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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2e79514 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66099 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66099) diff --git a/old/66099-0.txt b/old/66099-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index bbb9066..0000000 --- a/old/66099-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2854 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 993, -January 7, 1899, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 993, January 7, 1899 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: August 21, 2021 [eBook #66099] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Susan Skinner, Chris Curnow, Pamela Patten and the Online - Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER, VOL. XX, NO. -993, JANUARY 7, 1899 *** - -[Illustration: AN ANTIQUE FÊTE. - -_From the Painting in the Salon by P. L. VAGNIER._] - - - - -[Illustration: THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER - -VOL. XX.—NO. 993.] JANUARY 7, 1899. [PRICE ONE PENNY.] - - - - -SELF-CULTURE FOR GIRLS. - - -[Illustration: ASPIRATION.] - -_All rights reserved._] - - -PART I. - -There is, perhaps, no word in the present day which has been more -frequently used and abused than “culture.” It has come so readily to -the lips of modern prophets, that it has acquired a secondary and -ironical significance. Some of our readers may have seen a clever -University parody (on the _Heathen Chinee_) describing the encounter of -two undergraduates in the streets of Oxford. One, in faultless attire, -replies proudly to the other’s inquiry where he is going— - -“I am bound for some tea and tall culture.” - -He is, in fact, on the way to a meeting of the Browning Society, and -when a Don hurries up to tell him the society has suddenly collapsed, -great is the lamentation! - -Probably the society in question deserved no satire at all; but there -is a sort of “culture for culture’s sake” which does deserve to be held -up to ridicule. - -We find nothing to laugh at, however, but a very real pathos, in the -letters that are reaching us literally from all quarters of the globe; -and we long to help the writers, as well as those who have similar -needs and longings unexpressed. “How can I attain self-culture?” is the -question asked in varying terms, but with the same refrain. - -Girls, after schooldays are past, wake up to find themselves in a -region of vast, dimly-perceived possibilities: - -“Moving about in worlds not realised.” - -More to be pitied is the lot of those who have not had any schooldays -at all worth speaking of, and who are awaking to their own mental -poverty—poverty, while there is wealth all about them which they -cannot make their own. Their case is like that of the heir to some vast -estates, who cannot enjoy them, because he cannot prove his title. - -What, then, is this much talked-of culture? - -There are several things which it is _not_. - -To begin with, it is not a superficial smattering of certain -accomplishments. - -It is not a general readiness to talk about the reviews one has read of -new books. - -It is not the varnish acquired from associating day by day with -well-educated and urbane people. - -It is not development to an enormous extent in one direction only. - -It is not attending one course of University Extension Lectures. - -It is not the knack of cramming for examinations, and of passing them -with _éclat_. - -All these elements may enter into culture, but they are not culture -itself. - -It is a harder matter to define culture than to say what it is not. -As we write these words, our eye falls on the saying of a well-known -prelate, reported in the _Times_ of the day: “General culture—another -name for sympathetic interest in the world of human intelligence.” -This sounds rather highflown and difficult, but we may add three more -definitions— - -“Culture is a study of perfection.”—_Matthew Arnold._ - -“Culture is the passion for sweetness and light, and (what is more) the -passion for making them prevail.”—_Matthew Arnold._ - -“Culture is the process by which a man becomes all that he was created -capable of being.”