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diff --git a/old/65406-0.txt b/old/65406-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fa1a0d1..0000000 --- a/old/65406-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2777 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 364, -December 18, 1886, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 364, December 18, 1886 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: May 22, 2021 [eBook #65406] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER, VOL. VIII, -NO. 364, DECEMBER 18, 1886 *** - - - - -[Illustration: THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER - -VOL. VIII.—NO. 364.] DECEMBER 18, 1886. [PRICE ONE PENNY.] - - - - -TINNED MEATS; THEIR VALUE TO HOUSEKEEPERS. - -BY A. G. PAYNE, Author of “Common-sense Cookery,” “Choice Dishes at -Small Cost,” “The Housekeeper’s Guide,” &c. - -[Illustration: LOBSTER CANNING IN CANADA.] - -_All rights reserved._] - - -Tinned meats and provisions may be regarded from two distinct points of -view. The majority of persons, especially in this country, look upon -them simply as a convenience to housekeepers, but the subject should -be regarded from a far higher point than one of mere convenience, for -by means of tinned provisions the whole food supply of the world is -increased, and thereby the happiness and enjoyment of mankind at large. - -By means of tinned meats the superfluities of one country help the -deficiencies of others. Owing to this useful invention, no longer are -sheep slaughtered for their wool and tallow only, and the carcasses -wasted, but the whole is utilised. It should be borne in mind that -economy in the use of food is a duty clearly pointed out to us by the -highest of all authority. The age of miracles has passed, but were it -in our power to multiply our food miraculously, we are taught that it -would still be a duty to gather up the fragments that remain, that -nothing be lost. - -At present I will confine myself to the consideration of tinned meats -in relation to their value to housekeepers, and I will illustrate my -subject by supposing the following case, which is by no means a rare -one in England in the present day. - -There are, throughout the length and breadth of the land, many hundreds -of little quiet country villages which, to a certain extent, may be -said to be isolated from civilised life. There is the village inn, -alas! generally more than one; the village shop, a few scattered houses -and outlying farms. But for all practical purposes the well-to-do -inhabitants are dependent for their supplies on the carrier’s cart, -which takes a journey into the neighbouring town, some four or five -miles distant. - -The village shop generally supplies the inhabitants with bread; -probably they will kill a pig on Thursday or Friday, and supply the -usual dish of pork for Sunday’s dinner. They also will usually be found -to deal in cheap crockery, needles and cotton, sweetstuff, candles, -pickles, etc. The only means of communication with the neighbouring -town is, as I have said, the carrier’s cart, which generally takes a -few passengers. I have lately lived in a little village myself, and -have travelled by the same hooded conveyance backwards and forwards, -never without thinking of the lazy horse associated with David -Copperfield; and, indeed, at times I have felt inclined to chalk up in -the corner, “Barkis is willin’.” The carrier usually takes his orders -the night before, starts at an early hour in the morning, and returns -in time to supply the dinner-table. Let us suppose that he has brought -with him a shoulder of mutton, and that, instead of dining late, as -is our wont, we, on this particular day, dine early. Shortly before -our usual dinner hour, we are suddenly alarmed by the astounding news, -“Oh, mamma, Mr. Smith has arrived; what are we to do?” Hospitality is -a duty, and were I cynically inclined, I would imagine Mr. Smith to be -a rich old bachelor uncle, very fond of good living, from whom we had -great expectations; but I would rather put this supposititious case. -Suppose Mr. Smith to be an old friend of our father who has seen better -days, in which he showed us many little acts of kindness. Under these -circumstances he is, of all men in the world, the very last one to whom -we should like to give the “cold shoulder.” What is to be done? - -We will suppose that our housekeeper, or whoever acts as such, has, in -anticipation of such contingencies, laid in a little stock of tinned -goods, which are safely put by in the store closet. Having welcomed -our guest, and whispered a few words to the cook and those willing -to assist her, we will calmly sit down to our table, take a sheet of -paper, and commence as follows:— - -MENU. - - Ox Tail Soup. - Salmon Mayonnaise. - Hashed Mutton and Pickled Walnuts. - Curried Rabbit. - Asparagus. - Plum Pudding. Brandy Sauce. - Jelly in glasses. - Pine Apple (whole in syrup). - -If the cook is smart, the whole dinner could be served easily within -an hour, and should one or two of the girls in the house be willing to -assist (and who would not, under such circumstances?), the dinner might -be sent to table in considerably less time. I can imagine some of my -readers glancing over the bill of fare I have just written, and saying -to themselves, “What a lot of saucepans we shall want on the fire at -the same time!” This, however, is not the case; for I would remind you -that one of the first points to learn in connection with the serving -of tinned meats is that they should be warmed up in the tin before it -is opened. We can, therefore, perform the astonishing trick of making -hot our ox-tail soup, our curried rabbit, our asparagus, and our plum -pudding in the same saucepan at the same time. - -I must, however, commence at the beginning. Our store cupboard is -supposed to contain the following provisions in tins:—Ox-tail soup, -preserved salmon, mayonnaise sauce, curried rabbit, asparagus, plum -pudding, pine apple in syrup, as well as a bottle of jelly. I may, -however, mention, with regard to the mayonnaise sauce, that should -you have a bottle of oil in the house and a couple of eggs, it would -be better to make some fresh sauce from the egg and oil direct. Our -cupboard will also contain a bottle of pickled walnuts, a bottle of -capers, a bottle of olives, and a bottle of anchovies. - -Of course we commence dinner with the soup, unless we happen to have -in the house a Brunswick sausage, in which case a few thin slices of -Brunswick sausage may be placed in a plate with a few of the anchovies, -capers, olives, and a little pat of butter, as there are many persons -who like to commence dinner with what is known as a _hors d’œuvre_, and -I do not know a better mixture than the one I have named. - -But to return to the soup. In my opinion, of all provisions sold in -tins at present, the soups are the greatest failures. - -This is very much to be regretted; but there is a good old saying, -that we must always make the best of a bad job. As a rule, the thick -soups are better than the clear, and although I have mentioned ox-tail -soup, I will later on give a list of the soups from which you may -take your choice. Fortunately, all thick soups in tins can be very -greatly improved by a very simple method. Make the thick soup hot in -the tin, take the tin out of the hot water, open it, and pour the -contents into a saucepan. Of course, if there are many persons to -dinner, it would be necessary to warm up two tins, or even more. I will -now describe the contents of the tin. The soup itself is not exactly -thick, nor is it exactly clear. The bones of the tail, instead of being -surrounded by the meat, are quite bare, and it looks as if the bone -and the meat had had a quarrel, and they had mutually agreed never -to speak to one another again, while the bone itself recalls a game -known as “knuckle-bones.” To every pint of soup in the saucepan add as -follows: a brimming dessertspoonful of brown thickening, or what French -cooks know as brown roux. This brown roux looks like light-coloured -chocolate. It keeps good for months, is very cheap, very useful, -and I will describe how to make it by-and-by. Add, also, a brimming -teaspoonful of extract of meat and half a glass of sherry. The effect -of adding the brown roux is that when the roux is crumbled into the -soup and gently stirred over the fire till it boils, it makes the soup -thicker than it was before. It also makes it darker in colour, richer -in flavour, and makes the divorce between the meat and the bone less -conspicuous. - -The extract of meat also greatly adds to its nutritious properties, -and gives additional colour. The sherry gives it flavour. Were I going -to take the soup myself, I should also add a little cayenne pepper and -lemon-juice, but we must be very cautious how we use cayenne, unless we -know the taste of our guests. - -We will next consider the salmon mayonnaise. As this is all cold, we -should naturally see to the hot things first, and we will, therefore, -suppose that the ox-tail soup, the curried rabbit, the asparagus, and -the plum pudding are all getting hot in the saucepan. First open the -tin of salmon. Turn the contents entirely out. If there is any liquid, -throw it away, and, as far as possible, absorb all the moisture of the -salmon in a dry cloth before placing it in a dish. Make the surface, -as far as possible, oval, and raised in the middle, and then pour the -sauce with a spoon gently over the top, so that it looks like a custard -pudding. If the season of the year is suitable, and we have some -lettuces in our garden, of course we should cut one or two lettuces, -and surround the salmon with the best part of the lettuce. Next to -ornament the salad. Take a bottle of capers, and with a spoon take out -about a couple of dozen, throw these into a cloth and dry them, and -place them at intervals on the sauce. Then take three or four anchovies -out of the bottle, cut them into strips, remove the bone, and place -these little strips of anchovy round the base of the light pyramid -of sauce like trellis work. A dozen olives may be placed also round -the base of the salad, the stone being removed with a knife. This is -done by taking not too sharp a knife and cutting the olive sideways, -keeping the blade of the knife always in contact with the stone of -the olive. When the stone is removed the olive assumes its original -shape, of course with a hole in the middle where the stone has been. -Now take a little piece of parsley and chop up enough, say, to cover a -shilling or a little more. Place this on the tip of a knife and shake -it gently over the mayonnaise sauce, so that the little green specks -of parsley fall naturally. Now take a bottle of cochineal, supposing -you have one—cochineal can be bought at sixpence a bottle, and keeps -good for months, or even years—and drop a few drops in a plate or -saucer; take a little piece of dry bread and make about a saltspoonful -of fine breadcrumbs. Throw these dry breadcrumbs into the saucer with -the cochineal, and shake them. This will cause the breadcrumbs to turn -red. These can be shaken over the mayonnaise like the chopped parsley, -and we shall have a very bright-looking dish. The green lettuce round -the edge, the raised surface of the salmon covered with the yellow -mayonnaise sauce in the middle, which is decorated round the base with -the anchovies and olives, and on the top the capers and the little -green and red specks, which contrast nicely with the yellow. If you -have no lettuce or salad of any kind to put round the base, you can -ornament the edge with hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters, and a sprig of -parsley between each piece. - -Our next dish is the hashed mutton and pickled walnuts. This scarcely -comes in the category of tinned meats. The mutton we had for dinner was -probably in a semi-cold and flabby state when our guest arrived. Were -I going to make the hashed mutton, I should commence by slicing up a -couple of onions, browning them in a frying-pan with a little butter, -then pouring in the remains of all the gravy that had been left from -the joint, cutting the mutton into slices, and warming them up in this -gravy, taking care it does not boil; and as the gravy would be rather -poor, as soon as the soup was got ready I should add two or three -tablespoonfuls of the soup to the hashed mutton. And let me remind you -of another very great improvement. Add, as well, a dessertspoonful -of Harvey sauce, after shaking the bottle. You can toast a piece of -bread a nice brown, as you would not have time to fry any bread, which -is better. Cut the toast into round pieces, and place them round the -hash alternately with the pickled walnuts cut in half. Do not send -the hashed mutton to table in a great, big dish, large enough to hold -a round of beef, but serve it in a deep dish—a vegetable dish, for -instance. By this means it keeps hot longer, and looks more appetising. - -Our next dish is the curried rabbit. First class curry can be obtained -in tins. Remember that tinned meats are like everything else in the -world—some are good, and some are bad. If you wish for a bottle of -really good wine, you must go to a first class wine merchant; and if -you wish your tinned provisions good, you must get them from first -class people, or see that some well-known name is on the label. -Unfortunately, this country has been flooded, from time to time, with -worthless imitations, introduced by unknown men who have no name to -lose. - -The curry, having been made hot in the tin, should be turned out in a -deep dish; and here again I would recommend a vegetable dish. Boiled -rice should be served with it in a separate dish, and the rice should -be handed before the curry. If you have any chutney in the house, the -chutney should be served with the curry, like they do on board the -P. & O. boats, which are so famed for their oriental curry cooks. -When the curry has been turned out into the dish, you might add a few -fresh bayleaves and serve them up in the curry whole, and if you feel -anxious to have the dish ornamental you can proceed as follows, and, -should your guest be an “old Indian,” he will probably appreciate the -addition:—Take some red chilis and bend each chili in the middle, so -as to make it look like one of the small claws of a lobster, and place -these red chilies round the edge of the dish in a triangular shape, -exactly as if you were placing the small claws of a lobster around a -lobster salad mayonnaise. - -The asparagus should be served as a course by itself. When the tin is -sufficiently hot, which it will be a few minutes after the water has -boiled, take it out and open it, pour off the liquid, and serve the -asparagus on a piece of toast. A little butter sauce should be handed -round with it. - -Butter sauce is best made by simply thickening, say, half a pint of -water (not milk) with a little butter and flour mixed together. When -the water is sufficiently thick, add some more butter to the hot, -thickened water till it becomes rich and oily. - -As soon as you have handed round the butter sauce with the asparagus, -take the tureen down-stairs, and let the cook put back the