must -find an escort for him, if possible." - -"Am I to go home?" Roy inquired, as the meaning of his father's words -and his mother's distress dawned upon him. "Will Napoleon let me?" - -An exchange of glances took place between the gentlemen. - -"I hope so," Colonel Baron replied cheerfully. "You are not a détenu, -Roy, and there is no reason why any difficulty should be made. I must -apply at once for a passport." Colonel Baron's mind misgave him as he -spoke, for he had heard lately of more than one instance in which such -an application for a passport had proved a failure. Although English -ladies and boys under eighteen were not avowedly prisoners, yet every -possible hindrance was beginning to be placed in the way of the return -of anyone to England. This made him only the more desirous not to put -off any longer getting Roy across the Channel. - -Roy stood thinking. - -"And I shall see Molly again," he observed. "I shall like that. It -does seem an awful long while since I left her. Shall I go to school -at once, sir, and shall I spend my holidays in Bath till you and mamma -come back?" - -Mrs. Baron hid her face. - -"Yes, of course. I see--I ought to go," pursued Roy. "It wouldn't do -for me to stop on here. In two years I've got to be a soldier, and then -Napoleon would think he had a right to keep me altogether. That would -stop me from fighting, and I should have to give my parole, I suppose, -and to be a regular prisoner. Yes; I'd much better be off. How soon, -I wonder? And I'll take letters home. It will be jolly to see Molly -again." - -Roy was making matters worse, and Ivor stood up, throwing aside his -book. - -"Come!" he said shortly, with an imperative sign, and Roy followed, not -knowing why. Outside the house Ivor said, "You must be more careful. -You have to think of your mother's feelings." - -Roy looked up in surprise. - -"Did I say something wrong? Why, what was it?" - -"Could you not see? She is breaking her heart at the thought of losing -you. Just imagine what it will be to her, not to have her boy any -longer. Don't let her think you are pleased to go." - -"But I'm not glad to leave her--of course not. I'm only glad to go to -England, and to see Molly, and to be able to fight. I should think she -understood." - -A curious expression crossed the other's face. "You can hardly expect -her to want you to fight. That's not the way with mothers, you know. -The last thing she would wish would be for you to hold back, but still, -she will be unhappy. And, Roy, don't you see yet that a brave man has -to be kind as well as brave, especially where women are concerned? You -can't possibly know what the parting will be to her, but still, you -can manage to be kind." - -Roy showed signs of being impressed. He knew Denham to be so gallant a -soldier that words of this sort coming from him had especial weight. -Neither spoke again directly. Roy walked fast, doing his best as usual -to match Ivor's long stride, though compelled now and then to make a -droll little extra step, if he would not be left behind. His face had -taken a look of supreme seriousness. - -"Yes, of course," he said, at length. "I see. I suppose that's what we -men have to do. I mean--we have to try not to make women unhappy. I -used to set Molly off crying sometimes. I didn't mean to, but I did, -you know. She thought I meant things I didn't mean, and I used to call -that stupid. But I daresay it's only that she's a girl, and so she -can't help it. When I get back, I mean to do my very best never to say -one single word that can make her cry. Because I'm ever so much the -strongest, and I'm very nearly a man now. But Den, it won't be going -home. I suppose my home will be in Bath, won't it--like Molly?" - -"Until your father can return--yes. The London house is let for the -present." - -Roy's face fell somewhat. - -"It won't be the same thing at all, will it? And I shall miss you all -too; but I suppose I ought to go." - -The application for Roy's passport was duly made, and a formal reply -promised attention to the application. There the matter stood still. -Days passed, and the time for their start drew near. Colonel Baron -deferred their journey as long as possible, hoping that Roy's passport -might arrive in time. He took further steps meanwhile, urging upon the -officials a speedy compliance; but his efforts were fruitless. He had -found an English lady, who also was anxious to return to England, and -she had promised to take charge of Roy. But her passport, as well as -that of Roy, was not forthcoming. It became evident that obstructions -were deliberately placed in the way of their leaving France. - -Some discussion took place as to the possibility of leaving Roy behind -in Fontainebleau, for the chance of a passport being sent soon, but -this was felt to be too great a risk. Such friends as the Barons had -made were among the English détenus, and these, like themselves, were -ordered to Verdun. A good deal of kindness had been shown to English -prisoners by French residents at Fontainebleau, but there was no one -with whom the Barons could contentedly leave Roy. They slowly made up -their minds that he must go with them to Verdun. Not Colonel Baron -only, but his wife also, by this time regretted greatly not having sent -Roy home at the first, when passports had been more readily granted. - -Roy rebelled angrily. He had liked to talk of himself grandly as a -"prisoner of war," all the time feeling that he was free. It was -another matter to find himself in truth not free, but almost as much of -a prisoner in France as those who were compelled to give their parole. - -"It's too beastly disgusting," he declared to his chief confidant, -having managed in his mother's presence to restrain his regrets. "That -old beast of a Boney! I wish I could shoot him!" - -"Roy, you must be more careful; walls have ears in France. If you abuse -the First Consul, you will some day get yourself into serious trouble. -This is not a land of free speech, like England. Your father and I -could do little for you if you fell into the hands of the gendarmes. We -are prisoners ourselves." - -"But isn't it hateful? Only think--if I'm kept on here for two years I -sha'n't be able to go into the Army directly I'm sixteen." - -"We may have peace long before three years are over. No use to look -forward so long." - -"He hasn't any right to keep me. I've a right to go home." - -"I'm afraid the First Consul cares little for any man's rights, except -his own. But you must be brave and not give way. Think of your mother, -not of yourself. We are all sufferers together. And, after all, the -passport may arrive later. You could return home from Verdun, though -it would be a longer journey. It will not do for us to delay starting -any more. We have barely allowed ourselves time to reach Verdun by the -latest day specified." - -"Den, don't you want to go home?" - -Did he not want it? The handsome bronzed face, which had of late grown -thinner than its wont, looked quietly at Roy. "Sometimes I would give -my right hand to get away," he confessed. "Yes, I want it--more than -you can know, perhaps. But these things do not come of themselves. They -are allowed, for some good purpose." - -"You don't mean that God wants Napoleon to behave in such a way?" - -"No; certainly not. But it may be His will that you and I should have -this opportunity to be patient and brave. It's a great trouble for both -of us--no use to deny that. And to be brave in captivity is much harder -than to be brave in fighting. But it will come to an end in time. -Napoleon will not be allowed to go on always unchecked." - -"I suppose he is angry because he can't make England do whatever he -chooses, as he makes Germany and Prussia and Austria and all the other -countries. And so he punishes _us_." - -"That may be it. My own belief is that Britain is called upon to save -all Europe from a hopeless thraldom, and that in time we shall see her -successful. But we may have to wait a while first. Only, while we wait, -we mustn't forget that God really is over all. He sometimes lets bad -men have their way for a time, but in the end truth and justice and -freedom will conquer." - -"I don't think mamma is sorry that I'm going to Verdun," Roy said. - -"She is sorry for your sake, not for her own. That is much what I feel -about it." - -Roy looked up quickly. - -"Would you have been sorry? Would you have missed me?" - -"Much more than you can imagine. I have been wondering what I should do -with myself without my friend Roy." - -The boy flushed up. - -"Den, am I your friend truly? Do you like to have me?" He clutched the -young Guardsman's arm, with a quick gesture. "Would you be sorry if I -went?" He read a plain answer in the other's face. "Oh, then I don't -mind, then I'll be glad I haven't got a passport. I don't care, if you -like to have me. I thought I was just a bother." - -"I'm not so selfish as to wish to keep you here, and if a passport -comes I shall be glad. But you have been no bother. It is bad enough -anyhow, going to Verdun. It would be ten times worse if we were leaving -you behind. You are the one bit of cheer left to us." - -Another furtive clutch on his arm. - -"I'm glad. I'd rather be your friend than anybody's. And I promise to -work hard and to do whatever you like." Then, in the same breath, "How -soon shall we see Mademoiselle de St. Roques?" - -"I have had a letter from her. That is one little piece of good news. -I wrote to ask if she could recommend us where to go for rooms, and -she tells me that the old people with whom she lives would be glad to -let the upstairs floors. She promises that they would do their best to -make us comfortable, and suggests that we should go there on our first -arrival, to try how we like the accommodation." - -"And shall we?" - -"Your father seems willing. Even if it does not do for a permanency, -we shall have time to look out. But probably it will do very well. -Prisoners must not be over particular." - -"And are the people she lives with _noblesse_ too?" asked Roy, who had -heard a good deal about the old French _noblesse_ and their sufferings -in the Revolution, during the last few months. "Will they wait upon us? -It would be funny to have an old nobleman handing the plates at table." - -"No; I think M. and Mme. Courant are _bourgeois_. But evidently they -have been very good to Mademoiselle de St. Roques, whose parents really -did belong to the old _noblesse_. Probably they may keep a servant to -wait upon us, and we must not mind if things are rather rough." - -"I shall like to see her again. But I would rather go home to -Molly--much rather!" murmured Roy, his face falling. "Except for -staying with you and the others." - -One day later, passports being still withheld, Roy started, in company -with his parents and Denham, on the cold and dismal journey to Verdun. -The Colonel secured a large roomy old coach or chariot, which had -once belonged to some well-to-do person,--probably a nobleman, since -decapitated. With relays of horses, even though the horses in question -were somewhat sorry beasts, they made fairly quick advance. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -OUR LILY GARDEN. - -PRACTICAL AIDS TO THE CULTURE OF LILIES. - -BY CHARLES PETERS. - - -The life history of the lily is one of perpetual growth. The lily never -lies dormant.[1] In the severest frost, or in periods of great drought, -this plant is ever developing. As soon as the flower-stem has died -down, the bulb begins to form fresh roots and continues to do so until -the time comes round again for it to send up its flower spikes. _Lilium -Candidum_ throws up a winter crop of leaves during the autumn, but the -other lilies perform all their winter labours below ground. - -[Illustration: _Lilium Monadelphum._] - -Let us follow the life of the lily through the year and see how each -particular season has its special work and dangers. - -We have planted our bulbs in November. They will do nothing but form -roots till about March. During this period most bulbs will stand any -frost that we are likely to have, but those of _L. Wallichianum_, _L. -Catesbaei_, and one or two others, occasionally die during severe -frost. Though cold does not appreciably injure lily-bulbs, it is far -otherwise with wet. As we have said before, lilies love rain when the -stems are growing, but when the bulbs are making root in winter they do -not like much moisture. If the soil is perfectly well drained, we much -doubt whether any quantity of rain would cause the bulbs to rot. But in -soils where stagnant water can lie about the bulbs, the result of a wet -winter is often disastrous. - -"Our soil is a stiff clayey loam, but we wish to have lilies. What can -we do to render our ground a fit place wherein to grow them?" You can -do one of two things. Either you can provide that the lilies are well -drained by digging deeply and filling in with crocks, stones, etc., -and mixing plenty of sharp sand with the soil; or else you can follow -the Japanese plan of placing the lily bulbs on their sides. Bulbs with -large, open scales, such as those of _L. Brownii_, suffer much more -from wet than such compact bulbs as those of _L. Umbellatum_, etc. - -The second stage in the growth of lilies dates from the appearance -of the shoot till the opening of the flower-buds. We have already -described the treatment necessary at this stage. It is at this time -that you must guard against drought and slugs, and look out for -diseases. - -The opening of the flower-buds is the most anxious but also the most -exciting period in the life of the lily. When the buds have begun to -change colour a good drenching of the roots with very weak liquid -manure will materially help to develop the flowers. Do not give liquid -manure before this time, and never give more than two doses to any -plant. - -The green fly or aphis is a very exasperating foe. It does not eat -holes in the leaves, but lives upon the upper leaves and buds, usually -upon their under surface. Its presence causes the buds to develop -irregularly. The bud grows less quickly on that side where the aphides -are domiciled, and the whole bud becomes curved or twisted. When this -bud opens, it shows but an ugly, deformed flower. - -The best way to deal with aphides is to brush them off with a soft -brush. This is the only method of dealing with them that can do no -harm to the buds. Fumigation or syringing with soft-soap and water are -frequently used to destroy these pests. - -Another cause which ruins the lily flowers is canker of the buds or -blossoms. We described the cause and treatment of this calamity last -month. - -Very often a lily will produce more buds than it has strength to -develop. Some of these superfluous buds will soon show signs of -withering and should be at once removed. - -It is well to remove every deformed or injured bud as soon as possible, -for it gives the plant a better chance of developing the remainder. - -When once the flowers have opened, the plant may be left alone till -they wither. If possible, lilies should be placed in the shade whilst -they are in blossom, as the flowers will then last for a longer time. - -Usually one bud will open and then die before another is fully -developed. In this case the dead blossom--or rather the seed-vessel, -for the perianth falls of its own accord--should be cut off. - -After the lily has flowered, it will require but little attention until -the flower spike has completely died down. At this period but little -water need be given. - -The flower spike must never be cut down till it has completely withered -to the base. When this has occurred the entire stem can be easily -removed by a slight jerk. - -The life of the lily for the year is now over. What are we to do with -the bulbs? Shall we leave them as they are, or shall we transplant them? - -Lilies in the ground do best when left undisturbed for years. Some -lilies, such as Martagons and _Lilium Candidum_, never do well until -they have been established for a year or two. Other lilies, such as _L. -Longiflorum_, often dwindle in a very few years. - -If the lilies have done well, have not been diseased and have blossomed -freely, leave them as they are. If, on the other hand, the plants have -borne poor or deformed blossoms, or have become diseased, or, above -all, if they have been getting poorer year by year, take up the bulbs, -as soon as the flower stems have died down, and plant them elsewhere. - -Plant these bulbs in the same way and with the same precautions as you -do new bulbs; detach any small bulblets and plant these separately. -Never let the bulbs remain out of the ground longer than can possibly -be helped. - -Lilies in pots must be repotted every year. As soon as the stem has -died down, empty the pot, shake out the bulb, separate any offshoots -that it may have made, and replant at once. - -Very little water need be given during the winter, but the bulbs must -not be allowed to become dry. It is a great mistake to winter hardy -lilies indoors or in a greenhouse, as it renders the plants tender and -liable to disease. - -Although all lilies are perennial, that is, they come up every year, -there are some kinds, notably _Lilium Canadense_, which show great -reluctance to becoming established, and after coming up well for two -or three years, suddenly disappear altogether. This is especially the -case when the plants have been allowed to ripen their seed. Indeed, all -lilies tend to dwindle when they are allowed to go to seed. One reason -why _L. Candidum_ is so much better when grown in neglected situations -than any other lily is because it never produces seed in this country. - -There are four methods by which lilies may be propagated; by seed; by -bulblets, which are formed in the axils of the leaves of some species; -by offshoots from the parent bulb, and by detached scales. Again the -bulbs often split into two or more parts. If a single bulb has sent up -two flower spikes, the bulb will probably be found to have split into -two, the scales re-arranging themselves accordingly. If these two bulbs -are separated, each will send up flower spikes either next year or the -year after. - -Growing lilies from seed is a tedious affair and is not worth its salt -except when trying to raise hybrids or new species of great rarity. - -The seeds should be grown in seed-pans in a mixture of peat, leaf -mould, sand and moss. They take from six weeks to two years to -germinate. Under glass they germinate more quickly. They never produce -flowering bulbs till at least two years after they have been sown. -_Lilium Tenuifolium_ grows the most rapidly, and often flowers in -the third year. Other kinds take from three to ten years to form a -flowering bulb--time enough to exhaust the patience of any amateur. -The vast majority of seeds either never germinate, or, if they develop -so far, die before they have formed a bulb of sufficient size to send -up a flower spike. Not all lilies produce seeds in this country. _L. -Candidum_, _Testaceum_, _Chalcedonicum_, and others never do. Most -kinds only ripen their seeds in very propitious seasons. So much for -seeds. - -The second method of increasing lilies is by growing the small bulblets -which form in the axils of the leaves. Only _L. Bulbiferum_, _L. -Tigrinum_, and occasionally one or two others, produce these axial -bulblets. Sow the bulblets as you do the seeds. They usually germinate -very quickly, and produce flowering bulbs within two years. - -The commonest, quickest and best way to increase lilies is through -the small bulbs which grow round the base of the parent. These may be -removed when the bulbs are lifted and planted at once. They will flower -in one or two years. - -Before we leave the question of the cultivation of lilies, we will -refer to two or three constituents of the soil, the presence of which -is by some authors described as imperative, by others as injurious. - -[Illustration: - - _L. Neilghervense._ - _L. Philippense._ - _L. Nepalense._ - _L. Parryi._ - _L. Washingtonianum._ - _L. Alexandræ._ - _L. Longiflorum._ - -LILIES OF THE EULIRION GROUP.] - -Peat is absolutely necessary to _L. Superbum_, _L. Canadense_, _L. -Roezlii_, _L. Philadelphicum_, _L. Pardalinum_, _L. Parryi_, and some -others. Even those lilies to which peat is not a necessity, are yet -benefited by its presence in the soil. This is notably the case with -_L. Auratum_, _L. Speciosum_ and _L. Longiflorum_. _L. Candidum_, _L. -Testaceum_ and most of the Martagons dislike peat. To _L. Szovitzianum_ -and the other varieties of _L. Monadelphum_ peat seems to be positively -injurious. - -It has long been a moot point whether lilies should or should not have -manure administered to them. Here, as elsewhere, we will give our own -experience of the matter. Most lilies appreciate manure if it is not -too strong or moist. Manure which is likely to turn the earth sour is -fatal to lilies. The remains of a hot-bed is the best possible kind of -manure to give to lilies. Place a little of the manure below the bulb -and a little above it, but do not let it come within two inches of the -bulb. The bulbs will rot if manure is placed near them. - -Some lilies like a chalky soil, others show distinct aversion to it. -The swamp lilies and others which like peat object to lime in the soil. -_L. Candidum_ and _Monadelphum_ apparently require a considerable -quantity of lime. - -All lilies require sand. Sand should be placed round and below each -bulb and should also be mixed with the earth in which the lilies are -planted. Clean, sharp river sand is the best to use, but sea sand or -clean silver sand may be used. Sand is used for the triple purpose of -attracting moisture, preventing stagnation, and rendering the soil -permeable. - -The leaf mould most suitable for lilies is that formed from decayed oak -or beech leaves. - -Clay is prejudicial to most lilies, but in very dry, sandy soil lumps -of clay may be placed about the lily bed. _L. Auratum_ likes a small -quantity of clay in the soil. - -We have finished our remarks on the cultivation of the lily, and will -now glance into the æsthetic side of these noble flowers. - -Though every lily is beautiful in itself, it does not follow that -it will look well in the flower bed. A garden should be a sheet of -beauty, not a herbarium in which curious and beautiful flowers grow -singly, each named and numbered, and requiring a guide to point out the -various objects of interest. No! A garden must be one harmonious blaze -of beauty, and though, of course, individually beautiful objects are -necessary to produce this result, a great deal depends upon the proper -grouping of the various constituents. - -A bed of mixed lilies, in which all kinds were grown together, would -look simply ridiculous. To have _L. Giganteum_, ten feet high, next -door to _L. Rubellum_, of scarcely half as many inches, would be -absurd. You must think of the general look of your garden. You must -have pleasing contrasts of colour, and the plants arranged according to -their height or method of growth. - -One of the most beautiful sights that we have ever seen was a garden -in Middlesex in which the path leading from the gate to the house was -lined on either side with a border of very fine _L. Candidum_. The -effect of the long lines of pure white blossoms was exceedingly fine, -but unfortunately this lily is only in flower for about one month of -the year. Still no one would grumble at having to wait eleven months -if such a splendid effect could be obtained, even if it lasts but a -twelfth of the year. - -Have you ever seen a bed of _L. Monadelphum_ at the back of the -tropical palm-house at Kew? Last year it was a sight never to be -forgotten. The lilies were grown in a bed of small azaleas, the green -of whose foliage was a beautiful set-off to the gorgeous heads of -blossoms which towered three or four feet above the carpet of foliage. -There are other beds like this one planted with different sorts of -lilies, but only one species is present in each bed. In one bed _L. -Brownii_, in another _L. Croceum_, and in others again the various -varieties of _L. Auratum_ arrested the attention. All were perfect in -their way, but none of them gave us such keen delight as this bed of -_L. Monadelphum_. - -A large clump of lilies of one variety is always a pleasing sight, -and so is a solitary lily rearing up its head high above the other -occupants of the flower bed. A small hillock covered with _L. -Longiflorum_, or the side of a stream with the lofty _L. Pardalinum_ is -also very beautiful. - -When you wish to grow various kinds of lilies in the same bed, a good -deal of taste and experience is needed to produce a perfect effect. A -gradation in height from the centre to the borders is necessary. Tall -lilies planted at the edges of the bed are out of place, whilst the -dwarfer lilies are insignificant in the centre. Lilies in the ground -flower from April till November, and so a succession of these plants -can be obtained throughout the late spring, the summer and the autumn. -For artistic effects you must be careful not to place lilies of nearly -the same colour together. Never, for instance, place _L. Pomponium_ -near to the red varieties of _L. Elegans_, else the effect is harsh and -displeasing. A mixed border of _L. Candidum_ and _L. Chalcedonicum_ -produces a fine effect, especially if both plants flower at the same -time.[2] - -Another fine picture can be caused by a mixed border of _L. -Longiflorum_ with the late red varieties of _Lilium Elegans_. - -A considerable amount of taste can be shown in the proper grouping of -lilies, and the flower-grower who likes constant variety can satisfy -his desire by altering the arrangement from year to year. - -(_To be continued._) - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] That is, in the natural condition when left in the ground. If the -bulbs are taken out of the ground in August they will remain dormant -for a month or two. - -[2] _Lilium Chalcedonicum_ usually flowered about a fortnight or more -later than _L. Candidum_, but occasionally both species flower at the -same time. - - - - -ABOUT PEGGY SAVILLE. - -BY JESSIE MANSERGH (Mrs. G. de Horne Vaizey), Author of "Sisters -Three," etc. - - -CHAPTER XI. - -Esther was preparing for the Cambridge Local Examination at Christmas, -and making a special study of "The Merchant of Venice," as the play -chosen for the year. Fräulein explained the notes, and expatiated on -the Venice of the past and the manners and customs of its inhabitants, -but it was Mr. Asplin who had the brilliant idea of holding a -Shakespeare reading which should make the play live in the imagination -of the young people, as no amount of study could do. The suggestion was -made one day at dinner and was received with acclamation by everyone -present. - -"Oh, how lovely, father! It will help me ever so much!" said Esther. -"And Peggy must be Portia." - -"I'd like to be that funny little man Launcelot--what do you call -it?