—_Carlyle._ - -The third of these is, perhaps, the best working definition of culture, -for it shows its real importance and significance, and also makes it -simpler to understand. - -Look at a neglected garden. The grass is long and rank; the beds are a -mere tangle of weeds and of straggling flowers that have run to seed, -or deteriorated in size and sweetness until they can hardly be called -flowers at all. It is a wilderness. - -The garden is taken in hand and cultivated, not by a mechanical -ignorant gardener, but by someone who understands the capacities of -the soil, and knows what will do well and repay his care. See the -transformation in time to come! There is everything by turn that is -beautiful in its season; the lovely herbaceous border, the standard -rose-trees, the sheltered bed of lilies of the valley, the peaches -on the warm southern wall, the ferns waving in feathery profusion -in the cool corner near the well—all that the garden can produce -for delight to the eye or for food is there. The ground is not given -over exclusively to one flower, one vegetable; it is not stocked -mechanically for the summer with geraniums and calceolarias; but it is, -as we say in homely parlance, “made the most of” in every particular, -and is a delight to behold. - -This may seem a simple illustration, and we are writing not for the -erudite, but for the simple reader. The man or woman of culture is -the man or woman whose nature has been cultivated in such a way as to -develop all its capabilities in the best possible direction; whose -education has been adapted skilfully to taste and capacity, and who has -been taught the art of self-instruction. - -It is hardly necessary to urge the value of this “cultivation.” -“Cultivation is as necessary to the mind as food to the body,” said -a wise man, and this is gradually coming to be believed. Culture is -something more by far than mere instruction, though instruction is a -means by which it may be attained. Bearing in mind our simile of the -garden, we are led on from one thought to another. - -It was a very wise man indeed who pointed out that, even as ground will -produce something, “herbs or weeds,” the mind will not remain empty -if it is not cultivated; it tends to become full of silly or ignorant -thoughts like “an unweeded garden.” - -Again, in a well-ordered, cultivated plot of ground we have what is -useful as well as what is lovely. In culture, not only the acquirement -of “useful knowledge” plays a part, but the storing of the mind with -what is beautiful, the development of taste in all directions. - -In brief, a woman of real culture is the woman who makes you -instinctively feel, when in her company, that she is just what she was -meant to be; harmoniously developed in accordance with her natural -capacity. There is nothing startling about her paraded attainments. -The extreme simplicity of a person of true culture is one of the most -marked traits, and the chief point that distinguishes spurious from -real culture is that the former is inclined to “tall talk” and the -latter is not. - -Charles Dickens can still make us smile at his caricature of an -American L. L. (literary lady) and her remarks on her introduction to -some great personage. She immediately begins— - -“Mind and matter glide swift into the vortex of Immensity. Howls the -sublime, and softly sleeps the calm Ideal in the whispering chambers -of Imagination. To hear it, sweet it is. But then outlaughs the stern -philosopher and saith to the Grotesque: ‘What ho; arrest for me that -Agency! Go, bring it here!’ And so the vision fadeth.” - -The woman of culture does not attempt fine talking, and it is only -gradually that her power and charm dawn upon her companion. “It is -proof of a high culture to say the greatest matters in the simplest -way.” - -In the same manner simplicity is a proof of high breeding. The people -who are “somebody” are, as a rule, easy to “get on” with. It is the -rich “parvenue” who is disconcerting, and who tries to drag into her -conversation the names of great people or great doings that will -impress her companion. - -When we observe this sort of thing in a woman, we always know she is -not “to the manner born.” So when we hear people declare, “I am afraid -of So-and-so because she is so clever,” we feel that, if there is -ground for their fear, there is something defective in the clever one’s -culture. - - -WHY SHOULD CULTURE BE DESIRED? - -It opens the eye and ear to the beauty and greatness of the world, -revealing wonders that could not otherwise be understood, and bringing -with it a wealth of happiness; and more, it gives an understanding -of life in its due proportion. The woman of culture is not the woman -who objects to perform necessary tasks at a pinch because they are -“menial,” or takes offence at imaginary slights, or is for ever -fussing about her domestic duties and her servants, or gets up little -quarrels and “storms in a teacup” generally, or delights in ill-natured -gossip. She sees how ineffably small such things are, and she sees them -in this light because she has the width of vision which enables her to -discern the meaning of life as a whole. Those whose eyes have once been -opened to the beauty and pathos that lie around their path, even in the -common round of daily duty, do not notice the dust that clings to their -shoes. - -Sympathy is an accompaniment of true culture; the sympathy that comes -of understanding. Ignorant people are very often hard just because of -ignorance. They