butter sauce -in the saucepan for a minute, and add a tablespoonful of moist sugar, a -tablespoonful of rum, and two tablespoonfuls of brandy. By this means -we avoid waste, and make the same sauce do twice. If you don’t approve -of spirits being used in the kitchen (I don’t approve of it myself), -add a little sherry, and rub a few lumps of sugar on the outside of -a lemon, and also two drops of essence of almonds. (You can, indeed, -leave out the sherry, and still have a good sauce.) - -The plum pudding will be hot through after the water has boiled for -over half an hour. Open the tin, take out the pudding, and serve with a -little sauce poured over it, and the rest in a tureen. - -The jelly should be served in glasses, for the simple reason that there -is no time to melt the jelly. Open the bottle, and rake out sufficient -jelly with a bent skewer to fill the glasses. - -The pineapple, whole, in addition to the usual stock of almonds and -raisins, figs, biscuits, &c., makes a first-class dessert. - -It is perhaps needless to add that as a rule all these dishes are not -necessary for one dinner; but I wish to show what can be done in order -to avoid giving your friends the “cold shoulder.” - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -THE SHEPHERD’S FAIRY. - -A PASTORALE. - -BY DARLEY DALE, Author of “Fair Katherine,” etc. - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE WHITE RAM. - -The secret of Fairy’s parentage died with Dame Hursey, and for the next -two or three years she lived quietly on with the Shelleys, nothing -more remarkable than the finding of some rare bird, or an occasional -tiff with Jack, the Lewes carnival on the fifth of November, and the -sheep washing and shearing every June, occurring to vary the monotony -of her happy life. She was naturally a bright, happy little creature, -not much given to thinking, and if she sometimes wondered who she was -and where she came from, she never allowed the matter to distress her; -she had the Shelleys, and they all worshipped her, and if she wanted -other friends she was always welcome at the Rectory, where she still -continued to go every day for her lessons. As to the future, it is -doubtful if she ever gave it a thought; she lived as all children do, -for the present, at least, as far as this world is concerned, though -neither she nor any one else could have been brought up by good John -Shelley without learning that life here is but a preparation for the -life to come. Ignorant as the shepherd was in many things, he was -by no means ignorant in things spiritual, and his knowledge of the -Bible, large portions of which he knew by heart, would have put many -an educated man and woman to shame. It was a favourite amusement of -Fairy’s and the boys on long Sunday winter evenings, when there was -no service at church, and after John had read the evening service to -them, as he invariably did, to start him off in some chapter and see -how long he would go on without stopping, saying it by rote. He always -carried a small Bible in his pocket, and during his long days with the -sheep, he had plenty of opportunities of studying it; and he studied it -to some purpose, for he was a fine character. Faults he may have had, -but you might have known him a long time before you discovered them. -Mrs. Shelley, who had better opportunities of judging than anyone else, -would have said he liked his own way too much; and that, for such a -wise man as he was, it was surprising how easily he allowed a little -thing like Fairy, whom he always had spoilt, to get over him; but it is -doubtful whether in her heart of hearts she considered either of these -faults. - -If he had any pride in his composition it was entirely professional, -and when one May evening, sixteen years after Fairy first was brought -to Lewes, he announced to his family that he had been elected captain -of the Lewes shearing company, his face certainly glowed with an honest -pride, for he had then obtained the highest honour which could be -conferred on a shepherd, and realised his fondest dreams of earthly -happiness. - -In those days it was the custom for shearers to form themselves into -companies, called after the district in which they lived, and to go -round to the various farms in the district in the shearing season, -which begins in the middle of June, shearing the different flocks. The -shearers in those days were generally shepherds, and each band had a -lieutenant and a captain, the former distinguished by a silver band -round his cap and a badge, the latter by a gold band and badge to -match. They were chosen according to their proficiency in shearing, and -for the good character they bore. John Shelley had been a lieutenant -for some years, but he was now elected captain, owing to the death -of the captain of the Lewes band, an old man over seventy; and with -this honour some new duties devolved upon him, for at the captain’s -house was held the shearing feast, called the White Ram. This feast -lasted throughout the shearing week, and consisted of a supper after -the day’s work was over; first, a good, substantial meal, in which -the Sussex dish of beefsteak pudding, the crust made of flour and -water, played an important part, and then ending with cakes and ale, -during the consumption of which shearing songs were sung and many -pipes were smoked till late in the long summer evening, when the men -dispersed—sometimes not before midnight—to their various homes. - -These bands are now a thing of the past, though the shearing is still -done by men who go round for the purpose, but no lambs are shorn -nowadays, so the work is very much lessened. - -“There is plenty of work for you, Polly; you’ll have to get someone in -to help you; we shall have to have the White Ram here for the future,” -said John. - -“Oh, what fun!” exclaimed Fairy; “now I shall see it all, and hear the -shearing songs. Mother, you must let me help; John says no one can make -plum heavies, not even you, mother, like me: can they, John?” - -“No, but I am thinking those little white fingers of yours are not fit -for that sort of work, my pretty one,” said John. - -“Stuff! white fingers can work as well as red ones—better, I daresay, -if the truth were known. And may I help to wait on you?” asked Fairy. - -“No, certainly not,” growled Jack; “you listen outside to the shearing -songs with me, but you are not going inside to wait on a lot of rough -men, who will, perhaps, take more beer than they ought.” - -“No, Jack; I’ll have none of that; it shall never be said that John -Shelley’s White Ram is disgraced by drunkenness. But you must come to -the feast, even if Fairy does not, for you must go round shearing this -year; it is time you began, if, as I hope, one of these days you are to -take my place of captain.” - -“There’s an honour for you, Captain Jack. Don’t you wish you may ever -get it?” laughed Fairy. - -But Jack neither laughed nor wished for the honour; hitherto he had -always managed to escape going round with the shearers, but this year -he saw he must go, since he had not the heart to throw a shadow over -his father’s innocent joy by refusing; so he said with the best grace -he could, “Very well, father, I’ll go shearing, but Fairy can’t be left -out in the cold, I shall have to stay with her during the supper.” - -“No, you need not, we will take it by turns; I can stop with Fairy -sometimes,” said Charlie, a remark by no means calculated to soothe -Jack, whose love and jealousy had grown greatly in the last few years; -but Mrs. Shelley wisely stopped the discussion by remarking that there -was plenty of time to settle the details, as the sheep-washing was not -begun yet. - -“It begins to-morrow though; Jack and I are off with half our flock at -daybreak to-morrow. Charlie, you must follow the rest for a day or two; -I must have Jack with me to-morrow,” said the shepherd. - -“And I shall come too. If mother can’t take me, I shall get the Leslies -to come. I always go to see our sheep washed every year,” said Fairy. - -Accordingly, early next morning the shepherd and his son were up at -dawn, driving their sheep to the brook in which the sheep-washing took -place. For some days previously, preparations had been made for this -washing, which lasts two or three weeks, as all the sheep for miles -round are brought to this spot. These preparations consisted of pens -made of hurdles by the side of the river for the sheep; in the stream -itself, opposite to each other, were erected two rough pulpits or deal -boxes, in which stand the sheep-washers. When Jack and his father -arrived, it was so early that no one was there, not even the washers; -but at ten o’clock, when Mrs. Shelley and Fairy went, the scene was a -most lively one. - -Hundreds of sheep were in the pens, some white and clean, their -agonies over; others still dirty, with their tortures to come. On -the neighbouring bridge stood or leant every child in the village, -thoroughly enjoying the sight. On the roadside were some stragglers of -all grades, watching the performance, one or two farmers on horseback -who had a lively interest in the washing of their flocks, and on the -banks several shepherds, among them Jack and his father, all armed with -large, toothless wooden rakes, with which they push the sheep about, -holding them under water when necessary, and steering them from pulpit -to pulpit. - -What with the laughter and screams of delight from the children, the -shouts of the shepherds, and the coughing of the sheep and jingling -of their bells, the scene is a very noisy one; but, noisy as it is, -Fairy thoroughly enjoys it, and declares she must stay till the last -of John’s red-ringed flock are finished. It is such fun to see the -poor sheep tumbled into the water and then rolled over on its back and -rubbed from head to foot in the bright, clear stream, first by one -washer in his pulpit, and then, after sundry pushes and thumps from -the toothless rakes, to be seized by the other washer and subjected to -another vigorous rubbing and scrubbing, and splashing and dashing, and -finally to be pushed off to scramble or swim as best it might out of -the river. - -Poor, patient sheep! They take their sufferings in very good part, and -submit meekly enough to the inevitable ordeal, basing a protest as -feeble as it is useless, the older and wiser ones knowing that this -washing is but a preliminary to the still more disagreeable ceremony -of shearing to be performed a fortnight hence, as soon as the wool -is dry. And Fairy, fascinated by the picturesque scene, could not be -persuaded to move when Mrs. Shelley was forced to go home to prepare -some dinner—a useless labour, Fairy declared, since there would be no -one to eat it, for Charlie had taken his with him, and John and Jack -were too busy to stop for dinner, and she herself was not hungry, and -had no intention of going home till all John’s sheep were washed. But -Mrs. Shelley had no idea of leaving a pretty young girl like Fairy -alone among a crowd of people, so she proposed they should both go home -and fetch some dinner and share it out in the field with John and Jack, -a proposal Fairy jumped at; and an hour later the four were sitting on -a bank under a hedge of blackthorn, with a carpet of buttercups and -daisies at their feet, eating their simple meal as happy as it was -possible for four people to be. - -And then, while the shepherd smoked his pipe, Jack gave Fairy a lesson -in the notes of the different birds which were singing around them, and -Mrs. Shelley listened with pride to her eldest and darling son, and -wondered whether Fairy would ever care for him in the way he evidently -cared for her, and thought what a handsome couple they would make. - -“Oh, Jack, how clever you are; you know everything; but there, I do -know one thing—I am right this time at least—there is a skylark singing -up over our heads. Look,” cried Fairy, who had been making various -wrong guesses at the names of the different songsters around them. - -“Poor little Fairy! you are wrong again; it is a woodlark; the skylark -mounts up straight in a succession of springs, and then hovers, -singing; the woodlark flies round and round in circles, singing all the -while, as this bird is doing,” said Jack. - -“Oh, I give it up; I know nothing; but as long as I have you to tell -me, what does it matter? I shall go and look for a wheatear’s nest in -that fence,” said Fairy, rising and shaking back her long golden hair, -which she still wore down her back, and which added greatly to her -childish appearance. - -“My pretty one, wheatears don’t build in fences,” cried John Shelley, -as she ran lightly past him. - -“She is doing it on purpose; she knows as well as you and I wheatears -build in rabbit-holes or chalk-pits; she only wants me to scold her,” -said Jack. - -“It is time we were at work again, Jack, or we shan’t get our eight -hundred washed to-day,” said John, who saw Jack showed signs of going -after Fairy, and wisely thought he would not see him back in a hurry if -he once let him go. - -So the sheep-washing began again, and Mrs. Shelley, who had brought -some work with her, promised Fairy to remain till tea-time, on -condition that she then accompanied her home. - -“I do enjoy it so, mother,” said Fairy; “it would be wicked to spend -such a bright warm sunny day as this shut up in a house; it is so -delicious out in this field. I wonder how much they pay those washers; -it must be dreadfully hard work; they ought to pay them well.” - -“They give them half-a-crown for every hundred sheep, and they can wash -a thousand sheep a day, but these men won’t do more than finish John’s -eight hundred to-day.” - -“That leaves nearly eight hundred more for to-morrow. Oh! do let us -come and have another day like this. Will you, mother?” pleaded Fairy. - -Mrs. Shelley looked at the fair little face, with its great brown eyes, -its dainty pink and white complexion, and the long wavy hair which -veiled the slight girlish figure, and smiled and sighed—the smile -was for Fairy, and the sigh for Jack—as she promised to do so if the -weather were fine. - -[Illustration: THE SHEEP-WASHING.] - -And so it came to pass that that sheep-washing was long remembered by -Jack as two of the happiest days in his life, though, alas! they came -to an end, as all days, however happy, must only too soon; and then -came a fortnight of preparation for the great event of the shepherds’ -year—the sheep-shearing and the Feast of the White Ram. Jack had not -much to do with the preparations, for he was upon the downs with his -washed flock, but little else was talked of when he came home in the -evening, and it was a very busy time for Mrs. Shelley, who had to -provide supper for twelve men for five nights, the shearing beginning -on the Tuesday, and ending on the Saturday, when the money earned was -divided among the company. It had been a source of much anxiety to -Mrs. Shelley to know where the supper was to be held. To have these -twelve men in the kitchen in which she had to cook it all would be -very inconvenient, and she was by no means inclined to lend the little -sitting-room, which Fairy had made so pretty, for the purpose; but -at last Jack suggested borrowing a tent and pitching it in