--only I know I couldn't do it," said Mellicent humbly. "I'll be -the servants and people who come in and give messages. But, of course, -Peggy must be Portia." - -"Peggy shall be Portia, and I'll be the Jew, and snarl at her -across the court," said Rob, with an assurance which was not at all -appreciated by his companions. - -"I've rather a fancy to try Shylock myself," Max declared. "Oswald -would make a capital Bassanio, and you could manage Antonio all right -if you tried, for he has not so much to do. Let me see: Peggy--Portia; -Esther--Nerissa; Mellicent--Jessica (she's so like a Jewess, you see!); -you and Oswald--Bassanio and Antonio; Shylock--my noble self. Father -and mother to help out with the smaller characters. There you are! A -capital cast, and everyone satisfied. I'm game to be Shylock, but I -can't do the sentimental business. You two fellows will have to take -them, and we'll divide the smaller fry among us." - -"Indeed, we will do nothing of the kind. I'm not going to take -Bassanio; I couldn't do it, and I won't try. I'll have a shot at -Shylock if you like, but I can't do anything else. The cast is all -wrong, except so far as Peggy is concerned. Of course she is Portia." - -"Proposed, seconded, and carried unanimously that Peggy is Portia!" -said Mr. Asplin, smiling across the table at that young lady, who -tried to look modest and unconcerned, but was plainly aglow with -satisfaction. "For Shylock, as the character seems so much in demand, -we had better draw lots. I will write the names on slips of paper, and -you must all agree to take what comes and make the best of it. I will -fill in the gaps, and I am sure mother will help all she can----" - -"Lemonade in the intervals, and coffee for those who prefer it, with -some of my very best company cake," said Mrs. Asplin briskly. "It will -be quite an excitement. I should rather like to be Shylock myself, and -defy Peggy and her decree; but I'll give it up to the boys, and make -myself generally useful. Why couldn't we begin to-night?" - -"Oh, Mrs. Asplin, no! It will take me days to get up my part! And -the costumes--consider the costumes!" cried Peggy anxiously. And her -hostess raised her hands in surprise. - -"The costumes! Are you going to dress up? I never thought of that!" - -"Surely that is unnecessary, Peggy! You can read the play without -changing your clothes!" echoed the Vicar; but, from the chorus of -disclaimer which greeted his words, it appeared that the young people -could do nothing of the sort. - -Max wanted to know how a fellow could possibly "talk Shylock" in a -white tie and an evening jacket. Oswald thought it equally ridiculous -to pose as an Italian lover in English clothing; and Peggy turned up -her eyes and said she could not really abandon herself to her part if -her costume were inappropriate. Even Esther, the sober-minded, sided -with the rest, so the Vicar laughed and gave way, only too pleased to -sanction anything which helped the object which he had at heart. - -"Dress up by all means, if it pleases you. It will be interesting to -see the result. But, of course, I must be absolved from any experiments -of the kind." - -"Oh, of course! And mother, too, if she likes, though I should love to -see her made-up as Shylock! You must not see or ask about our dresses -until the night arrives. They must be a secret. You will lend us all -your fineries, mother--won't you?" - -"Bless your heart, yes! But I haven't got any!" said Mrs. Asplin, in -her funny Irish way. "They were all worn out long, long ago." She gave -a little sigh for the memory of the days when she had a wardrobe full -of pretty things and a dozen shimmery silk dresses hanging on the -pegs, and then flashed a loving smile at her husband, in case he might -think that she regretted their loss. "If there is anything about the -rooms that would do, you are welcome to use them," she added, glancing -vaguely at the sideboard and dumb waiter, while the boys laughed loudly -at the idea of finding any "properties" in the shabby old dining-room. - -Peggy, however, returned thanks in the most gracious manner, and sat -wrapped in thought for the rest of the evening, gazing darkly around -from time to time, and scribbling notes on sheets of note-paper. - -Short of playing Shylock, which in the end fell to Maxwell's share, -it seemed as if all the responsibility of the performance fell on -Peggy's shoulders. She was stage manager, selecting appropriate pieces -of furniture from the different rooms and piling them together behind -the screen in the study, whence they could be produced at a moment's -notice, to give some idea of the different scenes. She coached Esther -and Mellicent in their parts, designed and superintended the making of -the costumes, and gave the finishing touches to each actor in turn when -the night of the "Dramatic Reading" arrived. - -"Taking one consideration with another," as Max remarked, "the costumes -were really masterpieces of art." - -To attire two young gentlemen as Italian cavaliers, and a third as a -bearded Jew, with no materials at hand beyond the ordinary furnishings -of a house, is a task which calls for no small amount of ingenuity, yet -this is exactly what Peggy had done. - -Antonio and Bassanio looked really uncommonly fine specimens, with -cycling knickerbockers, opera cloaks slung over their shoulders, -and flannel shirts pouched loosely over silk sashes, and ornamented -with frills of lace at wrists and neck. Darkened eyebrows gave them -a handsome appearance and distinguished air, and old straw hats and -feathers sat jauntily on their tow wigs. - -The Vicar sat in the arm-chair by the fire, Shakespeare in hand, -waiting to fill in the odd parts with his wife's help, and simultaneous -cries of astonishment and admiration greeted the appearance of the two -actors at the beginning of the first scene. - -"It's wonderful! Did I ever see such children! What in the world have -they got on their heads? Milly's old leghorn, I declare, and my pink -feathers. My old pink feathers! Deary me! I'd forgotten all about them. -I've never worn them since the year that----" - -"'In sooth, I know not why I am so sad,'" quoth the wearer of the -feathers, scowling darkly at the frivolous prattler who straightway hid -her head behind her book, and read Salanio's first speech in a tone of -meek apology. - -There was a good deal of confusion about the first scene, for four -people had to read the parts of six, and one of the number was so much -occupied with gazing at the costumes of the actors that she invariably -lost her place, and had to be called to order by significant coughs and -glances. By this time it generally happened that the Vicar had made up -his mind to come to the rescue, and both husband and wife would begin -to read at the same moment, to their own amusement, and to the disgust -of the two lads, who felt uncomfortable in their borrowed plumes, -and keenly sensitive about their precious dignity. Antonio mumbled -his last speech in undignified haste, and followed Bassanio out of -the room prepared to echo his statement that this sort of thing was -"tom-foolery," and that he wasn't going to make an idiot of himself -any longer to please Peggy Saville, or any other girl in the world. -But the words died on his lips, for outside, in the hall, stood Peggy -herself, or rather Portia, and such a Portia as made him fairly blink -with amazement! Amidst the bustle of the last few days Portia's own -costume had been kept a secret, so that the details came as a surprise -to the other members of the party. Nerissa stood by her side, clad in a -flowing costume, the component parts of which included a dressing-gown, -an antimacassar, and a flowered chintz curtain; but despite the nature -of the materials, the colouring was charming, and frizzled hair, -flushed cheeks, and sparkling eyes, transformed the sober Esther into -a very personable attendant on the lady of Belmont. There was nothing -of the dressing-gown character about Portia's own attire, however. Its -magnificence took away the breath of the beholders. The little witch -had combed her hair to the top of her head, and arranged it in a high -coil, which gave height and dignity to her figure. A string of pearls -was twisted in and out among the dark tresses; her white silk frock -was mysteriously lengthened and ornamented by two large diamond-shaped -pieces of satin encrusted with gold, one placed at the bottom of the -skirt, and the other hanging loosely from the square-cut neck of the -bodice. Long yellow silk sleeves fell over the bare arms and reached -the ground; and from the shoulders hung a train of golden-hued plush, -lined with a paler shade of yellow. Bassanio and Gratiano stood aghast, -and Portia simpered at them sweetly in the intervals between dispensing -stage directions to the boot boy, who was clad in his best suit for the -occasion, and sent to and fro to change the arrangement of the scenery. -He wheeled the sofa into the centre of the room, piled it up with blue -cushions, and retired to make way for the two ladies, who were already -edging in at the door. - -A gasp of astonishment greeted their appearance, but when Peggy dragged -her heavy train across the room, threw herself against the cushions in -an attitude calculated to show off all the splendour of her attire, -when she leant her pearl-decked head upon her hand, turned her eyes -to the ceiling, and said, with a sigh as natural and easy as if they -were her own words which she was using, and not those of the immortal -Shakespeare himself, "'By my troth, Nerissa, my little body is a-weary -of this great world!'"--then the Vicar broke into a loud "Hear! Hear!" -of delight, and Mrs. Asplin seized the poker and banged uproarious -applause upon the fender. For the first few minutes amazement and -admiration held her dumb, but as the girls moved to and fro, and the -details of their costumes became more apparent, she began to utter -spasmodic cries of recognition, somewhat trying to the composure of the -actors. - -Portia's description of her lovers was interrupted by a cry of "My -table centres! The Turkish squares I bought at the Exhibition, and have -never used! Wherever did they find them?" while a little later came -another cry, as the identity of the plush train made itself known, "My -_portière_ from the drawing-room door! My beautiful _portière_--with -the nice new lining! Oh, dear, dear! it's dragging about all over the -dirty carpet! Don't sit on it, dear! For pity's sake, don't sit on it!" - -"Mother!" cried Esther, in a deep tone of remonstrance; but Portia -was unconscious of interruption. The other actors held their books in -their hands, and, for the most part, read their speeches; but Peggy -trusted entirely to memory, and sighed and yawned over the denunciation -of her lovers, with evident satisfaction to herself as well as to the -beholders. Nerissa read her part "conscientiously," as the newspapers -would say, punctuating her sentences in exemplary fashion, and laying -the emphasis upon the right words as directed by the stage manageress, -but such is the contrariness of things that, with all her efforts, -the effect was stiff and stifled, while Peggy drawled through her -sentences, or gabbled them over at break-neck speed, used no emphasis -at all or half-a-dozen running, at her own sweet will, and was so truly -Portia that the Vicar wondered dreamily if he should have to interview -the Duke of Morocco in his study, and Mrs. Asplin sighed unconsciously, -and told herself that the child was too young to be troubled with -lovers. She must not dream of accepting any one of them for several -years to come! - -At the end of the scene, however, anxiety about her beloved _portière_ -overpowered everything else in the mind of the Vicar's wife, and she -rushed after the actors to call out eager instructions. "Hang it up -at once, there's good children. If you put it down on a chair, Peggy -will sit on it as sure as fate! And oh! My table centres! Put them back -in the drawer if you love me! Wrap them up in the tissue paper as you -found them!" - -"Mother, you are a terrible person! Go back there's a dear, and do keep -quiet!" cried a muffled voice from behind the dining-room door, as -Shylock dodged back to escape observation, and Mrs. Asplin retreated -hastily, aghast at the sight of a hairy monster in whom she failed -to recognise a trace of her beloved son and heir. Shylock's make-up -was, in truth, the triumph of the evening. The handsome lad had been -transformed into a bent, misshapen old man, and anything more ugly, -frowsy, and generally unattractive than he now appeared it would be -impossible to imagine. A cushion gave a hump to his shoulders, and over -this he wore an aged purple dressing-gown, which had once belonged -to the Vicar. The dressing-gown was an obvious refuge, but who but -Peggy Saville would have thought of the trimming which was the making -of the shaggy, unkempt look so much desired? Peggy had sat with her -hands clasped on her lap, and her head on one side, staring at the -gown when it was held out for her approval two days before, then had -suddenly risen, and rushed two steps at a time upstairs to the topmost -landing, a wide, scantily-furnished space which served for a playground -on wet afternoons. An oilcloth covered the floor, a table stood in a -corner, and before each of the six doors was an aged wool rug, maroon -as to colouring, with piebald patches here and there where the skin -of the lining showed through the scanty tufts. Peggy gave a whoop of -triumph, tucked one after the other beneath her arm, and went flying -down again, dropping a mat here and there, tripping over it, and nearly -falling from top to bottom of the stairs. Hair-breadth escapes were, -however, so much a part of her daily existence that she went on her -way unperturbed, and carried her bundle into the study where the girls -sniffed derisively, and the boys begged to know what she intended to do -with all that rubbish. - -"'They that have no invention should be hanged,'" quoted Peggy, -unperturbed. "Give