cannot in the least enter into the feelings of others, -nor do they understand that there is a world beyond their own miserable -little enclosure. - -For instance, what a puzzle a clever, sensitive, imaginative child is -to people of contented matter-of-fact stupidity! One need not think of -Maggie and Mrs. Tulliver, or Aurora Leigh and her aunt, to illustrate -this—there are plenty of examples from real life. - -The girl does not take to sewing and the baking of bread and puddings; -she is always wanting to get hold of a book—never so happy as when -she is reading. Or the boy is always poring over the mysteries of -fern and flower—never so happy as when he is afoot to secure some -fresh specimen. People of culture would foresee that the one may be a -student, the other a botanist, in days to come, and, while of course -insisting that practical duty is not selfishly overlooked, they would -try to give scope for the individual taste. People without culture -would set the whole thing down as laziness and vagabond trifling and -“shirking,” to be severely repressed. Sympathetic insight is one of -the most valuable attributes of culture; valuable all through life, -especially when dealing with others. - -But we can imagine that the reader may be thinking rather hopelessly, -“It is not necessary to preach to me on the advantages of culture; I -am fully convinced of them; but all you say makes me hopeless of ever -attaining such a degree of perfection. In fact, I can see culture is -not for me at all, and I must just go on as I am.” - -The dictionary definition of culture is “the application of labour, -or other means, to improve good qualities, or growth.” This does not -sound quite like the other definitions, and a great deal of confusion -has been caused by people forgetting that the word “culture” is used -for two things—the “process” of cultivation, and the “result” of that -process. Now it is quite true that “culture,” in the last and highest -sense, is not within the reach of all our readers; but surely there is -no reader who would say she cannot “apply labour or other means” to -improve her intelligence, be it in ever so small a degree. It is better -to cultivate a garden ever so little than to leave it a wilderness. - -Culture, looked upon as a process, may begin and go on almost -indefinitely. Goethe well says— - -“Woe to every sort of culture which destroys the most effectual means -of all true culture, and directs us to the end, instead of rendering us -happy on the way.” - -In other words, it is foolish to strain miserably after “culture for -culture’s sake,” endeavouring to reach an impossible goal, and feeling -discontented and wretched because it is too remote. The wise way is to -do the best one can with the opportunities that lie within reach. Every -girl who reads these pages can do something to render herself a little -nearer her ideal of “culture,” and in the subsequent papers we shall -try to show her how she can best succeed. - - LILY WATSON. - -(_To be continued._) - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHRONICLES OF AN ANGLO-CALIFORNIAN RANCH. - -BY MARGARET INNES. - - -CHAPTER IV. - - OUR CHOICE OF LAND FOR LEMONS—THE PLANTING OF THE TREES—OUR - REMOVAL TO THE BARN. - -Meanwhile we were furiously busy at the old search again. We were -able to get more and fresh details about the whole business from a -source which we knew to be perfectly reliable; and as these facts -were encouraging, we picked up heart again. The whole surrounding -neighbourhood was driven over, generally with a pick and shovel in the -buggy with which to make careful examination of the depth and kind of -soil. - -There were plenty of ready-made ranches for sale, but they were never -just what we wanted. So we resolved that if we bought anything, it -should be untouched, uncleared land, on some of the foothills where -we could get a broad and sweeping view of the splendid ranges of -mountains. We would make our own ranch, planned after our own tastes, -and, above all, we would build our own house. - -We had determined to plant lemons. They seemed to us to have many -advantages over other fruits. The land which will produce fine lemons -must necessarily be limited in area; it must be high enough to escape -the frost. Lemons do not need the great heat which is needed to ripen -oranges. They are gathered all the year round and will keep. Deciduous -fruit ripens all at one time, and has to be gathered and sold at once, -which makes it necessary to engage outside labour. As all wages are -very high, this is a heavy expense. Even if the fruit is dried, as -in the case of peaches, pears, prunes, apples, etc., for winter use, -considerable work is involved, and as far as we can learn, yields only -a small profit for this extra trouble. Lemons too, in America, are a -daily necessity, not a