the field -near the house, a plan which was at once adopted. The shearing itself -took place outside a barn belonging to the farmer who owned the sheep -about to be shorn, and the company went round to the principal farmers -in the neighbourhood, taking one each day of the shearing week. How -Jack hated this business of shearing! He would have given anything to -have got out of it, if he could only have done so without vexing his -father; but as this was impossible, he was obliged to go on with it -with the best grace he could, but he was in an irritable mood all the -week. The work brought him into contact with other shepherds, with -none of whom had he anything in common, and made him realise his lowly -position, which in his lonely life on the downs, lost in his studies, -he was apt to forget. He would long ago have given up his shepherd’s -calling and gone to London to seek more congenial work, if it had not -been for Fairy; she was the magnet which held him in her vicinity, -but he was daily becoming aware that if any of his dreams were to be -realised, he must go away at once, though the time he spent on the -downs was by no means wasted, since he was educating himself to the -best of his ability. His idea was to try and get an appointment as -usher in a school, for which in those days he was fully qualified. -In teaching others he would learn himself; he would have access to -books of all kinds, and he would be able in his leisure hours to pursue -his favourite study of natural history. He had confided this plan to -Mr. Leslie, who had promised to look out for him, and when an opening -occurred to give him a testimonial. Another reason which had kept Jack -at home hitherto was that Charlie was barely old enough to take his -place, but during this last sheep-washing Charlie had had the care of -half the flock, and had shown himself quite up to his work, which, in -the summer, at any rate, was just the lazy, dreamy kind of life to suit -an indolent nature like his, and Jack saw he need no longer delay his -departure because there was no one to take his place. On the contrary, -it would solve a difficulty, for it had hitherto been rather a puzzle -to know what to do with Charlie since John Shelley only required one -under-shepherd, and he did not seem to have any inclination for any -other kind of work. Accordingly, all through the White Ram Jack was -making up his mind to tear himself away from Fairy, in the hope of -eventually winning for himself a position he could ask her to share, -and the thought of the coming separation did not tend to make him -happier. - -Every morning he started with the rest of the Lewes company of -shearers, with his father at their head, for some farm, where they -spent their day in shearing the sheep, pausing about twelve and again -about two o’clock to “light up,” that is to sharpen their shears, eat -cakes, and drink beer, the meal of the day being supper when they got -back after their labours were over. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -EVERY GIRL A BUSINESS WOMAN. - -A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE WORLD OF INDUSTRY AND THRIFT. - -BY JAMES MASON. - - -PART III. - -We are going now to speak about money: not, however, about how to get -it, but about what to do with it after it is got. About the occupations -by which money is made, we shall not at present say anything. Many of -them have already been treated of in THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER. - -When people have money there are three things they can do with it; they -can spend it, or place it out at interest, or tie it up in a parcel and -hide it away. Perhaps they do not need at the moment to spend it; in -that case of the two ways that are left the only wise one is to place -it out at interest. - -And what is _interest_? Interest is the sum paid by anyone who gets the -loan of money, for the use of it. Selina, say, gets the loan of £50 for -a year—not for nothing—oh, no, she pays £2 for the twelve months. This -£2 is the interest. At the end of the year the lender receives back her -£50 and £2 added to it, so, you see, it is for a good reason that we -recommend lending in preference to unfruitful hoarding. Money—and this -is a wise rule—should never be allowed to lie idle. - -The sum lent is known as the _principal_, and on the principal the -interest is calculated at so much _per cent._ (by the hundred); that is -to say, at so much for every £100. For instance, 5 per cent. means £5 -for the use of every £100; 2½ per cent., £2 10s. for the use of every -£100; and 3¾ per cent., £3 15s. for the use of every £100. Selina’s -loan, in the preceding paragraph, is at 4 per cent., in other words, £4 -for £100; so, of course, for £50 she just pays £2. - -When you see a rate of interest quoted you may safely conclude that it -is for a year—_per annum_ (by the year), is the correct phrase—unless -something is said to the contrary. - -The rate paid in the shape of interest depends on a number of things, -but the main question is, will the principal be perfectly safe? If the -answer be yes, then the interest in these days will certainly be low. -But on this subject we shall have more to say in a succeeding article. - -To calculate interest on any sum _for a year_, the rule is to multiply -by the rate per cent. and divide by 100. For example, find the interest -on £460 at 4½ per cent. Here you multiply 460 by 4½, which gives -2,070, and dividing by 100, arrive at the answer, £20 14s. - -When the interest is wanted _for a certain number of days_, you must -multiply by the number of days and by double the rate per cent., and -divide by 73,000. By way of example, find the interest on £320 for 30 -days at 3 per cent. Multiply 320, first by 30 and afterwards by 6, -which gives 57,600. Now divide by 73,000, and you have the total amount -of interest, 15s. 9d. - -People who have much calculating of interest to do should invest in -a book of Commercial Tables. The use of these saves a great deal of -trouble. There are some short cuts, however, which every business woman -should carry in her head. At 5 per cent. per annum the interest upon -a pound for every month is one penny. Having seen what this comes to, -other rates may be reckoned by adding to or deducting from the 5 per -cent. product. - -For example, 2½ per cent. is one-half; 3 per cent. is six-tenths; 3½ -per cent. is seven-tenths; 4 per cent. is four-fifths; 6 per cent. is -six-fifths; 7½ per cent. is one-half more. Thus, 5 per cent. on £30 for -ten months will be £1 5s.; 2½ per cent., 12s. 6d.; 3 per cent., 15s.; -3½ per cent., 17s. 6d.; 4 per cent., £1; 6 per cent., £1 10s.; and 7½ -per cent., £1 17s. 6d. - -Sometimes, on interest becoming due, it is regularly added to the -principal, and interest is paid on the new principal thus formed. Money -invested on this accumulating system is said to be placed at _compound -interest_. - -There is something startling about the growth of money invested in -this way. “A penny,” says Dr. Price, “so improved from our Saviour’s -birth as to double itself every fourteen years—or, what is nearly the -same, put out at five per cent. compound interest at our Saviour’s -birth—would by this time have increased to more money than could -be contained in 150 millions of globes, each equal to the earth in -magnitude, and all solid gold. - -“A shilling put out at six per cent. compound interest would, in the -same time, have increased to a greater sum in gold than the whole solar -system could contain, supposing it a sphere equal in diameter to the -diameter of Saturn’s orbit; and the earth is to such a sphere as half a -square foot or a quarto page is to the whole surface of the earth.” - -To show the difference between “simple interest,” in which the interest -does not bear interest, and “compound interest,” in which it does, -we give the following table, showing the time it takes for a sum to -double itself at different rates:— - - ---------+------------------------------------------ - | Time in which a sum will double itself. - Rate per +--------------------+--------------------- - cent. | Simple Interest. | Compound Interest. - ---------+--------------------+--------------------- - 2 | 50 years | 35 years 1 day - 2½ | 40 years | 28 years 26 days - 3 | 33 years 4 months | 23 years 164 days - 3½ | 28 years 208 days | 20 years 54 days - 4 | 25 years | 17 years 246 days - 4½ | 22 years 81 days | 15 years 273 days - 5 | 20 years | 14 years 75 days - 6 | 16 years 8 months | 11 years 327 days - 7 | 14 years 104 days | 10 years 89 days - 8 | 12½ years | 9 years 2 days - 9 | 11 years 40 days | 8 years 16 days - 10 | 10 years | 7 years 100 days - ---------+--------------------+--------------------- - -The really surprising difference between simple and compound interest -is, however, only seen after the first few years are over. A loan of -£100 for ten years at 4 per cent. simple interest would give £40, and -at 4 per cent. compound interest about £47. But if the loan were for -a hundred years the simple interest would be only £400, whilst the -compound interest would be no less than £4,950. - -Having now said all that is necessary at present about interest, we -must speak for a little on the subject of banking, for it is by means -of banks that most money transactions are satisfactorily managed. - -What, then, is a bank? There seems, at first sight, something -mysterious about it, but it is really a simple institution. It is -partly a shop and partly a left-luggage office. It is a shop for -dealing in cheques, bills, notes, gold, and silver, and a left-luggage -office to which we consign our spare cash to lie till called for. - -This, however, is only a rough and ready way of putting it, and we may -as well add the following extract from a writer who has taken pains to -give an exact definition:—“A banker is the custodier of the money of -other people. Such is his business, viewed in its simplest aspect. A -banker, however, if he hoarded the money deposited with him, would be -simply a cash-keeper to the public; his bank would be literally a bank -of _deposit_.... But the business of receiving money on deposit has -always been, and is now, universally combined with that of lending it -out. A banker does not hoard all the money deposited with him—he gives -the greater portion out in loan. The lending of money is as much a part -of his business as the receiving of deposits.” - -You cannot go into a banker’s and say, “I have come to open an -account,” just as you would enter a grocer’s with, “Be so good as send -me half a dozen tins of the best sardines.” You must be introduced by -someone who can vouch for your respectability, or, if not introduced, -you must be able yourself to satisfy the banker that you are likely to -be a desirable customer. - -This first step being taken, you open what is called a _current or -drawing account_; that is to say, an account into which you can pay -money whenever it suits you, and from which you can draw money at any -time by means of orders, or _cheques_, as they are called. In a current -account in a good bank money is kept safely—which is a great matter—and -at the same time you can make use of it as readily as if it were lying -in your pocket. - -For convenience, and partly, too, as a protection against fraud, -bankers are in the habit of supplying their customers with books -containing forms of cheques. When a book of cheques is exhausted, a new -one is supplied on the presentation of a form which, when filled up, -may resemble the following:— - - THE CASHIER, - THE COSMOPOLITAN BANK. - LONDON, _29th November, 1886._ - - _Please deliver to Bearer Cheque Book containing 25 cheques - payable to_ - - JEMIMA BOUNCER. - -Each cheque bears a penny impressed stamp, and a book of cheques is -supplied at the price of the stamps—a book, say, of twenty-five costing -two shillings and a penny. - -Cheques may be in one or other of two forms. The first form is— - - No. 478953. LONDON............188... - THE COSMOPOLITAN BANK, - 14, Marketjew-street, E.C. - - Pay..................or Bearer.................. - £............... - -The other form is precisely the same, except that instead of the word -“Bearer” it has the word “Order.” - -As an example of a cheque with the particulars filled in, take the -following:— - - No. 536212. - - LONDON, 19th November, 1886. - THE COSMOPOLITAN BANK, - 14, Marketjew-street, E.C. - - _Pay Miss Georgina Makepeace or Bearer Nine pounds Thirteen - shillings and Four pence._ - - £9: 13: 4. ALICE M. LITTLEPROUD. - -The difference between cheques made out to “Bearer” and those made out -to “Order” is this. Cheques payable to bearer can be cashed by anyone. -Those payable to order, however, must be endorsed by the person in -whose favour they are drawn before the money can be received. But what -is to _endorse_ a cheque? It is simply to write your name on the back -of it. - -Cheques payable to order are certainly safer than those payable to -bearer. And they have another advantage. In the event of receipts being -lost or mislaid, they supply evidence that the money was received by -the person to whom it was owing. - -A cheque payable to bearer can be made payable to order by drawing the -pen through “Bearer,” and writing “Order” above it. A cheque payable to -order can also be made payable to bearer by scratching out “Order” and -putting “Bearer” above it; but in this case you must put your initials -to the alteration. - -To give extra security to a cheque, draw two parallel lines across the -face of it with the words “—— & Co.” inserted between them. This makes -it what is called a “crossed cheque,” which will only be paid through -some banker to a known customer. Instead of “—— & Co.” you may write -the name of the banker of the person to whom the cheque is payable. -When this is done, the cheque is only payable through him. - -If in crossing the cheque you add the words “Not negociable,” that is -another safeguard. These words “warn all whom it may concern that they -accept the cheque subject to the liability of being compelled to refund -its value should it prove to have come improperly into the possession -of any person from whom their own title is derived.” This makes a -cheque as secure against the wiles of the dishonest as anything in this -world can be. - -The filling up of a cheque should be done very carefully, and the style -of signature should be always the same. The figures in the body of a -cheque must be in words, and should be written close together, so that -there is no room left for the fraudulent to improve on the amount. -Cases have frequently occurred of “ty” being added to six, seven, and -nine, to make them read sixty, seventy, and ninety, and a “y” being -given as a tail to eight, to multiply eight by ten, is quite a common -trick. As a protection, the words “Under ten pounds” are sometimes -written upon a cheque that lends itself to this sort of roguery. - -Suppose a cheque is given by a person who has not money enough in the -bank to meet it, the banker will most likely return it, with the words -written on it, “No effects,” or “Refer to Drawer.” The cheque is then -said to be _dishonoured_. - -Cheques should always be _cashed_—that is to say, payment of them -should be got—as