me a packet of pins, and I'll soon show you what -I am going to do. Dear, dear, dear, I don't know what you would do -without me! You are singularly bereft of imagination." - -She tossed her pig-tail over her shoulder, armed herself with the -largest pins she could find, and set to work to fasten the mats down -the front of the gown, and round the hem at the bottom, so that the -wool hung in shaggy ends over the feet. The skins were thick, the heads -of the pins pressed painfully into her fingers, but she groaned and -worked away until the border was arranged for stitching, and could be -tried on to show the effect. - -"Perfectly splendid!" was the verdict of the beholders. And so the -matter of Shylock's gown was settled; but his beard still remained to -be provided, and was by no means an easy problem to solve. - -"Tow!" suggested Mellicent; but the idea was hooted by all the others. -The idea of Shylock as a blonde was too ridiculous to be tolerated. -False hair was not to be bought in a small village, and Maxwell's -youthful face boasted as yet only the faintest shadow of a moustache. - -The question was left over for consideration, and an inspiration came -the same afternoon, when Robert hurled one of the roller-like cushions -of the sofa at Oswald's head, and Oswald, in catching it, tore loose a -portion of the covering. - -"Now you've done it!" he cried. "The room will be covered with -feathers, and then you will say it was my fault! We shall have to -fasten the stupid thing up somehow or other!" He peered through the -opening as he spoke and his face changed. "It's not feathers--it's -horsehair! Here's a find! What about that wig for Shylock?" - -Esther was dubious. - -"It would take a great deal of horsehair to make a wig. It would spoil -the cushion if the horsehair were taken away; it would spoil the sofa -if the cushion were small; it would spoil the room if the sofa----" - -Peggy interrupted with a shriek of laughter. - -"Oh, oh, oh! It's like the 'House that Jack built'! How long do you -intend to go on like that? Nonsense, my dear! It would be perfectly -easy to take out what we want and put it back afterwards. I'll -promise to do it myself and sew it up tightly, though, if you desire my -opinion, I think the cushion would be improved by letting in a little -air. You might as well lean your head on a Bath brick. Max, you are a -made man! You shall have a beautiful, crinkly black wig, and a beard -to match. We will sew them to your turban, and fasten them with black -elastic. It will never show, and I'll finish off the joins after you -are dressed. You'll see!" - -"You can do as you like! I'm in your hands!" said Max easily. And when -the night of the reading arrived, and he was attired in wig and gown, -Peggy seated him in a chair and tucked a towel under his chin with an -air of business. She had a number of small accessories on a table near -at hand, and Max was first instructed to stick pieces of black plaster -over alternate teeth so that he might appear to possess only a few -isolated fangs, and then made to lie back in his chair, while she stood -over him with a glue-brush in one hand and a bunch of loose horsehair -in the other. - -"Shut your eyes!" she cried loudly. And before he could say "Jack -Robinson" a tuft of the wiry stuff covered his eyebrows. "Keep your -face still!" And, to his horror, the gum was daubed from the borders of -the beard half-way up to his eyes, and little prickly ends of hair were -held in Peggy's palm and pressed against his cheeks until they were -firmly attached. - -This, indeed, was more than he had bargained for! He jerked back his -head and began a loud-voiced protest, only to be interrupted by shrieks -of excitement. - -"Oh, oh, oh! It's beautiful--beautiful! What a fright! What a delicious -fright! No one would know you! You look an old hairy monster who would -gobble up half a dozen Christians. Do look at yourself!" - -Peggy felt the pride of an artist in the result of her efforts, and Max -was hardly less delighted than herself as he stood before the glass, -gazing at his hairy cheeks and leering horribly to admire his toothless -gums. If the result were so hideous as to astonish even those who had -watched the process of his make-up, what wonder that the effect upon -Shylock's fond parents was of a stupefying nature! - -Horror kept Mrs. Asplin silent until the middle of the scene between -Shylock and Antonio when the bond is signed, and then her agitation -could no longer be controlled, and Shylock's little speeches were -interrupted by entreaties to take that horrid stuff off his teeth, to -use plenty of hot water in washing his face, and to be sure to anoint -it plentifully with cold cream after doing so. - -An ordinary lad would have lost his temper at these interruptions; but -Max adored his mother, and could never take anything she did in a wrong -spirit. Anger being therefore impossible, the only other resource was -to laugh, which, in Peggy's opinion, was even worse than the former. -A Shylock who chuckled between his speeches, and gave a good-humoured -"Ha! ha!" just before uttering his bitterest invective, was a -ridiculous parody of the character, with whom it would be impossible to -act. It would be hard, indeed, if all her carefully-rehearsed speeches -lost their effect, and the famous trial scene were made into a farce -through these untimely interruptions! - -The second part of the play went more smoothly, however, as the -audience settled down to a more attentive hearing and the actors became -less self-conscious and embarrassed. If four out of the six were -sticks, who never for a moment approached the verge of the natural, -Portia and Shylock did nobly, and when the reading was over and the -young people gathered round the fire in the drawing-room, it was -unanimously agreed that they had acquired a more intimate knowledge of -the play by this one evening's representation than by weeks of ordinary -study. - -"I feel so much more intimate with it!" said Esther. "It seems to have -made it alive, instead of just something I have read in a book. It was -a delightful thought, father, and I am grateful to you for proposing -it. I wish I could do all my lessons in the same way." - -"I've not enjoyed myself so much for ages. You just did beautifully, -all of you, and the dresses were a sight to behold. As for Peggy, she's -a witch, and could make up costumes on a desert island if she were put -to it! But I don't know what is going to happen to my poor, dear boy's -face. Oswald, what is he doing? Isn't he coming to have some lemonade -and cake?" asked Mrs. Asplin anxiously. And Oswald chuckled in a -heartless fashion. - -"Pride must abide. He would be Shylock whether we liked it or not, so -let him take the consequences. He is fighting it out with cold cream in -the bath-room, and some of the horsehair sticks like fun. I'll go up -and tell him we have eaten all the cake. He was getting savage when I -came down, and it will sweeten his temper!" - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -The Old Year's Grief. - - -[Illustration] - - When the young year walked the woodlands or climbed the mountain side - He wooed a gentle maiden and won her for his bride. - She brought him golden sunshine & wheresoe'er he trod - She reared a starry blossom to decorate the sod. - From vale to vale they wandered; from hill to hill they went, - Still leaving in their footsteps a harvest of content. - But woe is me! when Autumn had climbed the green hill-side, - Mid wailing of the woodlands the Year's sweet consort died. - No more the soft winds dallied where bracken crowned the hill, - To waft the brown bee's murmur across some golden rill. - The throstle's song was silent. The year's sad step was slow, - And whereso'er he wandered, he wandered through the snow. - His constant song of sorrow was borne by northern gales - Across the leafless forests & through the misty vales. - He rambled by the river where often he had seen - The mirrored face of beauty--his dear departed queen. - But round the frozen sedges deep snow had drifted wide - And ice, with Death's indifference, had bound the pleasant tide. - In vain, in vain. The glory that once his vision knew - Had left, in his dominion, no trace of where it flew. - His days grow short & shorter. 'Twill soon be time to go - And the white year's badge of sorrow is the pure and frosty snow. - -[Illustration] - - _JOHN LEA_ - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -"SISTER WARWICK": A STORY OF INFLUENCE. - -BY H. MARY WILSON, Author of "In Warwick Ward," "In Monmouth Ward," -"Miss Elsie," etc. - - -CHAPTER II. - - "I had a noble purpose and the strength - To compass it; but I have stopped half-way, - And wrongly given the first-fruits of my toil - To objects little worthy of the gift." - - _Browning._ - -"Sister!" - -The urgent word pierced the thick cloak of sleep and scattered fair -dreams of the home of her childhood. - -"Sister!" - -She started into a sitting posture, and in another moment was out of -bed, for Margaret Carden was saying-- - -"Mr. H---- has just brought us a croup case, Sister, and a very bad -one, I am afraid." - -As the nurse hurried away the great hospital clock boomed out the -hour--two--and almost immediately the Sister had joined a sad little -group in front of the fire that, even during the summer, often was -lighted in the huge open grate at night. - -Nurse Carden had taken, into her arms a poor little child of three, who -was fighting and beating the air for the struggling breaths that the -tortured throat was strangling. - -It was a pitiful sight. The poor young father and mother--scarcely more -than boy and girl--stood by, the former uttering sharp clicks with his -tongue against his teeth as he watched and was tortured too in the -sufferings of "the little chap," the latter literally wringing her -hands and moaning with the agony of her mother's heart. - -They were trying every remedy without avail. There was only tracheotomy -left for them to do. But the father refused his consent. - -Cut the fair skin of his boy? No, that they shouldn't! - -He was obdurate in his ignorance. - -Mr. H---- urged the otherwise hopelessness of the case. His words were -impatient, almost angry. But still the man said, "No!" - -Sister Warwick drew him aside, and, taking a candle, led him along -the ward to the side of a little cot where a smiling, rosy child lay -sleeping sweetly. She pulled away the sheet and showed him the little -silver tube in her neck. - -"She would not have been alive without it," she said. "She was at -death's door, like your little one. It saved her life. She is going -to be bonny and strong. Let Mr. H---- do what he wants. You must; you -cannot say no now!" - -They hurried back. - -Was the poor little face changing? - -"There, do it, doctor, do it! Have your way!" - -The reluctant words were scarcely uttered before the clever strong -hands were at work. - -There was immediate relief, and for a moment they believed that the -little life, hanging trembling on such a tiny thread, was to be given -back. But suddenly the baby hands dropped, and the little head fell -back. - -Even then the skilful hands would not yield the battle. They persevered -with artificial respiration. They tried every means, until the truth -had to be faced. There was nothing more they could do. They must lay -down the poor little buffeted body and let it sleep. - -This is always a terrible moment for doctors and nurses, and it was -with a face quivering with emotion that Sister Warwick left Margaret -Carden to the sacred work of tending the little lifeless form, and, -leading the poor young mother to her room, took up the harder task of -trying to help her in the first bitterness of her grief. - -Half-stunned with what had happened, the man sat in the shadows beyond -the range of the light from the fire and lamp, and followed with his -eyes the movements of the nurse as she went to and fro. - -Let us hope that he was not realising the fact that his tardy consent -had perhaps cost the child its life. - -Mr. H---- laid a kind hand on his shoulder once, with a hearty-- - -"I am awfully sorry for you;" and he murmured something by way of -answer. Then he rose--still half-dazed--to meet his wife who was coming -out of Sister's room. - -They stood side by side, holding each other's hands--like the children -they almost were--and looked long at the sleeping baby. - -Nurse Carden had taken the buttercups and grasses from one of the vases -on the ward table, and the little fingers were folded round the stalks. - -The inexplicable peace of the presence of death stole into the hearts -of the poor young parents, and they went quietly away with bowed -heads, sharing and bearing together their first real grief. - -"Good night, Sister!" - -The house physician was going back to his quarters and to the rest that -was so often broken. - -"Good night," she added, and then, with a half smile, she added: "Don't -bring me a case like that again for a long time, please! And yesterday -was his birthday too, they tell me--poor mite!" - -The doctor's reply to this was a happy one. He said-- - -"Then we must wish him many happy returns of to-day instead!" - - * * * * * - -Sister Warwick could sleep no more that night--or early morning rather. -She tried, with a conscientious remembrance of the day's work to come. -But such episodes tore her tenderest sympathies in a way that the -nurses, who thought her hard and cold, would never have credited. - -She lay on her couch, not thinking so much in detail of the scene of -conflict she had just been through, as of the ever-recurring wonder -that such things had to be. These sudden, dashing, jangling chords -in life seemed so inexplicable; and for children to suffer so, and -for peaceful lives to have such dark passages! And then some lines of -Browning flashed into her mind, and she repeated them to herself over -and over again, till the meaning sank in and soothed her. - - "Why rush the discords in, but that harmony should be prized? - Sorrow is hard to bear, and doubt is slow to clear! - Each sufferer says his say, his end of the weal and woe; - But God has a few of us whom He whispers in the ear; - The rest may reason and welcome, 'tis we musicians know." - -The quiet of the night was broken by a sudden trampling of feet in the -hospital square. Sister Warwick guessed what it meant--an operation -in the theatre. She could hear the even tread of the porters as they -carried the stretcher and the clank as it rested on the stone floor. -Now a messenger was running round to the college and stopping beneath -the students' windows. His voice reached her ears-- - -"Operation! Operation!" - -Coming in the darkness and shrouded by night, it would all have seemed -weird and uncanny if custom had not reconciled her to the strangeness -of the sounds. As it was, the discordant noises only served--by some -connection of ideas--to turn her thoughts to another anxiety--the -special "crook in her lot" just now. She lay and tried to put the -matter clearly before her mind. - -There was no doubt that in spite of the fact that Nurse Hudson had -passed her exams and won the nurse's buckle, she was not trustworthy. -Something was probably exerting a wrong influence over her. It was -sadly evident that, as a nurse, she was deteriorating, and Sister -Warwick acknowledged bitterly that she herself had failed to arrest -that course. - -What could she do now? There were too many lives at stake to allow -to remain unnoticed these recurring acts of carelessness, and, worse -still, these signs of hardness and want of tenderness in her dealings -with the patients. - -Yet how her kind heart shrank from the strong measure of a complaint -to the matron! She had spoken a few decided, and she hoped calm and -"Sisterly" words of warning to her that very evening as she was leaving -the ward. Should she now wait and see if they took effect? Surely it -would be only fair to give her one more trial? Meanwhile she herself -could use greater diligence in overlooking the work done in the ward. - -After much thought she settled it so, and then tried to put the anxious -matter aside. Did she err in her judgment? If so, it was on the side of -mercy--the way we women would all prefer to lean. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -THREE GIRL-CHUMS, AND THEIR LIFE IN LONDON ROOMS. - -BY FLORENCE SOPHIE DAVSON. - - -CHAPTER III. - -TWO LETTERS. - -I am afraid that as this account of the doings of our three friends -unfolds itself, some of my readers may be tempted to complain that it -seems to be always meal-time at "The Rowans." Indeed, I must admit that -from their point of view the complaint is a just one, but I would beg -them to remember that my object is to give an account of the culinary -doings of the household; their meals, and how they were contrived, and -the cost thereof; and as, like the old woman in the nursery song, - - "Victuals and drink were the chief of their diet," - -the food question must perforce be continually before us. - -As a girl of fourteen I had to take the reins of government and direct -the house during my mother's long illness. It would certainly have -helped me greatly to have been able to follow the chronicles of some -young housekeeper and to have learnt how she arranged matters. But at -that time Marion and the Orlingburys were all in short frocks and had -no experiences to unfold for my benefit. - -The trials of the members of our household during the time of my rule -were doubtless very severe. The chief thing that I remember is that -my favourite sultana pudding was served about four times a week, with -sauce; on the last point I was most particular. - -I had always a great longing to go down in the kitchen and cook myself, -but my father forbade this, saying that if I worried the cook she -would probably give warning; and that, if in addition to my mother's -illness and other present ills (of which I fear my housekeeping was -one) we were left without a cook, he should not know what to do. This -was a sore disappointment, for as yet I had never been able to make -any attempt at cooking, except on one occasion, when at the age of -six I had been discovered surreptitiously frying chocolate creams -on the shovel in the dining-room, for which I was sent to bed. At a -yet earlier period, having heard somewhere that toffee was made with -butter and sugar, I put a small pat of butter and a tablespoonful of -sugar into an empty sweet-box, and, hiding it amongst my toys, waited -with anxiety for it to turn into toffee, looking in the box with keen -interest every morning and hoping for the joyful day when the sticky -mess should become a neat brown slab of finest toffee; a day, alas, -which came not, as was not strange, and the end of it was that the -nurse found the hidden treasure and promptly threw it away. - -To come back to "The Rowans," where Marion, having finished her -morning's cooking, is reading a letter in the sitting-room. The letter -is from an old playmate, now grown up and lately married, who is living -on the other side of London. - - "Tulse Hill, - "Jan. 10th. - -"MY DEAR MARION,--Do not look for any interesting news in this letter, -and make up your mind to exercise all your good nature. - -"I am writing to you for advice and consolation, for I am at my wits' -end. How I wish I were a clever housekeeper, like you, and how I envy -the Orlingburys for having secured you to live with them. I should so -like to run over for a chat, but you are such a busy woman, I do not -know when I should find you at home without disturbing you in your -work, and it would be too bad to make you talk business on your only -holiday--Saturday. Do tell me, Marion--in the strictest confidence--are -you afraid of your servant? I am of mine--horribly! Oh, dear me! When I -first married I thought I was going to do wonders; to do such a lot of -cooking, and to manage and contrive so cleverly. Let me explain a few -of my troubles. - -"To begin with, I have a cook who was recommended to me as 'a perfect -treasure,' but I do not find her any sort of a treasure, and I am happy -to say she is now leaving. She has a terribly superior manner, and -resents it very much if I go into the kitchen at all. On days when I -have attempted to do any cooking she is frigid beyond words. She is -not a good cook herself--I could put up with a great deal if she were -that--and the only things we have that are nice at all are curries and -fricassees made in the stewing jar after your fashion. I heard about -the jar about a month ago from a mutual friend--your Aunt Anne. - -"Cook makes the most abominable pastry and cannot roast at all; our -poor little joints of meat are shrivelled up and hard, so she has -really no need to give herself such airs. With regard to the roasting -I really am most perplexed, and hope you will be able to advise me. I -have by me a standard cookery book, which assures me most positively -that a joint should be put in a hot oven to make a casing to keep in -the juices, and then it is to be cooked more slowly. This, I know, has -been done, but the result is far from satisfactory, and I wonder if the -oven is too hot. - -"Only last night a beautiful little piece of loin of mutton was served -nearly black and as hard as a brick. I was so distressed for poor -Arthur's sake. It does so worry me to think of his coming home hungry -from his office to such a dinner. He was most amiable over it and only -smiled, telling me not to worry, I would soon learn. But the question -is, how long will he keep on smiling if he often has bad dinners? One -must look these matters in the face, must one not? - -"I do not want to vex him too often; in fact, I do not want to vex -him at all, but what can I do? And then his mother is coming to stay -in a week or two, and although she is kindness herself, and very fond -of me, I feel quite sure that she will feel a profound pity for her -unfortunate son if she sees a black joint on the table. - -"Her pastry--I mean cook's, of course--is so bad, that a week ago I -plucked up my courage. Venturing into the kitchen, I tried my hand at -making some. I rubbed seven ounces of dripping into a pound of flour -that had first been mixed with a teaspoonful of baking powder--that was -right, was it not? Then I mixed it with water to a dough and rolled -it out. It kept sticking to the board, and I got very nervous, for -I felt the cold, unsympathetic glance of the cook was upon me. But -I persevered and made it up into a pie and baked it; but every time -I went to the oven to take a peep--about every three minutes--the -dripping was running out as fast as it could. Surely pastry is very -wasteful. What is the use of putting it in if it only runs out again? -And to eat, it was hard beyond words! And to see cook's scornful smile -when, on the following day, she asked politely if I wished the remains -sent up to table. - -"Now, as I tell you, she is leaving shortly. I have heard of a girl who -might do. She makes good soups, cooks vegetables well, roasts and boils -fairly well, and she is very clean. I know she is a nice girl, and not -at all inclined to be refractory, if I could only make up my mind as to -the best way of starting. As I tell you, my mother-in-law is coming to -stay soon. Marion, do advise me. - - "Your perplexed friend, - "MADGE HOLDEN." - -Marion read all this very carefully and thought it over. Then she -answered Mrs. Holden's letter. - -"MY DEAR MADGE,--I shall be only too pleased if I can help you, but -you must not overrate my powers, as I think you are inclined to do. -To begin with, I have had opportunities of learning housekeeping such -as few have. You see, we all have to help at home, and mother is such -a good manager; it would be odd if I had not picked up some of her -household knowledge. You ask if I am afraid of my servant. If you -could see her, I think your own question would amuse you. She is only -fourteen, and she knew absolutely nothing when she came to us; by dint -of great exertions, I am gradually teaching her to dish up our dinners -and to wait at table. She can also turn out a room (with assistance) -and wash up, but as she has learnt this under me, it would be odd if -I felt afraid of her. If I had a real cook and housemaid like you, I -might perhaps tremble in my shoes, but really I think there is no need. -I am glad you find the stewing jar useful. If your cook cannot even -roast a small joint of meat without spoiling it, she has nothing to be -very conceited about. - -"The rule you quote from your cookery book is quite correct for large -joints, but it does not do for small ones. If you put a big joint into -a hot oven, it crisps the outside nicely, but a small joint put into -the same temperature will soon become hard right through. Put small -joints in a gentle oven and cook them slowly, basting often. Shortly -before you serve it, let the oven get hot or else finish it before the -fire, so that it may brown. Of course, the oven must not be too slow or -the meat will not cook at all. This point you will gradually learn, and -so will your new cook if she is intelligent. I am glad you allude to -her as a 'girl.' A young person is, as a rule, more teachable, although -an older person will probably know more. As Dr. Johnson remarked of -Scotchmen, 'Much may be done with them if you catch them young.' When -you engage your new cook, just say that you are in the habit of cooking -occasionally--mention it as a matter of course. Do not start by being -afraid of her. It is really most absurd. - -"With regard to the pastry. You do not seem to have made it quite -rightly, as it should not stick to the board. You made it too wet, and -your oven cannot have been hot enough if the dripping ran out. Pastry -should go into a hot oven, then the starch grains in the flour burst -and enclose the particles of dripping; but if the oven is not hot -enough, the reverse happens; that is to say, the dripping melts and -encloses the starch grains so that they cannot burst. Try again. - -"I am wondering if it would help you to see a list of our dinners for -the week; I send one in case it may be of use and also my food bill. -The quantities will seem very small to you, but you must remember -we have no 'downstairs' to consider. Our girl only comes for a few -hours each day. This makes a great difference in our expenses. In -fact, if we did not make this arrangement, I do not think we could -continue our present mode of living. Now, do not worry. If you are so -anxious to have everything nice you will succeed in time, and if your -mother-in-law is so kind and so fond of you, I am sure she will not -pity her son too much, even if your cook does make one or two failures. -Could you not get her to postpone her visit until you are a little more -settled. - -"Here is the dinner list-- - -_Sunday._ - - Stewed Steak. Mashed Potatoes. - Mince Pies. - (_Supper._) Poached Eggs on Toast; Cocoa. - -_Monday._ - - Tripe à la Normandie. - Sago Pudding. - -_Tuesday._ - - Sheep's Head. - Vegetables and Dumplings. - Baked Treacle Tart. - -_Wednesday._ - - (_High Tea._) Fish Mould. - Gingerbread. - -_Thursday._ - - Brown Soup. - Fish in Milk. - Cottage Pudding. - -_Friday._ - - Mutton Cutlets. - Boiled Potatoes. Brussels Sprouts. - Macaroni Cheese. - -_Saturday._ - - Celery Soup. - Minced Callops and Mashed Potatoes. - Cup Puddings. - -"You