luxury. Everyone uses them, and the drinking -saloons alone require a constant supply. - -These were the principal reasons which decided our choice, and at last, -after a whole year’s uncertainty, we found land in a position that we -liked—good rich land, lying high, and in a most beautiful position, -with a splendid view of the distant mountains, the tops of five ranges -standing up, one behind the other, and the different distances marked -with exquisite softness of colouring. - -It was situated about fourteen miles from San Miguel, not out of reach -of the cool breeze which blows from the sea all day and every day -during the summer. - -We went many times to examine it, and finally the great decision was -taken to buy thirty acres. At that time we found we could buy in this -neighbourhood first-class citrus land, with water, at about one hundred -dollars the acre. We knew there was no good land to be had for less. As -a matter of fact, however, the first cost of land and water bears but -a small proportion to the whole cost of the ranch up to the point of -yielding returns. - -After our long time of anxious indecision, it was a relief to have -something settled about the future, and to plan and work for the new -home, although I must confess that, as long as no definite steps had -been taken, I was conscious of a hope buried deep down out of sight, -that it might be proved wisest for us to return to the dear old -country. The home-sickness was such a hunger and pain. - -It was the month of June when we bought our land, and we were anxious -to plant as many trees as possible without delay, for the later the -summer, the drier the ground. Spring is, of course, the best time for -planting, when the earth is in beautiful condition after the winter -rains. But to wait till next spring seemed too great a loss of time. -We were very proud of ourselves that we managed to get five hundred -beautiful little lemon-trees planted before the end of July. - -Considering that the ground had to be cleared of brush and sumac and -sage, then ploughed, and the water-pipes laid from the main in such a -manner as to reach all over the ranch, and the position of the trees -carefully measured (this last all the more difficult in our case, -because the ground is up and down hill)—considering all this hard -work, we had a right to some self-satisfaction. - -We were able to find a competent ranchman who lived quite conveniently -near, for, until we had time to build, there was nowhere for him to -sleep on the ranch, although, in some cases, the conveniences for these -men are of the roughest. We heard from one man that, when he arrived at -a new place and asked where he was to sleep, the “boss” stared at him -a moment, then, giving a comprehensive glance round his enormous tract -of land, said, “Well, if you can’t find a place to suit you in seven -thousand acres, I guess I can’t help you!” However, I do not vouch for -the truth of this, although sleeping out-of-doors in the summer months -in this beautiful climate is no hardship. - -During this busy time, my husband and eldest boy drove out constantly -to the ranch for a stay of three or four days at a time, returning home -for a short rest at the little house in San Miguel, then back again -to the hard work of planting, etc. On these expeditions they started -always very early in the morning, and took with them provisions and -various odds and ends to give them some comfort in the tent in which -they slept. - -We were feeling the urgent necessity for carrying through some plan -that would enable us to settle at the ranch altogether with as little -delay as possible. So we decided to have our barn built first and to -live in this till the house should be finished. This we carried out, -and it saved us much loss of time and vexation, both in building the -house and in working the ranch. - -It was an exciting moment when the day arrived for us to move from our -little house at San Miguel to the barn at the ranch. A removal is a -very different matter in this far-away corner from the same thing in -any more settled part of the world. Looking back to the old life in -the beloved old country, I find I have an almost sentimental regard for -the strong, well-trained men who come and help so splendidly at such -times. Here, where the rule of life is to help yourself in everything, -one has to be thankful for the most casual, untrained assistance—very -little of that too, and at a price that would make one open one’s eyes -at home. - -We had two large waggons coupled together, the one behind being called -a trailer, with six horses to pull the load; and our luggage, which -included a large iron cooking-stove and a grand piano, was packed into -these in a most casual fashion. They looked very top heavy when ready -to start, and we knew the road to be terribly rough, full of “chuck -holes” and