soon as possible after they have come to hand. It is -never safe to delay, for the most unlikely things happen; the bank may -fail, or the drawer may become bankrupt, or his account may become -locked up through his death. - -A memorandum should be preserved of every cheque you give away. This is -provided for by the cheque-books furnished by the banks having a margin -which is left when the cheque is torn out. This margin, separated -from the cheque by a perforated line, is known as the _counterfoil_. -The counterfoil bears the same number as the cheque to which it is -attached. Here is an example of one filled up: - - No. 213,551 - - _17th November, 1886._ - DR. SIMON BURRE. - _Medical Attendance._ - £7.7.0 - -On the back of each counterfoil some people are in the habit of -writing the balance they have at the moment in the bank. This has some -advantages, and is certainly a check to extravagance. - -Though cheques are usually made out on engraved forms, you may write a -cheque on a sheet of note-paper should a cheque-book not be at hand. In -that case, remember to put a penny stamp on it, and to cancel the stamp -by writing on it the date and your initials. - -Keep your cheque-book always under lock and key. If you leave it about, -it only puts temptation in the way of people to abstract a blank form -and make free with your signature. Should your book ever be lost or -stolen, give notice at once to the bank. - -Lodging money is one of the easiest of business operations. You go to -the bank, and fill up a slip, headed, say— - - THE COSMOPOLITAN BANK, - 14, Marketjew-street. - - ............18... - - CREDIT........................... - _Paid in by_..................... - -Below this heading you enter the particulars of the sum you are going -to lodge:—Bank-notes, so much; coin, so much; cheques and bills -(mentioned separately), so much; total, so much. You hand this slip -over to the teller with the money, and the whole thing is done. No -receipt is given, and it says a great deal for the perfect machinery by -which banking is conducted that one never hears of a mistake, or that -any customer ever thought his confidence taken advantage of. We speak -here of the method in the best London banks. In the provinces and in -some London establishments the form of procedure varies a little. - -When you send money to your banker by post, you should write with it -somewhat as follows:— - - _Brackenhurst, 24th November, 1886._ - - _Dear Sir_, - - _I enclose cheque for £34 12/—Messrs. Bagwell and Sackit on the - Welsh Counties Bank—which kindly place to my credit._ - - _I remain, Dear Sir, - Yours truly, - SILVANINHA HAMILTON._ - - _The Manager_, - THE COSMOPOLITAN BANK. - -Receipt of this will be acknowledged by the manager, thus:— - - _Dear Madam_, - - _I beg to acknowledge receipt of your favour of 24th inst., - with enclosure, value £34 12/, for your credit._ - - _Yours, etc., - JACOB BIRCHENOUGH, - Manager._ - -To every person keeping an account the bank supplies a book, generally -known as a _pass-book_. On the Dr. or left-hand side of this book, will -appear the sums received on behalf of the owner of the book; whilst all -the cheques paid on her account by the bank will appear on the Cr. or -right-hand side. Here is an example in which, for convenience, we have -printed the Cr. side under the Dr., instead of side by side: - - THE COSMOPOLITAN BANK. - _in Account with_ - MISS ESMERALDA BEATRICE BONES. - - Dr. - 1886 - Sept. 6 _To Cash_ £60 0 0 - 13 ” _Draft_ 14 7 6 - 23 ” _do._ 4 1 8 - 29 ” _Bill_ 17 18 0 - Oct. 2 ” _Notes_ 15 0 0 - - 1886 Cr. - Sept. 9 _By Twentyman_ £ 3 5 0 - 15 ” _Self_ 10 0 0 - 25 ” _Jones_ 5 1 3 - Oct. 6 ” _Williamson_ 4 9 8 - 12 ” _Thomson_ 27 2 5 - -In this book you must never make an entry yourself. It should be left -at regular intervals at the bank to be “made-up,” that is to say, for -all the sums received and paid to be entered in it. The pass-book is -really a copy of the bank ledger. When received again from the bank it -should be gone over carefully to see that all the entries are just as -they should be. - -Current accounts, as a general rule in England, do not bear any -interest, in other words, the banker pays nothing for the use he enjoys -of any balance left in his hands. Unless the balance is large he -thinks he does enough in taking the trouble of keeping the account. In -Scotland interest is usually given on current accounts, but it is only -a slight advance upon nothing. - -Besides receiving money on current account, however, bankers receive it -on _deposit_. _Deposit accounts_ are those in which sums of money are -lodged in a bank on the understanding that a certain rate of interest -is to be paid upon them, and that a certain number of days’ notice -is to be given before they are withdrawn. There is no such thing as -drawing cheques on a deposit account. - -When money is received on deposit, a deposit receipt is given. The -amount is usually repayable to the depositor alone, but it may also be -paid to anyone to whom the depositor gives an order on the bank, either -written on the back of the deposit receipt or accompanying it. - -The rate of interest paid on deposits varies with the Bank of England -rate. It is, however, usually so small that no one, except for special -reasons, will let money lie on deposit in a bank whilst there are -plenty of perfectly safe investments to be met with outside. - -For business women who travel few business documents are of greater -interest than a _letter of credit_. This is a communication from a -banker to a correspondent, or correspondents, authorising credit to be -given to the bearer to a certain specified amount. - -In applying for a letter of credit you must name to your banker the sum -you will require altogether, and the number of towns in which you wish -to draw portions of that sum, and if there are, say, three towns—Paris, -Berlin and Rome—you must enclose your signature on three separate -sheets of paper. The banker sends one of these slips to an agent in -each of the towns named, and forwards to you a letter of credit in this -form:— - - Messrs. ANCELOT & SANTINE _Paris._ - ” OTTO, RUST & UMLAUF _Berlin._ - ” TRENTO, BERTONI, & VALENTINO _Rome._ - - LONDON, 27th November, 1886. - - _Gentlemen_, - - _We have the pleasure of establishing a credit in favour of - Miss Robina Turpin, who will present to you this letter, and we - shall thank you to supply her with cash to the amount of one - hundred and twenty-five pounds (£125) sterling, or such part - thereof as may not previously have been paid on this credit, - writing off on the back of this letter the sum advanced, and - taking her drafts on us in your favour for your reimbursement, - which we engage duly to honour._ - - _We remain, Gentlemen, - Your most obedient Servants, - SMITH, PATERSON & WINKLES._ - - -Across the face of the letter of credit is written, “_This credit to be -in force for twelve months only from this date._” - -_Circular Notes_, as they are called, are in one respect an improvement -on a letter of credit: they can be cashed in almost every town the -traveller is likely to visit. They are issued by most London bankers -and for sums of from £10 upwards. - -A banker has a pretty responsible time of it. He is bound to keep -secret the state of his customer’s account. He must also know his -customer’s handwriting, so, should he pay a cheque or bill which turns -out to be a forgery, he must bear the loss. If he neglects to carry -out any instructions within the legitimate sphere of banking business, -such as the payment of premiums on a life insurance or the purchase -of shares, he may be called to account for any loss the customer may -suffer through his carelessness. - -The simplest bank in the country, and the most important to depositors -of small means is the Post Office Savings Bank, about which we must -now speak. It is an extensive institution, having over eight thousand -branch establishments all over the country; indeed, every money order -office is a branch office of the Post Office Savings Bank. At the -present time there are more than three and a half millions of accounts -open, with an average balance of £13 10s., and the average turnover of -the bank, counting both the money deposited and the money drawn out, is -twenty-eight million pounds a year. - -You cannot, in the Post Office Savings Bank, open an account from -which, by means of cheques, you can draw money at any hour. It does not -provide cheque books, and makes the withdrawal of money comparatively -a slow process, for its leading idea is not to facilitate present -business, but to provide for future need. It really starts with the -reflection that - - “If youth but knew what age would crave, - Many a penny it would save.” - -An account may be opened with a very small sum. You can do it with -a shilling. With that in your hand you can go to a post office, and -assert your intention of placing your savings under the care of the -Government. And remember that the shilling, and anything else added to -it, will be safer than in any other bank whatever; for the Post Office -Savings Bank can only come to grief with the ruin of the British Empire. - -Intending depositors must state their Christian name and surname, -occupation (if any), and residence, and they must sign a declaration to -the effect that they have no interest in any savings bank account, and -are willing to have any deposits they may make managed according to the -regulations of the Post Office. - -When that is done a deposit book is supplied. In this book every -deposit must be entered at the time of its being made by the -postmaster, or whoever receives it, and he must affix to the entry his -signature and the stamp of the office. - -“In addition to the receipt in the book, the depositor will receive an -acknowledgment by post from the Savings Bank department in London, and -this should reach him within four clear days, exclusive of Sundays and -bank holidays, if the deposit be made in England or Wales; within six -days, if it be made in Ireland or Scotland.” - -The interest allowed is 2½ per cent. per annum—that is to say, at the -rate of £2 10s. every year for every £100. This is just a halfpenny -each month for every pound. Thus, a pound lodged in the bank, and lying -there for a year, becomes £1 0s. 6d.: £10 becomes £10 5s.; and £30 -grows to be £30 15s. The interest is calculated to the 31st of December -in every year, and is then added to and becomes part of the principal. - -The deposits made in any year ending 31st December must not exceed £30, -and when a depositor has lodged in all £150, not counting interest, she -is not allowed to lodge any more till she has reduced the sum standing -at her credit. If she chooses to let it lie, it will, of course, -by the addition of interest, increase every year. When it reaches -£200, however, no more interest is allowed till some of the money is -withdrawn. - -When a depositor wishes to withdraw any money, she fills up a notice -of withdrawal, to be had at any Post Office Savings Bank, and forwards -it to the Savings Bank Department in London. She then receives by post -a warrant, which she should present with her book at the post office -where payment is to be made. - -Once in every year, on the anniversary of the day on which the -first deposit was made, the deposit book should be forwarded to the -Controller of the Savings Bank Department in London, that the entries -may be checked, and that the sum due for interest may be added. When -sending the book, do not pay postage: all communications on Savings -Bank business go free. - -Deposits may be made by married women, and in that case their husbands -have no control over the money. They can draw from it when they please, -and bequeath it by will to any person they choose. - -The Post Office Savings Bank adapts itself to saving on the smallest -scale. If a girl can only save a penny at a time, she can with the -penny buy a stamp, and the stamp she can stick on a form with twelve -divisions, supplied by the Post Office. When she has in this way saved -twelve stamps, she must take it to the post office, and have the -shilling entered in a regular bank account. - -But the Post Office undertakes more business in connection with money -than merely storing it up against a rainy day. Of that, however, we -shall speak in our next article. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -A SONG FOR THE OLD YEAR. - -BY M. M. POLLARD. - - - A tale of the past, a tale of the past! - Of the days that have vanished, the first and the last, - Of the year, the old year that has met with its doom, - And is vanished for ever in time’s yawning tomb! - The snow of December is spread as a pall - Of white-crested trophies to mourn for its fall, - And the flow of the river is hushed in its bed, - Silent and still as the year that has fled. - - Bright were the blossoms that welcomed its birth, - Springing afresh from the bosom of earth, - Smiling in valley, on mountain, and glade, - Gladdening the pathway in sunshine or shade. - But they have budded and blossomed to fall, - Summer birds answer no more to the call, - They are gone—and the wail of the chill wintry blast - Sweeps like the sound of a requiem past. - - E’en as the seasons my life-tale has been, - Sunshine has lightened up many a scene; - Sometimes the hours seemed all brightness and joy, - Cloudless and calm as a sweet summer sky; - Sometimes the beauty fled swiftly away, - As rising clouds shadow the glory of day, - For life has all changes—is joyous or drear, - Like the seasons that make up thy round, hoary year! - - And many more cycles will swiftly roll past, - With changes, and sunshine, and gloom like the last, - Giving new birth to the blossom and rill, - And voices will praise them when mine shall be still, - And others will welcome with gladness or tears, - The hope and the promise of many more years. - Oh, year that is vanished! I bid thee farewell, - And the chill winds of winter are sounding thy knell. - -[Illustration: THE NEW YEAR’S BELLS.] - - - - -MERLE’S CRUSADE. - -BY ROSA NOUCHETTE CAREY, Author of “Aunt Diana,” “For Lilias,” etc. - - -CHAPTER XI. - -MARSHLANDS. - -We had started by an early train, and arrived at Netherton soon after -four. I knew we were to be met at the station, and was not at all -surprised when a fresh-coloured, white-haired old gentleman brandished -his stick as a token of welcome to Joyce. I was quite sure that it was -Squire Cheriton before Joyce clapped her hands and exclaimed, “There’s -gran.” - -“Halloa, little one,” he said, cheerily, as she ran up to him with a -joyous face, “so you have not forgotten grandfather. Bless me, you -are not a bit like Vi, you have taken after Alick. So this is the -boy, nurse? Dear me! which is the nurse?” looking at me with rather a -puzzled countenance. - -“I am the nurse, sir,” I returned, quietly; “and this is Hannah.” - -“Hannah Sowerby, of course. Bless me, I never forget a face—never; -I knew yours directly,” as Hannah dropped a countrified curtsey to -the squire. “I saw Michael the other day; he was looking hale and -hearty—hale and hearty; ‘that comes of hard work and temperate living, -Michael,’ I said—oh, we are both of an age, old Michael and I, and I -am