see, we live very simply. - -"The stewed steak was cooked the day before and warmed up; the mince -pies also. - -"The 'tripe à la Normandie' is made with a thick brown gravy; the -tripe made in rolls with pieces of ham in each and a few mushrooms to -flavour. We have half a ham in the house just at present, so it was a -good time to have the dish. The brown soup on Thursday was made of the -broth in which the sheep's head was cooked; the fish mould is made by -pounding half a pound of breadcrumbs, one ounce of butter, a beaten -egg and a gill of thick white sauce; season this well and steam in a -buttered mould. The callops are minced beef, which I buy at threepence -each callop. - -"Here is the food account-- - - £ s. d. - One pound and a half of chuck steak 0 1 3 - Two pounds of best end of neck of mutton 0 1 8 - One pound and a quarter of tripe 0 0 9½ - One sheep's head 0 0 7 - Half a pound of suet 0 0 3 - Four callops 0 1 0 - Quarter of a pound of mushrooms 0 0 3 - Flavouring vegetables 0 0 4 - One pound of sprouts 0 0 2 - Eight pounds of potatoes 0 0 6 - Plaice 0 0 6 - Fresh haddock 0 0 6 - Half a pound of macaroni 0 0 2 - One tin of cocoa 0 0 6 - Best eggs, one dozen 0 1 6 - Six cooking eggs 0 0 6 - One pound and a half of fresh butter at 1s. 4d. 0 2 0 - Milk 0 1 7 - Two pounds of demerara 0 0 3½ - One pound loaf 0 0 2 - Half a ham (three pounds and a half) 0 2 4 - Half a pound of tea 0 0 10 - Eight loaves 0 2 6 - ---------- - £1 0 2 - ---------- - -"Let me know if I can be of any further use, - - "Yours affectionately, - "MARION THOMAS." - -Three weeks later Marion received a hurriedly-written note. - -"Many, many thanks, my dear Marion, for your letter. I have been -waiting to profit by your instructions before writing to you, and now -I am so busy I can only write a few lines. The new cook is an amiable -girl, and I am getting on famously--thanks to you. Mrs. Holden is here, -and I am enjoying her visit very much. She is so kind and helpful. You -are quite right; it is ridiculous to be afraid of one's own cook, and I -now enter the kitchen with an easy mind. Also, my cooking has improved -so much, that I quite enjoy eating my own pastry, which I thought would -for ever be an impossibility. - - "Your grateful friend, - "MADGE HOLDEN." - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -ART IN THE HOUSE. - - -PART II. - -HOW TO DECORATE FURNITURE WITH STENCILLING. - -The idea of decorating your own furniture seems to be an extraordinary -thing to many readers, and yet I hope to show you that this much to be -desired consummation is quite within your reach. In the former article -I gave as an illustration a portion of a chiffonier I decorated with -stencilling, as can be seen by referring to it, which, by the way, is -reproduced from a full-size design which was actually stencilled with -the same stencils as I used on the chiffonier. Stencilling is a very -simple business indeed if you will take ordinary care. Indeed the mere -getting of an impression is a mechanical matter, as can be seen by the -way packers mark boxes with stencils of letters. The art is seen in the -way you colour the patterns and the use you make of your stencils, for -with some four or five stencil plates, as I shall hope to show later, -many combinations are possible; you can evolve new patterns as it were -by taking a portion of one and combining it with a portion of another. - -[Illustration: _Fig. 1. Stencilled border of butterflies and sprigs -with background, suggested by a spider's web. For details see Figs. 1B -and 1C._] - -[Illustration: _Fig. 1A. The right-hand half is white on black ground, -the reverse of the left-hand half. For details see Figs. 1B and 1C._] - -[Illustration: _Fig. 1B._] - -[Illustration: _Fig. 1C._] - -Some years ago, I forget how many, I described in these pages how to -cut a stencil, but I had better for the sake of the newer readers very -briefly explain the method. Good drawing paper I generally use from -which to cut my stencils. Draw out your design upon the paper, and with -a sharp penknife cut on a sheet of glass, so that the knife travels -over the smooth surface and enables you to cut a quite intricate -design with ease. Have a small oil-stone at hand to keep the knife in -condition, for you ought to be able to cut clean without pressure. - -If you refer to the designs accompanying these articles you will notice -that each form where it comes against another seems outlined in white. -This effect is caused by the "ties" as they are termed. If we consider -a moment we can realise that as our design is formed by the pieces we -cut away an intricate design must be tied together, or the whole thing -would fall to pieces. Take a simple case, the letter B. We must not -cut out the letter without adopting some plan to keep the two pieces -forming the loops in their place, so we tie them in so - -[Illustration: B] - -We put a second tie in the lower loop to strengthen it as I have done -in several cases among those designs given. Take another case, the -flower in Fig. 1C. By cutting each petal separate and the centre as a -circle we get a very effective stencil, for the "ties" give form to -the design. Take them away, and instead of a daisy we should only have -a circular open space of no interest. One of the arts of successful -stencil cutting is to make the "ties" form part of the design, and by -a little management this can be done. I don't wish to point to my own -work more than to say you can learn the method of stencil cutting by -referring to the designs I have given to illustrate the subject. - -[Illustration: 2B] - -"Ties" which are left to merely strengthen a design, and which -therefore do not help the effect, can be put in with a brush while the -colour is wet if it be thought desirable. - -[Illustration: _Peacock-feather border. The complete impression is -given at 2, and requires the plates 2A and 2B to produce it._] - -If by chance you cut through a "tie" while cutting your stencil or -break one when using it mend it with gummed paper or stamp edging. By -keeping your stencils in repair they will last you years and do any -amount of work. When the stencils are cut give them a good coat of -varnish back and front, and allow it to dry hard. This makes the paper -waterproof and greatly toughens it. "Knotting," which you can procure -at a good oil shop, does very well for this purpose, as it dries -quickly. - -[Illustration: 4 - -_Repeating stencil of fish and arrow-head, with insects and water -lines. For cutting this stencil, see Figs. 4A and 4B._] - -[Illustration: 4A - -_Detail of Fig. 4._] - -Those readers who prefer it can enlarge some of my designs and cut -them, but others may like to try and originate them for themselves, -so a word or two to them. Make your designs simple, and you mustn't -attempt foreshortening (that is, drawing in perspective), as you cannot -render such an effect in a stencil. A flat treatment is necessary, -as though the plant you take to found your design upon were pressed -between blotting-paper, like a dried specimen. You must not attempt to -be too natural. An ornamental treatment is more effective, and you want -to develop the decorative features in the plant you take, for you must -not think of drawing a flower or plant so much as making a design based -upon the particular plant. - -[Illustration: 4B - -_Detail of Fig. 4._] - -Birds, insects, fish, can all be cut as stencils if you attend to -this ornamentalising which is necessary. The two flying birds, Figs. -5 and 6, are modelled on Japanese designs, and by a little management -very excellent effects can be produced. Butterflies too can be made -into very effective stencils, and in one case I have introduced a -background suggested by a spider's web, Fig. 1. By only using the -butterfly out of one plate and the web background out of the other we -obtain a third combination as in Fig. 1A. - -In the case of the large butterfly, Fig. 1A, it will be noticed that -a pattern is stencilled on the wings, and to do this it is necessary -to have a second stencil, Fig. 1B. I give impressions of these two -stencils, Figs. 1A and 1B, so that you may see what is cut out in each -plate and how the two fit together. You cut some one or two details out -of both plates as a guide in placing them when in use, see Figs. 2, -which requires the two Plates A and B to produce it. - -[Illustration: 5 - -_Flying bird in stencil, after the Japanese._] - -[Illustration: 6 - -_Flying bird in stencil, after the Japanese._] - -In cases of stencils which repeat so that spaces of any length may be -covered, it is necessary to cut a small portion of the next impression -out of the stencil and put this in, so that when you shift the -stencil on to take the next impression, the left side of your stencil -is placed over the right-hand side of the impression first taken. In -the butterfly referred to in Fig. 1, the tip of the left wing is cut -on the right-hand side of stencil, which is a guide for placing the -stencil when we shift it for our next impression. In Fig. 4 it will be -noticed that the nose of the fish is stencilled on the right-hand side -to show you, when you shift the stencil along, exactly where to place -it. In stencils requiring two plates to produce them, you draw out the -design and then arrange in your mind the portions you will cut out of -the first plate. When you have cut them stencil them on to the piece -of paper to form the second plate, and having drawn or transferred -the rest of the design to this second piece of paper you cut out the -rest of the pattern. By stencilling the first plate on to the second -plate you see how far to cut, for it is obvious that the two plates -should fit together like a puzzle and form one design. The object of -having two plates is that you can obtain an impression in two or more -colours. Thus in the butterfly design having stencilled the insects in -the first colour you can put on the markings and web-background in much -lighter colours. If the sprig is to be put in and you want it against -the web-background, you stencil this latter in first, and when dry the -sprigs upon it. - -By cutting a design out of two plates you can get a much more elaborate -design and scheme of colour. The water in the arrow-head and fish -frieze, Fig. 4, is a case in point, for the water lines and flowers can -be in light tones of colour, while the fish and foliage are in darker -ones, and by this means relief is obtained. - -Were the water lines cut out of the same plate as the foliage, it would -be impossible to keep them in a distinct colour and the design would -look confused. The stencil too would be very weak, as the "ties" would -have to be so numerous. This is a practical disadvantage, for if a -stencil is very weak it is apt to break all up while you are using it. -By the use of the two plates, Figs. 4A and 4B, we get two fairly strong -stencils. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -THINGS IN SEASON, IN MARKET AND KITCHEN. - -JANUARY. - -BY LE MÉNAGÈRE. - - -This is one of the coldest, if not the coldest, months of the year; -the time when we most need to put on our thinking-cap in order to -provide such things as will best supply that extra consumption of fuel -that goes on in the human engine. Some starchy foods we must have and -a goodly proportion of fats and oils--more than at any other time of -the year. Now we find both these elements in grains and "pulse," peas, -beans, lentils, etc., and we can supply the necessary amount of fats -by good wholesome puddings that contain a little suet, and home-made -cakes, also in eating a fair amount of nuts. - -For breakfast every morning we might begin with a plateful of Quaker -oats, "H. O.," or any other kind; these are splendid food, and however -small the portion, everybody would be the better for having some. Some -people like sugar with their porridge, but it is a fact that sugar does -not help the digestion of oaten food--rather retards it in fact. - -Coffee is better for breakfast on winter mornings than tea, for all -who can take it: not because it is more nourishing, but because it -possesses staying qualities, and so is more satisfying. - -Eggs, bacon, fish, or a well-cooked sausage should be ready to tempt -the appetite of the older members of the family, but a little stewed -fruit and brown bread and butter would be better than these for -children. Say stewed Peras, figs, or prunes, and a cupful of milk or -coffee. - -Cheese is a good and nourishing food for cold weather, perhaps because -it contains so much of that essential oil that we need. Toasted cheese -should never be given to anyone of weak digestion, however, for it is -one of the most difficult of all things to deal with. As an experiment -in the line of "savouries," I would recommend the trial of grated -cheese with a plate of oats; it is by no means to be despised. - -A typical menu for January would be the following-- - - Chestnut Soup. - Fried Lemon Soles. - Ragout of Mutton. - Creamed Potatoes and Jerusalem Artichokes. - Roast Snipe on Toast. - Chelsea Pudding. - Cheese. Butter. Biscuits. Coffee. - -_Chestnut Soup._--Boil a pound of chestnuts until they seem tender, -peel off the shell and brown skin; return the white part to the stewpan -and cover with water, add a finely-minced onion, an ounce of butter, -pepper and salt. Let this simmer for an hour or more, then rub all -carefully through a sieve, add a pint or rather more of boiling milk -and a dessertspoonful of cornflour previously mixed smooth with cold -water, and stir this again over the fire until it boils. Serve fried -croutons with this soup. - -_Lemon Soles_ should be filleted before frying them, and they should -be