sudden lumps. However, we waved the men a cheery farewell -as they lumbered off, and then turned to gather up the numberless -forgotten odds and ends and to pack them into the “Surrey,” which stood -waiting for us. - -It looked like part of a gipsy procession when we had finished, and -we rejoiced that our boys had gone with the waggons, for there seemed -absolutely no room for anybody inside the “Surrey.” Nevertheless, we -wedged ourselves in somehow, my husband and I and the “coloured lady” -whom I was taking out as cook, also two small dogs that had been added -to the family. Then we also lumbered off, leaving with rather mixed -feelings the little house where we had done our first housekeeping in -California. - -About a month before this, after many experiments with horses we had -bought a pair of greys, and now drove them out to the ranch, where -they were to plough and cultivate and to serve as carriage horses when -needed. - -The ordinary ranch horse is of a lighter build than his cousin the -English farm horse, having a strong dash of broncho mixed with his -peasant blood, which makes him rather lively and very tough. - -Ours were called Dan and Joe. Joe was very gentle and willing, and -Dan, who for some years had worked constantly with him, traded on his -goodness and left always the greatest strain of everything to him. -However, generally they ran along together at a good pace and gave no -trouble. - -This day we were obliged to go more slowly, as the “Surrey” was so -heavily laden, and the rough country roads bumped and lurched us -about so violently that it was difficult to keep ourselves and our -bundles from being shot into the air. With all our care, a large and -tempting piece of cheese, which had been added to the provisions as an -afterthought, disappeared, and we spent some valuable time in turning -back to hunt for it. - -We were anxious to reach the ranch as long before sunset as possible, -for we knew it would not be easy work to get our little family settled -in the barn. - -(_To be continued._) - - - - -ART IN THE HOUSE. - - -PART III. - -HOW TO STENCIL IN OIL COLOURS. - -Ordinary tube colours should be used for stencilling on your furniture -mixed with a little copal varnish and slightly thinned with turps. -Driers are put up in tubes under the names of _sacrum_ or sugar of -lead, and it is as well to mix a little with your colours as it makes -them dry off quickly. The white should be mixed up in a batch with the -varnish, driers and turps, and be of the consistency of thick cream. -Your tinting colours should be squeezed out on your palette so that you -can readily mix up your tones. - -[Illustration: FIG. 1.—_Panel of corner cupboard decorated in -stencilling. The centre panel is founded on the iris, with the daisy at -base._] - -Stencil brushes are round and short in the hair, so that they present -a flat surface on the stencil. You require three or four, two about an -inch in diameter, one five-eighths and one three-eighths or a quarter -of an inch. Two or three small flat hog brushes for touching in ties -and putting in particular parts of a stencil should be handy. We will -begin with the stiles of the door of chiffonier, which is decorated -with the ornamental stencil B, Fig. 1 in first article. We put the -corners in first and this corner I cut separately as I could not fit in -the stencil I was using. Having done this see how your other stencil -will work out, for it does not look workmanlike to start at the top -and find that you have to end it with a different spacing to what you -started with. If you begin in the centre of each stile and work to the -corners you will obtain a symmetrical result. Always remember to space -out any part of your work which is conspicuous, so that the stencil -seems to just fit in the space as though it were cut specially for -it. I find it a good plan to have some pins handy, and just tap in a -couple, one at each end of the stencil, to keep it from shifting while -you rub on the colour. Both your hands are then at liberty. Or you can -get a friend to hold the plate down on the wood, but the pinning does -almost better. If you shift the stencil before you have knocked out the -impression you will not get a sharp result. - -Having tinted your white to the desired tone spread a little of the -colour on to your palette and knock your stencil brush on to this -colour a few times, so that the brush takes up some of the colour, then -begin by gently knocking the brush on to the wood over the cut-out -portions until you have completely covered them with colour. Don’t -try to do this too quickly. Proceed gently, getting the colour out of -your brush by degrees, and take up the colour from the palette in the -same gentle manner. The reason for this caution is that if you take -up too much colour at a time in your brush and knock it