hale and hearty, too. So this is my grandson; he is a fine fellow; -takes after Vi, I should say. Come along, come along, there’s auntie -waiting for us,” and, talking half to us and half to himself, Mr. -Cheriton led us through the station. On the way, however, we were -stopped twice; first, the station master was interviewed and the -children introduced to him— - -“My grandchildren, Drake,” observed the Squire, proudly, twirling his -gold headed stick as he spoke; then a burly farmer jostled against the -squire, and the two commenced observations on the weather. - -“Fine weather for the crops, Roberts; the oats look lively. These are -my grandchildren; fine boy that.” - -“Little girl looks rather peaky, squire; wants a bit of fattening.” - -“Eh, what! We’ll fatten her, won’t we, Joyce?” pinching the child’s -thin cheek. “Takes after her father, Alick Morton. You can’t find fault -with my grandson, Roberts, I hope; never seen a finer child in my life.” - -“Father, father,” exclaimed a fresh young voice, “what are you doing -with those children? Methuselah is fretting terribly to be off. Do be -quick, pray.” - -“I am coming, Gay. Now then, all of you, move on. Ta-ta, Roberts.” And -Mr. Cheriton drove us out before him. An open barouche was waiting at -the door, and a young lady was on the box trying to hold in a pair of -thoroughbreds. When she saw us, she at once handed the reins to her -father, and jumped lightly to the ground. - -“Kiss me, you darlings,” she said, coaxingly; “don’t you know me yet?” -as Joyce hung back a little shyly. “I am Gay, the little auntie, as you -used to call me. How do you do, Miss Fenton—you see I know your name. -Hannah, I am glad to see you again. There is plenty of room for us all; -the boxes are going by omnibus. Now, father, we are all ready,” and in -another moment Methuselah and his mate were on their homeward way. - -Miss Cheriton chattered all the time. She was a pretty, dark-eyed -girl, rather piquante in style, but not equal to her beautiful sister, -though I caught an expression that reminded me now and then of my -mistress. She struck me as very fresh and unconventional, and she had a -bright, chirpy voice and manner that must have been very attractive to -children. Joyce made friends with her at once, and even Reggie wanted -to go to her, and received her caresses and compliments with unusual -condescension. - -“How wonderfully he has improved, nurse—Miss Fenton, I mean. My sister -told me he was a lovely boy, and so he is. Why, Rolf will look quite -plain beside him. What nicely-behaved children they seem. Poor Rolf is -such a plague to us all.” - -“Don’t you love Rolf, auntie?” asked Joyce, fixing her dark eyes on -Miss Cheriton’s face. - -The young aunt looked rather perplexed at this question. - -“When Rolf is good I love him, but not when he teases, fidgets, or -frightens my canaries; I do not love him a bit then. I am always -longing to box his ears, only his mother would be so angry with me. -Father, dear, do make Methuselah go a little slower, Mr. Hawtry is -trying to overtake us.” - -“Holloa, Roger,” exclaimed the squire, in his hearty voice, “you did -not think to pass Methuselah, did you, on that hack of yours?” And the -next moment a gentleman, well mounted on a dark bay mare, rode up, and -entered into conversation with Miss Cheriton. He threw a searching -glance round the carriage as he lifted his hat, and then laid his hand -on the carriage door. - -“Good afternoon, squire; Methuselah seems a trifle fresh. How is it you -are not driving, as usual, Miss Cheriton? Better employed, I suppose,” -with a look at Reggie. “So these are Alick Morton’s children, are they? -The little girl looks delicate. You must bring them out to my place; -Mrs. Cornish will give them plenty of new milk. By the by, isn’t that -Hannah Sowerby?” And as she dimpled and looked pleased, “Why, I was -over at Wheeler’s Farm this morning, and your sister Molly was talking -about you. I wanted Matthew to come up to the Red Farm for a job—he is -a handy fellow, that brother of yours—so, as I was waiting, I had a -chat with Molly.” - -I looked across at Hannah and saw how this kindly mention of her home -pleased her. It was good-natured of Mr. Hawtry to single her out, and -this little act of Christian charity prepossessed me in his favour. He -was not very young—a little over thirty, I should have judged—and had a -strong sensible face, “not a mask without any meaning to it,” as Aunt -Agatha sometimes said, but a face that seemed to reveal a sensible, -downright character. - -I saw Mr. Hawtry look in my direction once a little doubtfully. I -daresay, being an old friend of the family, he thought it rather -odd that Miss Cheriton did not introduce him to me, but Joyce soon -enlightened him. - -“Oh, nurse! do look at those pretty flowers,” she called out, pulling -my gown to enforce my attention. - -“Yes, I see them, dear,” I answered, quietly, and then Reggie became -restless and struggled to get to me, so I took him in my arms, and at -that moment the carriage turned in at some lodge gates. - -I had not been able to judge much of the place. Miss Cheriton’s chatter -had engrossed me. I knew we had driven very fast through a pretty -village, and that we had turned off down a country road, and that was -all. Once I fancied I had caught a blue shimmer in the distance that -must have been the sea, but after we had turned into the lodge gates, -I took no more notice of Miss Cheriton and her companion. I was far -too curious to see Marshlands, the home where my beloved mistress had -passed her childhood. - -A short avenue brought us to the gravelled sweep before the hall door. -A large sunny garden with terraces seemed to stretch into a park-like -meadow; in reality it was divided by a wire fence to keep in the sheep -that were feeding between the trees. An old white pony was looking -across the fence, attracted by the sound of our horses, a little black -and tan terrier flew out on the steps barking, and a peacock, who was -spreading his tail on the sundial, retreated in much disgust, sweeping -his train of feathers behind him. - -“Jacko hates Fidgets,” observed Miss Cheriton, as the children clapped -their hands at the gorgeous bird, and then Mr. Hawtry dismounted and -lifted Joyce out of the carriage. - -I stood for a moment with Reggie in my arms, admiring the old red brick -house, with its ivy-covered gables, before we entered the wide dark -hall, and it was then that I distinctly heard Mr. Hawtry say— - -“Who is that young lady?” - -“Do you mean the children’s nurse, Miss Fenton?” observed Miss -Cheriton, carelessly. “Oh, yes, Vi says she is quite a lady, and very -nice, but——” Here I passed on quickly and lost the rest, only my -foolish cheeks caught fire. Merle, Merle, be prudent, remember the -Valley of Humiliation. What does it matter, my girl, what the world -thinks? Eve was a dairymaid in Eden. - -An old grey-headed butler had hurried out to meet us. Miss Cheriton, -who had joined us after a minute or two, questioned him at once. - -“Is Mrs. Markham still out, Benson?” - -“Yes, ma’am, and Master Rolf and Judson are with her, but I have taken -tea into the morning-room.” - -“Very well, Benson, I will be down presently. Now, Miss Fenton, let me -show you your quarters,” and she preceded us up the dark old staircase, -and down a long narrow lobby, lighted with small lozenged pane windows, -and threw open a door at the end of the passage. “This is the old day -nursery, and there are two bedrooms communicating with it. Susan will -bring up the children’s tea directly. Will you ring for anything you -want. I am sorry I cannot wait now, but I must pour out tea for my -father and Mr. Hawtry. I will come up again by-and-by,” and she nodded -pleasantly and ran away. - -I looked round the nursery approvingly. It was such a charming, -old-fashioned room, rather low, perhaps, but with brown wainscotting, -and a dark panelled ceiling, and wooden window seats, and though the -windows were small, they were deliciously quaint, and they looked -out on the grass terrace and the sundial, and there was the white -pony grazing under the elms, and such a pretty peep of the park, as -I supposed they called it. An old black-faced sheep came in sight; I -called Joyce to look at it, and even Reggie clapped his dear little -hands, and cried out, “Ba—ba, ba—ba.” - -The bedrooms were just as cosy and old-fashioned as the nursery. The -bed where Joyce and I were to sleep was hung with curious blue chintz, -and there was an oak wardrobe that looked black with age, and curious -prints in little black frames hung round the walls. Reggie’s cot had -chintz hangings too. The afternoon sunshine was flooding the room, as -I stood at the window a moment. I called to Hannah to admire the view. -We were at the back of the house; there was a kitchen garden and fruit -trees, then came a deep, narrow lane and cornfield, and beyond lay the -sea; I could even catch sight of a white sail very near the shore. - -I never saw Hannah so excited as she was when she caught sight of that -lane. She thrust her head out of the window, almost overbalancing -herself in her eagerness. - -“Why, miss,” she exclaimed, “there is Cherry-tree-lane, and if we could -only see round the corner—but those pear trees shut it out—we should -see Wheeler’s Farm. Isn’t it like being at home?” her voice trembling -with emotion. “Directly I had a taste of the salt air, and a glimpse of -Squire Hawtry’s cornfields, I felt almost beside myself.” And indeed -the girl’s honest joy was good to witness, and again, as I thought of -those sisters crowding out the attics of Wheeler’s Farm, I could have -found it in my heart to envy Hannah. - -When I had taken off the children’s things we went back to the day -nursery. A freckled-faced country girl was covering the round table -with all sorts of dainties—new laid eggs, fruit, jam, and honey; there -seemed no end to the good things. She nodded to Hannah in a friendly -way, and asked after her health in broad Sussex dialect. - -“Do you know Susan?” I observed, in some surprise, as I poured out some -milk for the thirsty children. - -“She is a neighbour’s daughter,” replied Hannah, as she waited on us. -“Susan was never much to my taste, but we learnt our samplers together. -The Mullinses are not our sort,” she continued, with manifest pride. -“Joseph Mullins is the village cobbler, but he is none too steady, and -father and Molly can’t abide him.” - -As soon as the children had finished their tea, I took them to the -window, where they found plenty to amuse them. The white pony was still -cropping the grass; here and there was a nibbling sheep; the rooks were -cawing about their nests in the elm trees; the peacock was strutting -along the terrace, accompanied by his mate; a pair of golden-crested -pheasants followed them. - -Presently the bay mare was brought round by a groom, and Mr. Hawtry -came out on the terrace, and stood talking to Mr. Cheriton before he -mounted. - -“Why did you call him Squire Hawtry, Hannah?” I observed, curiously, as -he rode away down the avenue. - -“He is mostly called by that name,” returned Hannah. “He is a gentleman -farmer, and lives at the Red Farm down Dorlcote way. His mother and -sister used to live with him, but his mother died two years ago, and -Miss Agnes did not long survive her. She was a sweet creature, and very -handsome, but she had been a sad invalid the last few years of her -life.” - -“Poor Mr. Hawtry! and he is all alone.” - -“Quite alone, except for his good old housekeeper, Mrs. Cornish; -she takes good care of Mr. Roger, as she calls him. Folks say,” -continued Hannah, somewhat hesitating, “Squire Hawtry has had enough -of loneliness and nursing Miss Agnes, and that he is looking out for a -wife; he and Miss Gay are firm friends, and——” - -“I think Reggie is getting sleepy,” I observed, hastily, for Joyce was -listening with all her might, and the old proverb is true in saying -“little pitchers have long ears;” besides which this was gossiping -about other people’s affairs, and Hannah knew I never countenanced -gossip; it always seemed to me such a mean and undignified thing to -chatter about those who were inmates of the house that sheltered us. -We had partaken of their bread and salt, and so they ought to have -been sacred to us. How little the world understands the so-called word -“honour,” but “_Noblesse oblige_” is a safe motto. - -Hannah took the hint with her usual good nature, and went off for the -bath water. The next moment there was a slight peremptory tap at the -nursery door, and before I could answer a tall, elegant-looking woman, -dressed in black, entered the room. I rose at once in some little -trepidation; of course it was Mrs. Markham. - -“Good evening, nurse,” she said, in rather a thin, highly-pitched -voice. “I hope you find yourself comfortable, and that the children are -not tired with the journey.” Then, without waiting for an answer, she -seated herself languidly, and called to Joyce, “Come to me, my dear; I -am your Aunt Adelaide; good children always come when they are called.” - -I gave Joyce a slight push, for she was hanging back in a most -unaccountable way, and yet she was by no means a shy child, and would -be friendly even with strangers, if she liked their appearance. I -thought Mrs. Markham looked a little annoyed at her hesitation, but she -controlled herself and tried coaxing. - -“What would your mamma say, if you refused to kiss poor Aunt Adelaide? -Come, that is better,” as Joyce advanced, timidly. “Why what a thin, -sickly-looking child it is,” regarding the sweet little face before her -rather critically; “I should hardly have thought,” speaking half to -herself, “that Violet would have had such a plain child.” - -I was indignant at this; for everyone thought Joyce had a lovely -little face, though it was rather too thin and grave. “Excuse me, Mrs. -Markham,” I observed, hastily, “but Joyce is a very forward child, and -understands all that is said before her,” for it was hard that our pet -should meet with such a cold reception. - -Mrs. Markham regarded me with a supercilious stare; she evidently -thought I was taking a liberty with her in venturing to remonstrate, -but I took no notice, and prudently restrained myself. - -I felt, even at that first moment, an unaccountable dislike to Mrs. -Markham. Most people would have pronounced her very handsome, in spite -of her sallow complexion and thin lips, but a certain hardness in her -expression repelled me, as it repelled Joyce. Her dark eyes regarded -one so coldly; there was such hauteur and indifference in her manners; -and then the metallic harshness of her voice! “How could she be Mrs. -Morton’s sister?” I thought, as I recalled the sweet graciousness, the -yielding softness, that made my dear mistress so universally beloved. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -CHRISTMAS IN THE GERMAN FATHERLAND. - - -In the days of my youth it was my good fortune to have letters of -introduction to some German friends of our family, and to be invited to -spend the winter with them in their charming country house at the foot -of the Riesengebirge.