dipped in beaten egg and fresh crumbs of bread and sprinkled with -seasoning. Fry them to a golden brown in boiling lard or beef dripping, -squeeze a little lemon juice over them and serve garnished with fried -parsley. - -_Ragout of Mutton._--A piece of the middle neck, or the shank half -of the shoulder, the meat taken from the bones and trimmed into neat -pieces, is the best for this. Flour each piece lightly, lay in a -stewpan with thinly-sliced onions, sliced turnip, a few sprigs of -savoury herbs and seasoning. Pour over all a teacupful of water and -cover tightly. Let this simmer in a corner of the oven for about two -hours, and then arrange the meat on a dish, add a spoonful of mushroom -ketchup to the gravy, with more water if it seems too thick, and pour -over the meat. - -Mash the potatoes and beat them up with milk till like thick cream; -pile this up in a buttered pie-dish, and put the dish into a quick -oven to brown the surface. - -Mash the artichokes also and press them into a shallow dish, sprinkling -breadcrumbs over the top and a bit of butter, and brown these also. - -_Snipe_ require a very quick hot oven for their roasting, and about -fifteen minutes is long enough to allow. Place them on a strip of crisp -toast, and some tiny frizzles of bacon with them, and sprinkle fried -crumbs over. No sauce will be needed. - -_Chelsea Pudding._--Shred and chop very finely two ounces of suet, add -to four ounces of flour into which a teaspoonful of baking powder has -been rubbed, also a pinch of salt and two ounces of castor sugar, the -grated rind of a fresh lemon or a pinch of spice, mix well, and make -into a soft dough with a beaten egg and a teacupful of milk. Grease a -shaped pudding-basin and sprinkle the inside with brown sugar, pour in -the pudding-mixture and bake until it has risen well and is of a rich -brown colour. - -The sauce for this pudding is made by placing half-a-pound pot of plum -or currant jam in a saucepan, with a few lumps of sugar and an equal -amount of water. Let this boil for a little while, then strain it -through a tamis and pour over and around the pudding when that has been -turned out. - -Suitable dishes for the dinner-table in cold weather are the following: -Beefsteak pudding, Irish stew, stewed steak, sea pie, camp pie, haricot -mutton, liver and bacon, etc.--very homely dishes, it is true, but good -and nourishing for all that. - -Avoid having large joints that would leave much cold meat on hand in -cold weather. Not many families care much about cold meat when the -thermometer is near freezing point, and twice-cooked meat is not nearly -so nourishing as fresh, however savoury it may be made. - - - - -OUR PUZZLE POEM REPORT: A PUZZLE-SOLVER. - - -SOLUTION. - -A PUZZLE-SOLVER. - - 1. There once was a maiden who tried - To find a new fall for her pride, - By attempting to solve, - Without earnest resolve, - The puzzle we monthly provide. - - 2. Ignoring the fanciful guile - With which we these efforts compile, - Her attempt was slap-dash, - And was fated to clash - With all proper notions of style. - - 3. So, finding her failure complete, - She fell at the Editor's feet-- - Metaphorically-- - And acknowledged that she - Was cured of her latest conceit. - - -PRIZE WINNERS. - -_Seven Shillings and Sixpence Each._ - - Josephine Burne, 5, Howbeck Road, Oxton, Birkenhead. - Constance Daphne, Alresford, Hants. - Dorothy Fulford, 49, Bateman Street, Cambridge. - Sophie C. Funnell, 25, Clarendon Place, Leeds. - Winifred A. Lockyear, Willow Grove, Beverley. - Miss A. A. L. Shave, 6, Craufurd Rise, Maidenhead. - Violet Shoberl, Hookwood, Edge Hill, Wimbledon. - Helen Simpson, 32, Brighton Place, Aberdeen. - - -_Five Shillings Each._ - - Miss A. Kilburn, Penkridge, Staffs. - Agnes McConnell, Ballycarry, Belfast. - Lucy Richardson, 2, Bootham Terrace, York. - S. Southall, South Bank, Worcester. - Mrs. C. E. Warren, Ashantee Villa, Norwich Road, Ipswich. - W. Fitzjames White, 9, Kinfauns Terrace, Low Fell, Gateshead. - Miss Wilkins, Westcroft, Trowbridge, Wilts. - Rev. H. Addams Williams, Llangibby Rectory, Newport, Mon. - - -_Equal with First-Prize Winners._ - -Mrs. J. Cumming, Edith E. Grundy, E. St. G. Hodson, E. Lord, M. -Theodora Moxon, A. C. Sharp, Ellen C. Tarrant. - - -_Equal with Second-Prize Winners._ - -Eliza Acworth, Lily Belling, F. M. Morgan, E. R. Oliver, Isabel Snell, -G. S. Wilkins. - - -_Most Highly Commended._ - -Ethel B. Angear, Florence M. Angear, Elsie I. Bale, Elsie Bayley, -Mabel Brownlow, M. J. Champneys, Helen M. Coulthard, Rose D. Davis, -E. H. Duncan, E. Ross Duffield, Dorothy V. Foley, A. Goakes, Mrs. W. -H. Gotch, Alice L. Hewlett, M. Hodgkinson, G. D. Honeyburne, F. W. -Hunt, Alice E. Johnson, Elizabeth A. Lord, Rev. C. T. McCready, Ethel -O. McMaster, Benjamin Marcroft, Isabella M. Maxwell, Mrs. Nichols, -Margaret G. Oliver, Gertrude Pegler, A. Pentelow, A. T. Porter, -Constance M. Reade, Annie Roberson, Winifred H. Roberts, Kate Robinson, -J. C. Scott, Lucy Shattock, James J. Slade, Gertrude Smith, Ethel -Tomlinson, Etheldreda, M. Viner, Emily Wilkinson, Henry Wilkinson. - - -_Very Highly Commended._ - -Edith K. Baxter, Elsie Benians, Rev. F. Townshend Chamberlain, Maud -Chinn, Leonard Clark, Leila Claxton, Nina E. Coote, H. Cope, Vera -F. Cremer, Mrs. Crossman, E. G. Dalton, Eva M. Edwards, William H. -Edwards, Beatrice Fitzhugh, Marjorie A. Forbes, Edith A. Freeman, -Will L. Freeman, Mabel Frewen, Ada J. Graves, Florence Graves, F. S. -A. Graves, C. B. C. Hancock, Eleanor Hearsey, Julia A. Hennen, Percy -E. Herrick, A. Hughes, W. R. Hughes, Minnie Ives, Annette E. Jackson, -Gertrude J. Jones, D. Langley, Clara E. Law, B. M. Linington, Fred -Lindley, M. Dorothy Long, Florence Lush, Winifred M. Macallister, C. -Y. MacGibbon, Nellie Meikle, Nellie Minchener, Blanche A. Moody, Mrs. -C. F. Morton, Charles Martin Morris, May Morris, Charles Nunneley, -jun., G. de Courcy Peach, L. Pentelow, Ada Mavee Pleasance, Jessie C. -Poole, Alexandrina A. Robertson, Dora O. Robinson, Elizabeth Russell, -Mary Sheriff, A. J. Selwood, Kate C. Sinclair, Clara Souter, William -Stradling, Margaret B. Strathorn, Mollie B. Taylor, Muriel Thompson, -Lilian S. Toller, Aileen M. Tyler, Katie Whitmore, Helena M. Wilson, -Alice Woodhead, Emily C. Woodward. - - -EXAMINERS' REPORT. - -Once again we have been unable to satisfy every claimant for a prize, -and in order to reduce the list to manageable limits we have been -obliged to exclude all solvers who have been enriched during the last -year. - -As for mentions, space forbids us to indulge in anything less -honourable than "very highly commended," and even that has been much -more deserved than usual. - -Concerning the special difficulties we need only refer to the -mysterious M in line 1 and to the adjective in line 6. It was rare -indeed for any solver who surmounted both those to fail elsewhere. The -first stands for "maiden" in cricket parlance, being the manner in -which a "maiden" over is recorded on the score sheet. It is not the -first time in which the device has been employed in these puzzles, and -yet it was interpreted in no less than twenty-six different ways. - -The second difficulty is not so easily disposed of, as several -adjectives equally well describe the fanciful G. But few of them are -really appropriate as qualifying "guile," and to select the right one -severely tested the solver's ability. - -For instance, "flowery" describes the G exactly but is not at all a -happy qualification of guile. We think that "fanciful" is, on the -whole, the best word for the double duty, but we have also accepted -"beautiful," "wonderful" and "exquisite." "Picturesque" would have been -good but for the necessary transference of the accent from the last to -the first syllable. - -We observe with great pleasure the much larger number of solutions -giving the form of the verse correctly. Failure in this respect in this -puzzle marks the difference between the solutions most highly and very -highly commended. - -As to punctuation, actual mistakes had to be counted, and we found two -of a glaring character in several papers, namely a comma after tried -and after clash! Let no one say in regard to such errors that they are -matters of opinion. - -Many solvers still persist in ignoring the title, and others will write -their names at the foot instead of at the head of their solutions. But -on the whole the difference in carefulness between the solutions we -now receive and those of three years ago is amazing. So much for the -educational value of Our Puzzle Poems. - - - - -QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. - - -GIRLS' EMPLOYMENTS. - - -EMIGRATION.--"_In which part of South Africa should I have the best -prospect of obtaining employment as a useful help? Owing to a delicacy -of the chest, I have been advised to seek a dry climate._"--CHRISTINE. - -Domestic servants, _pace_ the latest report from the Emigrants' -Information Office, are in less demand in South Africa than in Canada -and Australasia. At the same time active girls, who are willing to -rough it and to work hard, can usually obtain respectable situations -with good wages. South Africa, however, is a large tract of country, -and it may be of value to "Christine" if we quote some passages from -an interesting letter which we have recently received from Miss -Plunkett, who has lived for some time at Johannesburg. Miss Plunkett -writes:--"Personally I cannot advise young women to go to Johannesburg; -salaries are much lower; situations are scarce, and there are many -other reasons why they should avoid the Transvaal altogether. British -possessions are certainly to be preferred. Young women intending -to go out to South Africa ought to procure reliable facts from the -Agent-General of Cape Colony or Natal, or the United British Women's -Emigration Association, Imperial Institute, South Kensington, who can -extend information and advice on Rhodesia also." Miss Plunkett (to whom -we tender our thanks for this helpful letter) adds the information that -the Women's Residential Home, to which we referred some months ago, is -now at 91, Bree Street, Johannesburg, and has passed under the care of -Mrs. Matthews. - - -NURSING.--_I am anxious to become a trained nurse, but I could not pay -a premium. I have been engaged for four years as a children's nurse. I -am twenty-three, and have no home._--S. E. C. - -Under the circumstances "S. E. C." mentions, we think she might find it -difficult to be taken as a probationer into one of those hospitals to -which a recognised training-school is attached, while if she entered -certain others which might be eager to have her, the drawback would -be that in middle life she would be thrown out of this kind of work -because no hospital would appoint to a paid post a nurse who was not, -in the technical sense, "fully trained." - -On the other hand, there is a great demand at the present time for what -are known as "Cottage Nurses," and few women come forward to fill these -posts. A cottage nurse is one who nurses the poor of a rural district -in their own homes, sleeping and living under the cottager's roof -during the period of illness, and helping to keep the house in order -in those cases where the patient is the cottager's wife. The salary, -usually £25 to £30, is paid to the nurse by an association or a local -committee. If "S. E. C." cared to consider this suggestion further, she -must write to the Hon. Secretary of the Holt-Ockley Association, Mrs. -Hervey Lee Steere, the Cottage, Ockley, asking whether the association -would be willing to have her trained for this work. There are other -similar associations--one, for instance, is the Mid-Oxon Association, -in which the Countess of Jersey is much interested, and another has -lately been established under the best auspices in Norfolk. - - - - -ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. - - -MEDICAL. - -KATHIE, JANET, TULIP, G. P., ELLA BURNS AND FOUR OTHER -CORRESPONDENTS.--Here are nine correspondents asking the oft-asked -question--how to cure blushing and nervousness. We gave a very long -answer on this same subject a few weeks ago, but to fully discuss this -most complicated subject is quite beyond the scope of the "Answers to -Correspondents." We will soon publish an article dealing fully with the -matter. We will therefore defer answering your questions until you have -read that article. Before that paper appears read the advice that we -gave before. - -JOSEPHINE.--Yes, your nose is the seat of your trouble. You have a -chronic catarrh of the nose. The slightest aggravation of this brings -on acute catarrh or "cold in the head." Wash out your nose with the -following wash three times a day:--bicarbonate of soda, twenty grains; -glycerine of carbolic acid, five drops, water to the ounce. Use the -solution warm and wash out your nose very thoroughly. After you have -washed out your nose, spray the nose well out with a solution of -menthol in paraleine (1 in 8) with an atomiser. - -DORA RUSSELL.--In most cases of the kind bicycling does good rather -than harm. It is, however, quite impossible for us to give a definite -opinion with nothing but the scanty information contained in your -letter to go upon. We think, however, that bicycling would do your -daughter good. - -R. M.--What do you mean by "X-shaped legs"? Do you mean "knock-knees"? -Or do you mean that your legs cross each other? We cannot answer this -question without further details. If your "X-legs" are "knock-knees," a -half an hour's very gentle gymnastic exercise every day would improve -your legs and strengthen your back. Any exercise in which you indulge -must be gentle. Violent exercises only do harm. - -AN UNLUCKY GIRL.