violently on -the stencil plate, you will find when you lift up the same that the -impression, instead of being sharp will be blobby at the edges through -the colour having worked under the stencil. - -The art of stencilling is in getting sharp, clean impressions, and this -can only come of care and taking time. On no account get the colour -too thin. It should be of such a consistency as will enable you to -knock it out of the brush with slight exertion. If too stodgy thin it -with a drop or two of turps and linseed oil, and then mix with palette -knife, but on no account get turps into the stencil brush or you will -get very bad impressions, for the colour is sure then to run under the -stencil. Therefore again I say, don’t hurry. - -I have said nothing yet as to the tones of colour to be used. This is -a matter of taste, and is a most difficult subject to write about. -Two artists will use the same colours, and yet one with an eye for -colour will give us beautiful harmonies, and the other one wanting -this delicacy of perception will give us crudity. Form in your mind -some tone of colour suggested, say, by the warm mellow colours of -autumn, the soberer russet and greys of the winter, or the light, -fresh, delicate tints of spring, and carry these suggestions out in -your decoration. The corner cupboard, Fig. 1, we might tint in the -russet tones, and you will find that such colours as raw sienna, raw -umber, yellow ochre, _terra verte_, burnt sienna, chromes Nos. 1 and 2, -Prussian blue, French ultramarine, and light red will supply you with -a very varied palette. White tinted with yellow ochre, raw sienna or -raw umber are all good tones for stencilling in, and each of them can -be mixed or toned with one of the others. The addition of _terra verte_ -or Prussian blue will give you soft tones of green. By using such a -yellow as ochre to make greens you obtain softer, quieter tones than if -you used chromes. Suppose you have small quantities of the above three -tints mixed on your palette, you can take a little of one in your brush -and knock that out on the stencil, and then a little of the next tint -and knock that out, and so on with the third. In this way you get a -variety of tints in the stencilled border and yet a certain “tone” will -run all through, which gives one a sense of harmony, and at the same -time variety, and so lessens the hard mechanical look which stencilling -in just one colour is apt to give. Then, too, when you have knocked out -one impression before lifting off the stencil, you can take one of the -hog hair brushes or the smallest stencil brush and put in the body and -the portion of the wings around it of the butterflies B in the corner -cupboard, Fig. 1, in a little darker colour, say more raw umber or -sienna. It is very little more trouble and greatly adds to the general -effect to give these accents. The idea is to make the butterflies come -off the web, so keep the web lighter and the insects darker. In the -border B, Fig. 1, in first article the flowers might be touched in to -bring them off the lines of the background. - -The pattern on the spaces surrounding the door A, Fig. 1, can still -be in the same tones, varied as I have suggested, but the panels of -the doors being themselves more naturalesque, might be a little more -positive in colouring, _i.e._, the leaves and grass can be put in, -in quiet, soft tones of green, while the flowers could be in lemon -chrome and white or bluish purple made of rose madder and French blue -or Indian red and Prussian blue lightened with white, but don’t make -the colouring too bright, so that it is in too strong contrast to the -stiles. Greens made of blue and chrome are much cruder than if you use -yellow ochre or raw sienna. Going back now to the colouring of the -chiffonier Fig. 1 (p. 13) in first article. The plinth or bottom D can -be in low-toned greens, not too dark but darker than the leaves in the -panels, while the daisies can be in grey made of white, raw umber, and -a touch of blue, with centres in yellow. Stencil the flowers first and -then with a small brush put in the yellow centres. A slight touch of -pink at the edges of the daisies might look well, effected by using a -small hog brush and a little rose madder. The leaves around the column -keep in the quiet greens used in plinth D. The back of the upper part -of chiffonier, Fig. 2, with its shelf can be treated like the panels -in colouring, and the festoon above the shelf can have the flowers in -the grey and the leaves in russet not too dark, and the ribbon in pale -blue. As you have a white surface to decorate, be careful not to get -your colouring too strong. Use plenty of white with all your colours, -for you will find that delicate tones are much pleasanter to live with -than heavy ones. A little of the pure colours from the tubes will tint -a lot