[1] - -It was the 24th of December, and bitterly cold, when I emerged from the -railway carriage upon the platform of a small country station, and was -taken into friendly possession by a vivacious little dark-eyed baroness -and her tall, flaxen-haired son, who, with many fears that I must be -nearly frozen by my long journey from Berlin, wrapped me in an extra -fur and supplied me with a third veil before allowing me to encounter -the keen outer air and a long sledge drive. - -To drive in a sledge at all was to me a novel and delightful -experience, and the sledge to which I was now conducted was -particularly pretty, with its body of light carved wood, its fur rugs -lined with crimson, its pair of cream-coloured Russian ponies, with -their harness studded with silver knobs, and arches of silver bells -over their heads; and when once we were all warmly ensconced among -the cushions and wrappers, and were gliding with noiseless swiftness -over the well-kept sledge-way, it seemed to me that sledging was the -very acme of luxurious motion, and I felt almost sorry when Baron Max -checked his ponies to point out the high tower, now close at hand, -which he said formed part of the main building of his home. - -After passing through some fine pine-woods, we drove across the whilom -moat, now planted with trees and called the Dark Walk, and, driving -under a small archway, found ourselves in a spacious court laid out as -a flower-garden, while facing us, and forming three sides of a hollow -square, stood the schloss itself. The great entrance was approached -by a long flight of steps, and upon these were several liveried -servants awaiting our arrival, while at the sound of the sleigh-bells -and the cracking of the driver’s whip, two great wolfhounds rushed -out to welcome their master, and were followed, more sedately, by the -daughters of the house, who from their striking disparity in height -were always known by the sobriquet of Tiny and Tall. - -To Tiny’s care I was immediately consigned, and, after a brief -adjournment to my room, was led by her into the saloon, where we found -Tall presiding over the coffee and cakes, which, as I discovered later -on, she had herself prepared. - -The Baroness had disappeared, leaving an apology for me that, as it -was Christmas Eve, she had much to do, to which she must attend, and -while we were waiting the signal to go and view the tree, Tiny and -Tall proceeded to enlighten me as to many of their national customs in -connection with this particular season. - -In this village, for instance, as in many others of the Fatherland, -and especially in Southern Germany, a veiled woman goes up and down -the streets after nightfall, bearing in her arms a child chosen for -his beauty and goodness to represent the Infant Saviour, and as they -pass along they find the cottage windows discreetly left ajar, so -that the Christ-child, as he is called, can leave upon the sill some -token of the day. Every good child, upon awakening next morning, finds -gifts—oranges, sweeties, or some such things; but, alas for the child -who has been naughty! for him are no such delights; for him there lies -only a pliant willow or birchen rod, suggestive of the chastisement he -deserves. Into the towns the Christ-child seldom comes; he is there -replaced by the Christmas tree; and it was to decorate such a tree that -the mother of the family had now disappeared. - -The room in which I was hearing all this was large and lofty, lighted -by five windows, the remaining walls being hung with ancestral -portraits; for these unassuming, domesticated young girls were the -descendants of a noble and historical line, would not have changed -their ancient barony for a modern dukedom, and with pardonable pride -showed me the family portraits, and gave me slight sketches concerning -the originals. The most striking of these was certainly the full-length -picture of that old field-marshal of whom Carlyle thus graphically -writes:—“With regard to Friedrich, the court-martial needs no amendment -from the King. The sentence on Friedrich, a lieutenant-colonel guilty -of desertion, is from president and all members, except two, death as -by law.” - -From this portrait we turned to that of Frederic the Great himself—his -own gift to the family; from that prince the transition was easy to the -subject of the Seven Years War, and we had begun planning excursions to -the different battlefields when a bell began to ring, and changed the -current of our thoughts. - -We rushed down a long corridor, being joined as we went by different -other members of the household, and reached the room from whence -the blaze of light betrayed the presence of the great tree. It was, -indeed, a giant, and formed a most imposing spectacle, as it stood in -the centre of the large room, dazzling with variegated waxen tapers, -shimmering all over with ice-like crystals, and decorated with gilded -fruits and sweetmeats. The base of this wonderful member of the -vegetable world was covered by a pyramid of the tempting confectionery -and gingerbread peculiar to the province, and for which lots had -afterwards to be drawn. - -Round the room, and overshadowed by the mighty branches of the central -tree, stood tiny specimens of the same tribe, each standing upon a -table laden with gifts, and each destined for a separate member of the -family and household. - -Even I, stranger as I was, had my own little tree and table of -presents—pieces of fine Silesian linen, a huge surprise ball,[2] and -a pretty gold brooch, embossed with roses and forget-me-nots, which I -cherish still in remembrance of my first happy visit to Germany. There -were so many pretty things to admire, so many thanks to tender, so many -good wishes to exchange, that it was growing quite late before we could -make up our minds to leave these “halls of dazzling light” for the more -prosaic supper-room. - -Here—as in Germany the Eve is more celebrated (except as regards -religious services) than the Christmas Day itself—we found the -traditional dishes of Germany and of England. In honour of Germany I -had to make acquaintance with real black bread—“Pumpernickel,” as they -call it in some parts of Germany, sauerkraut, and raw smoked ham, all -of which at first I secretly thought odious, but eventually grew to -like very much; and in honour of England we had plum pudding and mince -pies—the former not at all badly cooked, the latter a dismal failure, -as most English housewives will understand when I tell them that the -cook, although adhering strictly to the proportions of an excellent -recipe, had—for some extraordinary reasons of his own—pounded the whole -into a paste, and enclosed it in a very thick crust, the shape and size -of a small pork pie. - -We did not linger long after supper; for it had been a long and -fatiguing day for everyone. As for myself, after so many interesting -and novel incidents, and so long and wearying a journey, I was only too -glad to find myself once more in my own room, and I slept without pause -or wakening until the appearance of the young ladies’ maid, Amalia, at -my bedside next morning with a cup of coffee and the intimation that it -was now 7.30, and that the sledge for church-goers would be at the door -at nine o’clock. - -We were off punctually to the time, and after about half an hour’s -drive over the hard-frozen snow, upon which the brilliant sunshine was -streaming down, we reached the unpretending-looking little Lutheran -church. Here, as the due of the Adel,[3] we sat in a gallery all by -ourselves, and had high-backed velvet chairs, surmounted by the baron’s -coronet, and with footstools embroidered to match; and very strange it -seemed to me to be looking down from this pinnacle of isolated grandeur -upon the poorer congregation below. - -Generally speaking, these wore the costume of the province, and a -charming costume too—a short skirt of red, green, or blue serge, with -five broad bands of black velvet round the lower edge; black velvet -bodice, laced over a full chemisette, and sleeves of white cambric; -pointed velvet cap (of the Stuart shape), in colour matching the skirt, -adorned with heavy gold braiding, and edged with a fluting of Silesian -lace. Long gold earrings and a broad gold plaque, set with garnets and -suspended by a slender chain round the neck, were the ornaments worn -with this costume, and were, as I was afterwards told, handed down as -family heirlooms from mother to child. - -The dress of the men was, of course, less elaborate. It consisted of -dark-blue or grey cloth suits, much adorned with silver buttons. Both -men and women wore long black stockings and buckled shoes as part of -their Sunday garb, but on weekdays generally go barefoot. - -Those among the congregation who abjured these picturesque costumes -and went in for modern fashion, wore—like the gentle folk—black; -and I found to my astonishment that black was also _de rigueur_ -for Confirmation and the Holy Communion. The clergyman, a tall, -kindly-looking old man, wore a long black gown and a wide box-pleated -ruff. There was an ebony and silver crucifix upon the altar, which had -lighted waxen tapers burning upon it. The musical part of the service -was led by a full brass band; and, to complete my surprise, I found it -was against rule to kneel at any time; one either sat or stood. - -All this seemed so utterly at variance with recognised ideas in England -upon the same subject, that I am afraid I did not much profit by my -first church-going in the Fatherland. Still, it was an interesting -experience, and when time had familiarised me more with both the -language and the customs, I found a great deal that I could honestly -admire, though I never ceased to prefer our own bright and beautiful -Liturgy to the somewhat ponderous nature of worship in the Fatherland. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] A lofty chain of mountains lying to the south of the province of -Silesia. - -[2] A ball of this kind is a favourite gift in Germany. It looks like a -very unskilfully-wound ball of knitting wool. You are bound in honour -to knit it up, and as you do so you disclose, one by one, a variety of -gifts, the most precious being generally the innermost of all. - -[3] Nobility. - - - - -“NO.” - -BY MARY E. HULLAH. - -[Illustration: “AN EMPTY CAB CAME RATTLING ROUND THE CORNER.”] - - -CHAPTER III. - -The wind blew fiercer than ever as Embrance turned out of the broad -avenue into a side path, and found herself face to face with Horace -Meade. - -“Good afternoon, Miss Clemon.” - -“Good afternoon, Mr. Meade.” - -She put her hand into his for a second; he had thrown away his cigar -and turned to walk by her side. “How fast you walk,” he said; “I have -been watching you for the last three minutes.” - -“I haven’t much time to lose,” said Embrance, apologetically, “as a -rule. The park gate will shut soon.” - -“Yes, to be sure. Do you like the Regent’s-park?” - -“Very much; don’t you?” - -“Oh yes, immensely, but somehow I never come here. No, indeed, I -don’t,” in answer to her look of amusement; “I came to-day because I -thought there was a chance of meeting you. There is something that I -want to talk to you about. Do you know that you are the most difficult -person in the world to approach?” - -“I should not have thought so,” said Embrance, with a smile. “I think I -can guess what you are going to tell me.” - -He shook his head: “I’m afraid you can’t.” - -“You must not suppose that she means all she says; only give her time -and she will take your advice.” - -“Ah, yes; Joan, you mean?” - -It struck Embrance that he was very absent and unlike himself, but she -had broached the subject now, and she felt bound to go on with it. “She -told me that she was very sorry that she had been ungracious about some -suggestion that you made. I’m quite sure that she would not willingly -say anything to hurt you.” - -“I’m quite sure she would not,” assented Horace, “she is much too -kind-hearted.” - -“And,” continued Embrance, clasping her hands firmly in her muff, “I -wanted to say (we needn’t talk about it again), if you think that it -would be better for her to go down to Doveton, I will try and persuade -her to go; it would not be for long, perhaps.” - -“No, I suppose not,” said Horace, absently; “but don’t you see, Miss -Clemon, the question is not altogether about Joan’s peace of mind, but -yours?” - -They had reached the gate, and turned into a dreary piece of “outer -circle.” - -“Mine?” exclaimed Embrance, growing scarlet in the dim twilight; “there -is no occasion to talk about me.” - -“I beg your pardon, I have a great deal to say. Do you suppose I don’t -see what you are doing for my cousin, how you are helping her and -teaching her, and taking on your shoulders the responsibilities that -her own family ought to bear?” - -“I had not looked upon it from that point of view,” said Embrance, -dryly. - -“Now you are angry at what I have said; I can’t help it, I can’t hold -my tongue any longer. Joan knows what I think, but perhaps she has not -told you all I said; she is a dear little girl. Don’t imagine that I am -throwing any blame on her, but she shouldn’t have come to London!” - -“I have tried to do my best for her,” said Embrance, in a broken voice. - -“Miss Clemon,” cried Horace, “you must think that I am behaving like -a brute! Do you suppose I don’t know that? You have done her, and are -doing her, all the good in the world.” - -“I thought that you did not trust me,” explained Embrance, simply. “I’m -so glad I was wrong; indeed, Joan is like a younger sister to me; don’t -try to separate us.” - -The light of a feeble gaslight fell upon her face as she spoke; her -eyes were raised pleadingly to his. - -“You have mistaken me altogether,” he said, hurriedly, “but I couldn’t -expect it to be otherwise. You must not misunderstand me again. -Embrance, I know I am taking you by surprise; I must say it. I love -you. I am miserable when I am away from you. Don’t, don’t turn away!” - -A gust of wind came roaring down the road; she did not heed it. She -walked quietly by his side, stricken dumb with great joy. She did not -deceive herself for one instant, it was too late for that, she liked -him too well. She could not shut her heart to the truth, any more than -she could shut her ears to his words. Alas, alas! where were all her -plans for Joan? Did Joan love him? In the darkness of the badly lighted -road, she seemed to see Joan’s beautiful face, and to hear her say, -“Embrance, have patience with me. Don’t think ill of me! You are the -only one who has patience with me!” - -“My poor dear, I will do my best for you,” she thought, as a feeling of -great tenderness towards Joan came over her. She had no answer ready -for Horace Meade. Ah! he was strong, and did not want her pity. - -“What shall I say? What shall I do?” she cried at last, in desperation. -It seemed as if hours had passed since he had spoken the words that -made this great difference in her life. - -“Have I distressed you? I can’t help it. Tell me, won’t you listen to -me?” - -“I, I am sorry,” she faltered, looking at him with a tearful glance. - -“I didn’t know. I had thought——” She stopped; Joan’s name must not be -mentioned now if she loved him; if—nay, she must love him, and he would -find it out by-and-by; he could not but be fond of her. Only give