--You are indeed an unlucky girl and we deeply -sympathise with you in your misfortune. If you can go to a good skin -specialist we think that it would be worth your while to do so. The -best thing for you to do is to tell your physician that you wish to see -a specialist about any possible treatment different from what you have -already tried. We suppose that it is hardly necessary to tell you to be -sure to go to a respectable qualified specialist. There are some men -in England who call themselves "skin specialists" who are unqualified. -To fall into the hands of one of these might be your ruin. Of course -you know as well as we do that lupus is a very serious disease, and -that though in itself it is not very dangerous to life, it is very -disfiguring and most refractory to treatment. Personally we are of the -same opinion as your family doctor regarding the treatment of lupus by -Kock's tuberculin. That you derived no benefit from the X-ray exposure -is in no way surprising to us. Of course you are not getting too old to -be one of our girls. "Our girls" are of all ages from four to fourscore. - -FRECKLES.--1. Your headaches are almost certainly due to the condition -of your eyes. Probably you have got a small error of refraction. -The error would not be noticed until the eyes were tired with work. -Headache is very often due to untreated errors of the eyes. We advise -you to have your eyes seen to at once.--2. We hope to publish an -article on blushing shortly. We have already frequently discussed the -various causes of blushing and nervousness in this column. It is, -however, too complex a subject for us to deal with effectually in the -form of an "Answer." - -L. AND E.--The curious symptom which you two suffer from may be due to -anæmia or indigestion. But in all probability it is nervous in origin. -It is obviously the reverse of blushing, and blushing is usually due to -"nerves." So we suppose that your symptom is likewise due to the same -cause. - -ERONICA.--When you had anæmia, did you suffer from indigestion? The -symptoms which you describe are very likely to be due to indigestion. -They may, however, be due simply to muscular weakness. You should read -the articles on indigestion which we published in last year's volume of -THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER. Gently rubbing your side with camphor liniment -will ease the pain. - -ZERIBOS RAPRAUD.--It is a ridiculous myth that "little moustaches and -bad writing" are signs of intelligence. Where did you discover this -remark? There are people who say that they can read the character of a -person from her handwriting. We do not pretend to possess such a power, -nor do we advise you to consult anyone who says that he does possess it. - -LANCASHIRE LASS.--It is a very widespread superstition that the seventh -son of a seventh son possesses healing powers from his birth. In -Lancashire the belief in this superstition is very general. There was -a case in the paper the other day about a "doctor" of this kind. We -cannot do better than echo the words of the physician who was employed -in the case, to examine the "doctor's" mind, that "the superstition is -not held by members of our profession." - - -STUDY AND STUDIO. - -ELSPETH.--You will see your question answered in our September part. -The quotation-- - - "Ships that pass in the night, etc.," - -is from _Tales of a Wayside Inn_, by Longfellow, Third Evening, -Theologian's Second Tale, _Elizabeth_, Part IV. Many thanks for your -pleasant letter. - -MONEY SPINNER.--When you "meet a bishop in society, but do not know -him very well," you should perhaps once in the course of the interview -address him as "my lord." - -JENNIE.--1. We do not know of any French paper that would find you a -girl correspondent. You had better send us your name and address, as -our other readers have done, and no doubt some French correspondent -will observe it.--2. We can only suggest that you should ask all your -friends and acquaintances to save you any crests they may come across -in the way of correspondence. - -AMY.--Your verses, while they show devout feeling, cannot receive much -commendation from a poetical point of view. - - "As at the close of day the trials and care" - -is a halting line, "trials" being a dissyllable. We prefer your prose -sketch, which is pathetic, yet we think "Granny" was a little selfish -in preventing her son from being a sailor. With practice and study you -might possibly write stories that would be "fit to publish." One defect -in "Granny's Hero" is the mode of beginning the story--a sort of double -introduction. "We were talking of heroes (not heros) to-night," and -again, "We were sitting in the gloaming one dull winter's evening." The -first two paragraphs should be omitted. - -HAHA.--Your story is immature. You show a certain amount of intensity -and passion, but it is ill-regulated; you "strike twelve all at once," -as the saying is, by rushing immediately into violent emotions into -which you cannot carry your readers with you, because you have not -shown any cause, or prepared them for such a climax. You evidently have -a keen eye for natural beauty, but you need to curb the exuberance of -your descriptions. "Old Sol" is not a satisfactory expression. Read all -the good prose and poetry you can, and try to "form" a style. - -M. S. W.--Your verses are superior to the average of those we receive -for criticism, yet we can hardly say they are sufficiently good for you -to expect payment for them. You could offer "Donald's Away" to another -magazine, if you have not sold the copyright; but you would be obliged -to tell the editor it had already appeared elsewhere, and this would -prove a drawback. "Long ago," and the two verses you enclose, are very -creditable work, and it is possible, of course, that you might receive -remuneration for them; but it is very difficult thus to dispose of -"magazine verse," the supply being large and the competition keen. - -PURPLE HEATHER.--We are afraid we must reiterate to you the unpalatable -advice of our last answer. The verses are not bad, but it is very -unlikely that you would ever receive any payment for them. Poetry of -real merit is slow in finding acceptance in the present day. We must -advise you to turn your attention to some more practical way of making -money. There are many occupations besides teaching by which you could -earn something. - -ISOBEL.--1. Your poem, "I Long to be There," is not sufficiently -original to be worthy of publication. The chief criticism we should -offer upon it is that we have frequently read hymns expressing the -same sentiment in very similar words. This is not wonderful when the -same idea possesses many Christian hearts, but it would diminish the -value of your composition from any editor's point of view.--2. Do you -wish your poems "published" or "printed"? If you only wanted one copy, -the cost would not exceed a few shillings; but much depends on the -quality of paper, type and binding. Consult the nearest printer of good -business reputation. - -EMMA PORTLOCK.--Your verses, considering your circumstances, do you -credit. You should entitle a poem "In Memoriam," or else "Memoria," not -"Memoriam" alone, as it is not grammatically correct. Do not use "thee" -and "you" alternately in addressing the same person. - -A. B.--We can never reply "in the next number" of THE GIRL'S OWN -PAPER, as we go to press long before you receive your magazine. We are -sorry to seem generally discouraging, but "Evening" contains nothing -original, nor would it be likely to find a publisher. Poetic genius is -the dower of a very few; but there must be something "fresh" about work -that commands success. - -NANNEE.--Your poem "Speculations" is very interesting, though here and -there is a halting line, such as - - "Or not till my soul's new birth," - -where the emphasis would have to fall on "till" to make the line scan. -We can tell you, however, that the thought expressed is not commonplace. - - -MISCELLANEOUS. - -LASSIE.--We suppose you mean the "Rose of Jericho," which is a very -curious cruciferous plant which grows in the sandy deserts of Syria, -Arabia, and North Africa, and is remarkable for the hygrometric -properties of its old withered annual stems. When in flower the -branches spread rigidly, but as the seed ripens the leaves begin to -wither and drop off, the branches curl inward, and the plant becomes -coiled up so as to resemble a small ball. In this state it is loosened -from the soil and is drifted about with the sand over the arid plains. -Should rain fall, or should it be blown into the water, the branches -expand, the pods open, the seeds fall out, and it is a remarkable and -newly-discovered fact that in the short space of twenty hours the seeds -germinate and root. The plant will retain its susceptibility for years. - -VIOLET HEATHER.--We have read your very interesting letter with -pleasure. We have already given a description of _crétonne_ articles -illustrated, which will be useful to you, and we think you would find -Weldon's needlework series, published monthly at twopence each, most -suggestive and helpful. - -A. W.--To preserve your summer eggs for a scarcer time, the following -is a good recipe:--Pour 3 gallons of boiling water on 3 lbs. of -quicklime; when cold, add 1½ oz. of cream of tartar, and 1 lb. and 2 -oz. of salt. When quite cold put in the eggs, and be particular not to -move the jar when the eggs have been placed in it. - -SUSSEX TRUG.--What you have heard of Lewes having once been a seaport -is true. There was a marshy island called Hamsey in the estuary of the -river Ouse, which entered the sea at Seaford. The great storm of 1570 -changed its course permanently, and Newhaven became a port at the new -mouth of the river. At that time, Pevensey and Selsey were islands till -the silting up of beach and sand annexed them to the mainland. Selsey, -by which one island was called, meant seal island; which animals were -once natives of that coast. - -DODO.--Your steel buttons could be freed from rust by immersing them -in a strong solution of cyanide of potassium, half an ounce in a -wineglassful of water. Then clean them with a paste composed of the -same stuff mixed with castile soap, whitening and water, till of the -consistency of thick cream. Then rub well with a chamois leather. If -this prove unsuccessful, you will have to send them to a jeweller. - -YOUNG MOTHER.--We can give a few general hints so as to distinguish -between the cries of a sick infant and indicate the locality of the -pain. A child often cries because a pin has been left in the clothes. -Always employ "safety-pins," and examine the newly-made clothing for -fear of concealed needles. If suffering from pain in the stomach, the -cries will be continuous and loud, with showers of tears, and it will -draw up the legs. If the pain be in the head, it utters frequent sharp -shrieks, moaning between whiles. If it suffers from inflammation of -the chest, a short, hacking cough will help to indicate the locality -of the pain; it will shed no tears, but will give a short sharp cry -occasionally. If lacking in experience as to the care of infants, -you should have a medical opinion, if the child should appear to be -feverish as well as suffering. Teething pains must also be expected, -and the state of the gums examined. Boys cut the teeth with more -difficulty and danger than girls, as a general rule. - -NORA.--Of course it is pleasanter to the feelings of any refined person -to see as little resemblance in the animal food placed on our tables -to the living creatures we see around us. And this feeling is carried -out in the nomenclature we have adopted for meat. The generic term -"meat" is an improvement on "flesh." We owe this refinement to our -Norman ancestors, who employed the terms beef, veal, pork, mutton, and -venison, which are never employed to denote the living animals. - -J. THOMPSON.--Your question is one which often arises, and the charge -made by the Railway Company is an illegal one, although it frequently -meets with success, especially where ladies are concerned. I will -repeat your query--"A train runs from A to C; a passenger gets in at -B; can the Company charge the traveller the full fare from A to C?" If -the train is a parliamentary one stopping at B in the ordinary way, the -Company are not entitled to charge the passenger the full fare from A, -because the contract between the passenger and the Company began at B -and ended at C. The Company could, if they pleased, have prevented the -passenger from entering the train at B without a ticket, but having -tacitly waived their right by allowing him on the platform, they cannot -subsequently impose a fine on him by making him pay for the whole -journey. If, however, the train was a special express, or an excursion -train running on special terms with the passengers, they would be in -their rights by making the passenger pay for the full journey, because -the Company only contracted to take the passenger subject to certain -conditions. - - * * * * * - -Transcriber's note--the following changes have been made to this text: - -Page 187: á changed to à. - -Page 190: neccessary changed to necessary. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. -990, December 17, 1898, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER *** - -***** This file should be named 50795-8.txt or 50795-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/7/9/50795/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Pamela Patten and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -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. 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