of white, so the colours will not be a great expense. Buy the -flake white in half-pound tubes for cheapness. - -In arranging stencils act somewhat on the plan I have observed, which -is to keep the more naturalesque stencils for such places as panels -or other flat, broad surfaces, and as a framing to them the more -ornamental patterns, to contrast with the natural ones. The butterfly -border on the stiles of the corner cupboard B, Fig. 1, is a good foil -to the iris panel, just as the border B, Fig. 1, is a good foil to the -daisy panel in the chiffonier. - -The conventional grass seemed a suitable pattern for the plinth, and -such a purely ornamental design as a festoon not inappropriate to the -shaped top. - -I have mentioned before that great variety can be obtained by combining -portions of different stencils. The plinth D, Fig. 1, of chiffonier, -for instance, is a combination of two, the flowers being from one and -the grass itself from another. The butterfly and sprig running border, -Fig. 1, in second article, I have shown in variation, and the border in -corner cupboard, A, Fig. 1, is made by taking the sprig portion only -and putting the root in between each impression. When you want only a -portion of a stencil cover over the rest with paper, so that you do not -get an impression of a part you do _not_ require. - -Some colours are very fugitive such as indigo, crimson lake, yellow -lake, etc.; but the colours I have mentioned may be relied upon for -permanency. - -When the stencilling is thoroughly dry it will preserve the work to -give it a coat of white hard varnish. Apply this freely with a flat hog -brush (or regular varnish brush), seeing that you miss no portion of -the surface. Keep it from the dust until dry and you will have a pretty -and useful article of furniture. Of course you may have some other -article to do up than the chiffonier I have sketched, which I took -simply because it was to my hand, but you can easily apply these hints -to your own necessities. - -When your stencils are done with you wash them thoroughly in -turpentine, both back and front, and dry them and put them away, -keeping them flat. - -While you are using your stencils wipe the back after each impression, -so that if any colour has worked there you can remove it. Have an old -board and some newspaper to lay the stencil on when you clean it. - -With the batch of stencils given with these articles endless variations -and combinations are possible. Many of the patterns too could be easily -adapted for needlework; in fact, you have only to lightly stencil your -material in water colour and work over the impressions. Use Chinese -white if a dark textile, and lamp black and Chinese white if a light -one. - -Though I have advised white paint for these two articles of furniture, -there is no reason why you shouldn’t try dark ones. Stencilling is -very effective on dark paint, and a cabinet or cupboard painted a dark -brownish green would look well with stencilling in shades of old gold. -To get a rich colour the final coat must have very little white with -it. For a brownish green use burnt sienna, black, deep chrome, and -touch of Prussian blue, with only enough white to make it light enough. - - FRED MILLER. - - - - -VARIETIES. - - -HOW TO GET ON. - -When Lord Esher took leave of the Bench and Bar recently, he made a -noteworthy utterance, which has an interest for all young people, even -though they are not lawyers or ever likely to be. - -This eminent judge, who has sat on the judicial bench with great -distinction for twenty-nine years, told his hearers that resoluteness -of purpose had been the secret of his success. - -“What I will say to all of you,” he remarked, “is this. I became a -judge because I had made up my mind and will, from the beginning, that -I would be a judge. Do not suppose I had no checks, and that there were -not occasional times when it appeared that one was being passed over. I -said, ‘Never mind the checks; I will go on, and I will get to the top, -if it is possible to do it!’ I recommend that to you all.” - - -SUCH IS FAME. - -The great Napoleon, more than a year after he had become Emperor, tried -to find out if there was anyone in France who had never heard of him. - -It was not long before he discovered a wood-cutter at Montmartre within -the walls of Paris, to whom the name of Napoleon was quite unknown, -and, more than that, the man was ignorant of the Revolution and had no -knowledge of the fact that Louis XVI. was dead. - -Another anecdote showing equally well that the trumpet of fame does -not reach the ears of everybody was told by Mr. Roebuck in the course -of a speech made at Salisbury in 1852. He told his audience that when -he mentioned the recent death of the Duke of Wellington to a “shrewd -Hampshire labourer,” the man replied— - -“I be very sorry for he. But who was he?” - - -KINDNESS AND COURAGE. - - Life is mostly froth and bubble, - Two things stand like stone: - Kindness in another’s trouble, - Courage in your own. - - -A REAL FRIEND.