them -time; he was vexed with her for the moment; it would all come right. -Nevertheless it was hard to give him her answer. “Mr. Meade,” she said, -speaking more firmly now, “it is very good of you. I thank you very -much. I can’t listen to you; it is better not.” - -“Are you engaged to that man who went to New Zealand?” - -“My cousin? No, certainly not; why should you think so?” - -“Joan said something about it, that is partly why I determined to know -my fate at once.” - -“You must have misunderstood her altogether. When did you see her last?” - -“About a fortnight ago. I can’t remember,” he replied, impatiently. “I -believe your whole thoughts are wrapped up in her.” - -“I beg your pardon. I didn’t mean to vex you. Can’t we be friends, at -least?” - -Up to the present moment she had indeed been thinking how she could -best make a reconciliation possible between him and Joan. With a sharp -pang it struck her that perhaps after all she was in the wrong. - -“Listen,” he said; “I am in earnest, in bitter earnest. You believe me, -don’t you?” - -“Yes,” said Embrance. - -“Thank you. I was sure of that, at least. I care so much that I can’t -stay here any longer, coming to see you like a stranger, and having -no right to help you in any way whatever. I have seen enough in the -last few months to guess a little what your work is. No; let me say it -out to the end. Before I knew you I fancied that you were selfish and -indifferent. Heaven knows how wrong I was! If I can’t win your love, it -is my own fault. Embrance, don’t decide in a hurry. Think it over. I -love you. Give me a chance.” - -They had reached the crowded thoroughfare. Gaslights were flaring; the -road was thronged with cabs and carts; the people were pushing along -the pavement, too busy to notice the quiet couple, or to observe that -the plain girl in an ulster had a white face, and that the lines of her -mouth were set with pain and suffering. Across the street, in a few -minutes, they were in a dreary square. Here there were no loiterers. A -murky grey sky; black trees, flinging their gaunt arms to the chimney -pots; rows of melancholy stone houses, with carved heads, placidly -unconcerned, gazing down from the lintels. - -In vain she strove to find words to tell him her perplexity. How could -she accept this gift from his hands, believing as she did that the -child at home was longing to make friends with him? How should she -return and look her friend in the face, saying, “I have stolen your -lover”? - -“Embrance, be patient with me,” Joan had said. “Embrance, don’t give me -up.” - -Then she turned and put her hand into Horace’s. Her fingers were cold -as ice, but they did not tremble. “I can’t; don’t ask me,” she cried -under her breath. - -He strode by her side in silence. An empty cab came rattling round the -corner. “Stop it,” whispered Embrance. He obeyed her, opened the door, -and told the man where to drive. He lifted his hat, standing on one -side, and waiting for the cab to drive off. At last she raised her eyes -to his. “Forgive me,” she whispered; “do forgive me. God bless you, -Horace.” - -He turned away without a word. What should he say more than he had -said? She could not love him. There was nothing more to be done. She -was no coquette to say “No” when she meant “Yes.” Fate was hard on him. -The one woman in the whole world whom he longed to call his wife had -rejected his love. He must bear his grief as best he could. - -Embrance sank back into a dark corner of the cab, shuddering as she -recalled his look of misery. She had none of the spirit of a heroine -or a martyr to support her; she had tried, struggling against her own -self, to act uprightly by one friend; suppose that her very love of -honesty had caused her to be cruel to another? Now that it was all -too late, she longed to have the last five minutes over again. No, -a thousand times, no! Let her only get home and have time to think, -and she would leave off being sorry. Whether rightly or wrongly, she -had done what seemed honest and fair; she would not reproach herself, -and he would soon get over it. “Men forget sooner than women,” she -reflected, falling back on one of her aunt’s numerous truisms. Then -she almost laughed in scorn at her own insincerity. “You don’t believe -it; you know he loves you, and your ridiculous behaviour will make him -think worse of all womanhood from this day forth.” “Oh! I hope not. I -hope not!” she sobbed aloud, with her head against the cushion of the -cab. - -The sound of her own voice roused her to the consciousness that she -was getting very near home; she sat up, dried her eyes and smoothed -her hair. It would not do to alarm Joan; what had happened this -afternoon must be kept a secret from her at all events. She had her own -latch-key. She opened the door and stole upstairs. The landlady and -her daughter were chatting in the back parlour, but Embrance did not -want to exchange civilities with them just now. Outside her own door -she paused for a moment, then opened it, saying: “Well, Joan, are you -waiting for your tea?” - -There was no answer. The lamp was lighted, the tablecloth was laid, but -Joan was not there. Her chair was in a corner by the window; there were -no signs of her drawing or scraps of millinery about. - -“Joan!” cried Embrance, nervously. “Where are you?” - -No answer. She ran to the door of the next room and looked in; all was -dark and silent. “I suppose it is not so late as I thought,” she said -to herself. “She will be in soon, I daresay.” - -She took off her bonnet, and sat down to wait with a book, but she -could not fix her attention. She was very, very tired, and rather -lonely; she did wish that Joan would come. The longing to speak to -somebody was so great, that after a short time she put out her hand and -rang the bell. Annie came running upstairs at the summons; her eyes -were round with excitement; she hardly waited to hear Miss Clemon’s -question. - -“Did Miss Fulloch leave any message for me when she went out?” - -“No, miss; she’s been gone ever since ten o’clock, half an hour after -you left. I heard the door bang, and I said to myself, ‘What’s that?’ -And it was Miss Fulloch; she had on her new bonnet, with the pink -feather, that she was making.” - -“Never mind the bonnet, Annie; did she say when she would be in to tea?” - -“No, miss; and I expect she won’t be back; she took her bag.” - -“Very well. I will wait half an hour, and then, please, bring tea.” - -“There’s something wrong upstairs,” was Annie’s report in the kitchen. -“Miss Clemon looks as if she see a ghost. She isn’t half the lady she -was.” - -Seven o’clock struck; eight o’clock, nine o’clock, and no Joan -appeared. Embrance drank a cup of tea, but she could not eat anything. -In vain she told herself that very likely Mrs. Rakely had made one of -her flying visits to London, and had persuaded Joan to spend the day -with her; it was absurd to be anxious; of course she would be back -directly; nevertheless she could not read, write, or rest. The late -postman brought a letter for Miss Clemon. Annie, having studied the -envelope on the way upstairs, saw that the postmark was Brighton. - -Embrance took the letter. The handwriting, firm and neat, was quite -strange to her. She opened it hastily. - -“Dear old Embrance” (it began). “I had not the courage to say good-bye -to you this morning, but I told you that I had a secret, and I -think you guessed it; you are so clever. I was afraid you would be -disappointed, you meant me to be a painter’s wife, didn’t you? but -I was happily married to Alfred Brownhill this morning, and we are -spending our honeymoon at Brighton. We must come and see you before we -go to Doveton. Alfred sends his kind regards; he remembers you quite -well. You will be glad to hear that I am so happy; I hope you won’t -miss me too much, you busy old dear.—Your loving, JOAN BROWNHILL. P.S. -Alfred likes the bonnet very much. He wrote the address; were you -mystified?” - -A little bunch of sweet smelling violets dropped out of the letter and -scented the room—Joan always loved flowers. She liked everything that -was pleasant and good to look upon. - -Alfred Brownhill! he was a staid, middle-aged man, with a comfortable -home and a prosperous income. No wonder that old Mr. Fulloch had wished -for the marriage. He would be surprised, too, and would wonder that -his grand-daughter had not returned to his roof, as she was prepared to -follow his advice at last. But Embrance saw clearly enough that Joan -would never have done that. A runaway wedding, and a triumphant return -to Doveton, would be much more to her taste. She looked at Joan’s -unused cup and saucer on the table, and she shivered as she realised -the truth; her friend would never come back. While she had been -rejecting the pleadings of a good man who loved her, Joan had perhaps -been telling her husband that “Embrance wished her to marry a painter.” - -“I will write to him,” she said, turning to the little table where she -had so often sat when he and Joan talked together over the fire. She -never swerved from her intention; he had been cruelly treated; he might -not care to accept her apology, that did not matter. She must see him -once more, and explain to him that she had been deceived—mistaken, that -was a more gracious word. She would write no more than she could help. - -“Dear Mr. Meade,—Please come and see me. I have made a mistake.—Yours -truly, EMBRANCE CLEMON.” - -She knew his address, she had written to him before, asking him to do -various little acts of kindness for Joan. Once she had been to tea at -his rooms, with Mrs. Rakely and Joan, he had shown her his sketches and -asked her opinion about his pictures. It was all long ago. It had been -a bitterly cold day, Joan had caught a bad sore throat, and was ill for -a week afterwards; she had been an impatient invalid, and Horace had -called to inquire after her very often, and had left fruit and flowers. - -Embrance could no longer endure the loneliness of the little parlour; -she missed Joan terribly, her laugh and her many coaxing ways. She -longed for air; it was a good excuse for posting the letter herself. As -she tied her bonnet-strings before the glass, she shrank back aghast at -the sight of her pale face. She put on a thick veil and threw a shawl -over her shoulders; she would feel happier when the letter was once in -the pillar-box. A hundred times she had been up and down the crooked -staircase in the dark; to-night, it might be that she was tired, or -that her eyes were full of tears, but her foot slipped, she clutched -instinctively at the banister, missed it, and fell down into the -darkness below. - -So it came about that the letter to Horace Meade was left unposted till -the following morning. - -Some days passed before Embrance could leave her room; the doctor, -whom the landlady had summoned in her fright, said that she had -sprained her ankle badly, and ordered perfect rest. The people in -the house were good to the solitary invalid; the first-floor lodger -brought her knitting and a great many dull stories of her own youth, -and experiences of sprained ankles and broken limbs, and came and sat -by her sofa, while the landlady and Annie were unceasing in their -attentions. Some of Embrance’s pupils called, and Joan wrote sheets of -sympathy, crossed and recrossed. Her husband sent his kind regards and -hoped that Miss Clemon would come down to Doveton and stay there till -she was quite convalescent. However, Embrance refused the invitation, -she would rather stay at home for the present; later on, she would like -to visit Joan. - -Mrs. Brownhill, in the snug breakfast-room in her new home, fretted a -little over this refusal; then she recovered her spirits and laid plans -for summer excursions; it would be better to have Embrance, after all, -when the roses were in bloom. Alfred Brownhill was very much in love -with his young wife, and considered her interest in the welfare of her -sick friend the prettiest trait of character imaginable. - -“Poor old Embrance,” exclaimed Joan, with her hand in his; “I should -die of loneliness in that pokey room all by myself, but she has so much -strength of will; I don’t believe she minds a bit. I shall never be -like her!” - -“Heaven forbid!” murmured he devoutly. He was prepared to be kind -to the lady for his wife’s sake, but he had a virtuous horror of a -strong-minded woman wrapped up in herself, and his principles (which he -held sacred) did not allow him to disguise his feelings. - -In the meantime Embrance recovered slowly and went back to her work, -but she received no answer to her letter. - -(_To be concluded._) - - - - -ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. - - -EDUCATIONAL. - -L. M. D. (Suisse).—We have no charge whatever to make against the -moral or intellectual training given in Swiss schools, having had -opportunities for making ourselves well acquainted with some of them. -But we speak advisedly in stating that, on the score of diet, and -certain other matters, English habits differ from those of foreign -countries, and many English constitutions cannot bear so great a change -with impunity, especially young growing girls. Thus it is better that -they should be educated at schools in their own country; or, if abroad, -should attend day schools, or engage visiting masters, and sleep and -board at home. We have many Swiss friends, and are partial to them and -their country. We are glad you like our paper, being one of “our girls.” - -YOUNG ANTIQUARY.—The word “cromleac” is a compound of two Irish -words—viz, _crom_, “to adore,” or “worship,” and _leac_, “a stone.” -_Crom_ was likewise one of the Irish names of the supreme God. These -ancient remains are therefore very clearly those of altars or places of -worship. You would learn all that is known of them by reading Higgins’ -rare work on the round towers, etc., in the British Museum. - - -WORK. - -DUCHESS.—To tan a tennis net, soak it in boiled oil, and let it dry -under cover, hung up in the air. Your writing is too full of flourishes. - -YOUNG MOTHER, HELEN C.—Get a shilling manual with knitting and crochet -patterns. Our space cannot be occupied by them. - -FLORENCE GOBBLER.—We thank you for your communication about hat -cleaning. - -COURTS.—Clothing for Ceylon should consist of what we here call summer -clothing—white and pale-coloured cambrics, tussore and Surah silks, -very thin cashmere, silk gauze webs for undervests, etc. Go to an -Indian outfitter’s, and you will be shown the materials which are the -most suitable. - -T. A. and C. M.—The best dress for tricycle-riding is a tailor-made -short habit, or tight short jacket, and a plain narrow cloth skirt, -without any trimmings, festooning, and draping. - -C. C.—Table centres are much used for dinner parties, but not of -gathered up plush. They are made of straight pieces of silk, German -canvas, or satin sheeting, ornmented with an appliqué of plaited straw, -or plush edged with fine cord or tinsel. - - -MISCELLANEOUS. - -MAUD.—Go to the police office and inform the inspector of your trouble -and the cruel treatment to which you are subjected, and he will take -you to the proper quarters, where you may obtain a separation and -an allowance. Do nothing rashly and nothing wrong, be your trials -and provocations what they may. What you suggested to us would be -very wrong indeed, and we think and hope you must have done so under -great excitement. If by word or act you thoughtlessly gave cause for -jealousy, you might not obtain the separation and allowance, to which -otherwise you could lay just claim. Pray God to guide you and preserve -you from evil. - -BLUSH ROSE.—_Requiescat in pace_ means “Rest in peace.” - -LOTTA.—Try to live much in prayer during each day while at your -business, or in little intervals of leisure. The responsibility of -either turning to God and accepting or “neglecting so great salvation” -lies on you. You are not a mere puppet, but a reasonable being, and -have been given to distinguish between good and evil. “Ye _will_ not -come unto Me,” not “Ye _shall_ not come.” “Why will ye die?” etc. Do -not let anyone deceive you with the idea that you have no free will. -God does not unjustly “gather where He does not strew.” He had already -given the one pound to the idle servant, and thus supplied the means -for trading, or would not have expected any return. May He guide you -aright. - -KITTIE.—Perhaps some glycerine or vaseline might remove the roughness -from your face and neck. Get some nice nursery hairwash and apply it to -the skin of your head with a small sponge. - -HARRY’S WIFE.—We sympathise with you in your trouble and your sister -in her sufferings. Certainly, the prayer offered in faith, resting on -God’s promises, will certainly be answered. He who bestows faith will -accept His own gift with favour. It is He who is drawing your heart -towards Him. - -EMMA WALKER.—There is the Royal Free Hospital in Gray’s-inn-road, W.C., -for the relief of the sick poor of all nations, without any letter of -recommendation or other claim beyond sickness and destitution. Write to -the secretary, James S. Blyth, Esq. About 2,000 in-patients and 25,000 -out-patients are annually under its care. - -BEATRICE MARIE.—1. The 16th July, 1869, was a Friday. 2. A series of -articles on girls’ pets was given in vol. iv., pages 83, 274, 602, and -731. - -A DARK LADY and SUSSEX.—When a married man dies intestate, having -children, the widow can claim one-third of his property, and the -remaining two-thirds are divided between his children in equal -portions. If he die without children, the widow can claim one-half -of his property, and the rest is divided in equal portions between -his nearest of kin. “Sussex” is quite wrong in his ideas respecting -a brother’s claims taking precedence of those of the widow and the -children, and it would be most unjust if such were the law. The “Dark -Lady” writes well. - -PRISCILLA.—Your digestion needs attention, and perhaps your diet and -mode of life. If you get a bad headache whenever you read for long at a -time, why do you attempt it? Read a little from time to time, and rest -your eyes and the feeble nerves connected with the brain. - -ADELAIDE.—What you name are designed as acts expressing respect and -veneration for Him whom we worship on bended knee. We cannot enter more -fully into the subject of your letter. We have no remembrance of any -letter signed “Ade.” - -ANTOINETTE R. informs us that “she is pretty,” and that gentlemen -whom she serves in her father’s shop “stare at her as if she were an -unseen object.” (?) We fail to understand what that means. She should -resolutely try to forget herself, and give her whole attention to -selling her father’s gloves, etc. - -JULIA F. E. must count the feet of her verses, so as to get them even. -It will not do to have nine feet in one line and eight in another. -“Heaven” and “driven” do not rhyme, and in the poem to a “Skylark” here -are many mistakes in the length of the feet. But, after all, to an -invalid the pleasure of writing down the “thoughts that oppress” and -“the words which burn” is very great, and the relief is excellent both -for brain and the feelings. - -AN ENGLISH VOICE FROM IRELAND.—We certainly could not advise you to -marry under the circumstances that you “neither love nor respect” the -man to whom you have promised your hand. Perhaps you do not know your -own mind, and had better ask to wait a year before you decide finally. - -MARION, NEWCASTLE.—The new volume of the G. O. P. begins with the -November part. You could improve your writing by crossing your “t’s” -and dotting your “i’s.” - -RILLY.—The Malvern Home of Rest might suit you. Particulars may be had -from the Hon. Mrs. Hewett, Barnard’s Green, Great Malvern. There is -also Fern House, Coleshill, Warwickshire, standing high, having a large -garden, etc. Apply for terms to Miss Price, Fern House, Coleshill, -Warwickshire. We think that one of these might suit you. If a boarder -were willing to share a bedroom, the charge would be 17s. per week, -everything included except washing, which would be 9d. a dozen. - -ANNIE.—The office of the Poor Clergy Relief Corporation, an institution -intended to give aid in temporary distress to them, their widows, or -orphans, is at 36, Southampton-street, Strand, W.C. - -THYRA and CASSY.—There is no “usual time” for giving answers. There is -very little space allowed for putting them in. In reference to your -question, the use of tweezers and pumice-stone is all that we can -recommend. - -AUNTIE LAURIE.—Your parents’ objection to an engagement with the -man you name is fully justified by his conduct. The fact that he -has endeavoured to induce you, a minor, to rebel against them and -“marry him secretly,” shows him to be devoid of all honour and right -principle. He is taking a disgraceful advantage of your youth, -weakness, and inexperience. - -MAUDE SCOTT.—1. When a cemetery is closed it is generally because the -neighbourhood has become overcrowded near it. We never heard of a -cemetery being re-opened. 2. The colours of the hoods worn by clergymen -and their linings show the university or college from which they come. - -A PERPLEXED ONE.—We know of no remedy so good as golden ointment. But -why not consult a doctor, as your house and its surroundings must be in -fault? - -A SCOTCHWOMAN.—“Edward Garrett” is the _nom de plume_ under which -Isabella Fyvie Mayo has written several popular works, amongst others, -“Occupations of a Retired Life,” and “Premiums Paid to Experience.” - -VIRGINIA MAUD.—We could not answer your letter at the length you -desire, as we have no space in our columns. We should advise you to -write to the secretary, Girls’ Friendly Society, central office, 3, -Victoria Mansions, Victoria-street, Westminster, S.W., with a view to -joining the Girls’ Friendly Society, which will offer you all the aid -and information you may require. - -LILY.—Ten extra summer and Christmas numbers have now been published. - -HERMON’S SERVANT.—Ember Week is a corruption of _Quatuor tempora_, -through the Dutch _Quatemper_ and German _Quatember_. The four times -are after Quadragesima Sunday, Whit Sunday, Holyrood Day (September), -and St. Lucia’s Day (December). The ancient belief that persons sat in -embers or ashes on those days is without foundation. - -RANCE and GYPSY.—Canaries’ claws when too long can be cut with a small -pair of sharp scissors, but it is a very delicate business to perform. - -PORTIA.—Your sending out cards of thanks for kind inquiries is an -intimation that you are prepared to receive the visits of the friends -who made them. That will decide the time for you. Until you send the -cards, they would be most indiscreet and intrusive in calling, unless -the very nearest relations, or an exceptionally intimate and privileged -friend. - -ROWENA.—It is a fixed and general rule that for a girl to ride out only -with a riding master is very far from expedient. Of course, if he were -an uncle or brother, or a very old and respectable married man, the -objection would be lessened, especially if riding up and down the sea -sands in full sight, instead of taking a country ride out of sight. -There should always be a second lady or a brother, though quite young. - -JERBOA is thanked for her kind letter, and the Editor feels much -obliged to those who proposed his health at the dinner party “Jerboa” -attended. She makes the tails of her letters too long below the lines. -Those above are of a suitable and prettier length. Make them correspond. - -PRISCILLA may probably outgrow her headaches, as she is so young. They -may arise from various causes. Thus, we could not prescribe without due -acquaintance with her constitution and many surrounding circumstances. - -[Illustration: A COQUETTE.] - -LOUIE.—Your informant was right, and probably drew his information from -Major A. B. Ellis’s work, entitled “West African Islands,” published -last year. Canaries have no song in their wild state; it is of -artificial origin, and the song our birds give us in no way resembles -their natural shrill chirp. They are placed in cages near those of -birds already trained to sing, and when accustomed to imprisonment -they strive hard to imitate the notes of their educated fellows. The -natives of the Canary Islands keep a large stock on hand in process of -training. The young of those trained and taught naturally learn from -the parent birds. - -ELLA BROWN.—The statue of the Venus de Medici is only 4 feet 11½ -inches in height. It is believed to be the production of Cleomenes, of -Athens, of the second century. It was exhumed in the seventh century -near Tivoli, in the villa of Hadrian, and was removed in 1680, by Cosmo -III., to the Imperial Gallery at Florence, from the Medici Palace -at Rome. It was broken into eleven pieces when discovered, all in a -perfect state, one arm only missing, which has been added. - -TWIN SISTERS.—The 5th of June, 1876, was a Monday. - -C. OF RUDOLSTADT, IDA, and STELLA.—We are inundated with verses from -girls, young and untaught; and, as a rule, the same opinion and -criticism would be suitable for all alike. But in the case of “Ida’s” -verses there is some promise of better to come; as, at least, she has a -good ear for rhythm. Our young friend with the long name should count -the feet and make each line correspond with its fellow, observing -where the beat falls in every line, and placing it uniformly on the -same syllable in each verse. Those that follow her first verse neither -correspond with it in feet nor in the beat. Though quite incorrect, -there is some little poetic feeling in “Stella’s” lines. - -VEVEY.—We are much obliged for your article, but are unable to give it -a place in our columns owing to lack of space. - -LULU.—Consult our series of articles on “Good Breeding,” and “The -Habits of Polite Society.” At page 314, vol. ii., you will find -“Dinners in Society,” and from this you can glean all the information -you require. You only show your good sense in making inquiries when -unacquainted with any subject. There is nothing to be ashamed of in so -doing. - -BULB.—You should put out a good-sized barrel or tub to catch any -rainfall in a garden, backyard, or on the leads, where accessible, and -use it at least for the face and hands. - -LILY LEAVES.—To prevent moths from eating your clothes in the summer, -keep them constantly brushed and aired. Camphor, Keating’s powder, or -sandal-wood shavings should be placed about all clothing that is kept -in boxes and cupboards. The 23rd of September, 1867, was a Monday. - -MILLICENT LEIGH.—St. Catharine was a virgin martyr, who suffered at -Alexandria under Maximin in 307, and whose relics were said to have -been miraculously conveyed to Mount Sinai, where they are preserved -in a monastery. The celebrated Duchess of Devonshire was the youngest -daughter of John, Earl of Spencer, born, June, 1757; died, March, 1806. -Her beauty, wit, and audacity made her one of the most celebrated women -of her day. - -A WARD IN CHANCERY.—Rice thrown at a bride is a relic of the _panis -farreus_ in the most honourable form of marriage amongst the ancient -Romans, and it was called _Confarreatio_. Orange blossoms were first -worn by Saracen brides, but the modern custom of wearing them is a -fashion introduced by dressmakers, and is referrable to the “language -of flowers.” - -ARMISTICE.—The redness of the scar can only be removed by time. Nature -has produced a new skin, but, like that of a new-born infant, it is -tender and red. Leave it alone. - -MAUD KINSLEY.—_Au revoir_ is the French for “to see again,” and is -pronounced as “o-rev-voir,” and _retroussé_ means “turned up,” or -“tucked up,” and is pronounced as “re-troo-say.” - -ANAHUAC (Mexico).—The individual who is desirous of being naturalised -as a British subject should have resided seven years in Great Britain. -Did the applicant do so when being educated in England? Children belong -to the father’s nationality, not the mother’s. The British consul would -give all necessary instructions and assistance. - -T. M. B.—Your nice letter deserves a kindly acknowledgment. You may -send as much as would fill a sheet of notepaper as a specimen of your -style and originality of ideas, and we shall hope to give you our -opinion, as you desire. - -WILL’S DARLING.—We do not know how to advise you, save to marry and -live with your aged grandmother. You cannot possibly leave her, and in -all probability she will be glad to have you comfortably settled with a -kind husband before she is called away. Your writing is rather careless. - -SHINY FACE.—It is not the so-called working men whose wives enter -learned professions and neglect home duties. They enter public-houses -instead. The complete monopoly of almost all occupations for -bread-earning for such a length of time by men could not continue -amongst an ever-increasing population; so many suitable fields of -intellectual and manual work have been shut out from women by their -“natural protectors.” It is sad to see the latter selling tapes -and ribbons behind counters. They can be clergymen, schoolmasters, -soldiers, sailors, emigrants to prepare new settlements, lumberers, -navvies, engine-drivers, stokers, mechanics, chimney sweepers, masons, -etc., and the women will leave all such work to them. But dairy, fruit, -flower, poultry, and other farming may be very suitably directed by -women; also printing, binding, engraving, designing, china painting, -and very many other ways of bread-earning should be equally open to -them as to men. - -ROSELEAF.—An ell (cloth measure) was fixed at 45 inches by Henry I., -A.D. 1101. The word is derived from _ulna_, “the arm,” although much -longer than that member; but even now measurements are made by it. - -LADY ADELAIDE.—Edelweiss is pronounced as “A-dle-vice.” - -ANXIOUS ONE.—Lessons can be had to cure stammering. Fill your lungs -well with air, and consider what you wish to say before you speak. Make -your sentences very short, and open your mouth well. When alone, read -aloud, and beat time with your foot or hand regularly at every second -syllable. - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber’s note—the following changes have been made to this text. - -Page 180: flocked to flock—“with his washed flocked”.] - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER, VOL. VIII, NO. -364, DECEMBER 18, 1886 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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