—Account her your real friend who desires your good -rather than your good-will. - - * * * * * - - -ANSWER TO TRIPLE ACROSTIC (p. 63). - -(_Extra Christmas Part._) - - 1. E ver G ree N - 2. L E A - 3. I st H mi A - 4. S o l A nu M - 5. H u Z z A - 6. A nd I ro N - - Elisha—Gehazi—Naaman. - - - - -“OUR HERO.” - -BY AGNES GIBERNE, Author of “Sun, Moon and Stars,” “The Girl at the -Dower House,” etc. - - -CHAPTER XV. - -FROM OVER THE WATER. - -Lucille, turning to go, made a little sign to Roy to follow her. Ivor -opened the door, moving mechanically, as if his mind were far away; and -Roy, with a show of reluctance, went in her rear. - -“But, Mademoiselle, I want to know about them all at home. Molly most! -And Den can tell me.” - -“Yes; soon. But would you not leave Monsieur to read his letter in -peace? Would not that be kind?” - -“Are you more sorry for Den than for the rest of us?” demanded Roy, -his frank grey eyes looking Lucille in the face somewhat laughingly. -The question took her by surprise; and afterwards she recurred to it, -wondering at the boy’s unconscious penetration. At the moment she met -his glance readily enough. - -“I do not know. I am sorry for you all. But Captain Ivor—yes, perhaps -most. I am not sure. He is more changed by his imprisonment than any. -Cannot you perceive? _Mais non_—you are a boy—you do not look.” - -“I do, though,” protested the injured Roy. “That was why I wouldn’t go -on playing chess. And then for you to say that I don’t _look_. But I -can’t see that Den is changed—not a scrap. What do you mean? He’s the -best old fellow that ever lived—just as he always was, you know.” - -“Old!” repeated Lucille, with a lifting of her eyebrows. - -“O, that’s only—that means nothing. At least, it means that I like him -better than anybody else—except Molly. No, he isn’t old really, of -course—he was twenty-five his last birthday.” Roy laughed to himself. - -“Something that you find amusing, Roy!” - -“It’s only the letter. Do you know, that’s from the girl he is going to -marry some day. It’s from Polly.” - -“Oui.” Lucille had already conjectured as much. “Mademoiselle Pol-ly. -C’est un peu drôle, ce nom-là.” - -“But ’tis not Mademoiselle Po-lee. ’Tis just Polly. You do say names so -drolly—so French! Den says I’m not to cure you of talking as you do, -because ’tis pretty. But her name really and truly isn’t Polly. She is -Mary Keene—only no one ever calls her Mary.” - -“Mademoiselle Marie Keene—ah, oui. And is this Mademoiselle Keene -pretty—gentille?” - -“I should just think she was. The prettiest girl that ever was,” -declared Roy. “Though I like Molly best, you know, and she’s not -pretty. But Polly’s nice, too. May I go back now? Den has had lots of -time.” - -“I would wait—ten minutes—why not? You have not yet unpacked for -monsieur.” - -Roy murmured one impatient “Bother! Plague take it!” and then his -face cleared, and he complied. Ivor did not know how much he owed to -Lucille, in being thus left to the undisturbed enjoyment of his letter. - -He forgot all about both Lucille and Roy, when once he had it in -possession. The very touch of that thick paper, with its red seals, -did him good. As he unfolded it, the weight on his brain lessened, -and sight became more clear. If Polly only wrote to say that she was -growing tired of waiting and could not promise to wait indefinitely, -still even that would be better than not hearing at all—even to know -the worst at once would be better than absolute uncertainty. And -meanwhile it was her own handwriting. - -There was one sheet, square-shaped, written well over. Polly’s letter -came first, and another from somebody else followed it. Ivor did not -trouble himself as to the authorship of the second, till he had read -through the first. He scarcely vouchsafed it a glance. - -The early part of Polly’s effusion, which bore a date many weeks old, -was written in a strain of studied archness and badinage, such as in -those days was greatly affected by young ladies. Towards the end a -little peep into Polly’s heart was permitted. She had apparently just -received one of Ivor’s many epistles, the greater number of which never -reached their destination. - - Bath. November 7, 1803. - - “MY DEAR CAPTAIN IVOR,—So you consider that I have been too slow - in writing to you, and you make complaint that I leave you too long - without Letters. But how know you that I have not sent at least - _one_ for every single one of yours to me? In truth, I cannot boast - of any vast correspondence on _your_ side, my dear Sir, since the - letter which is now arriv’d is but the second in——O in quite - an interminable length of time. And were it not that I have an - exceeding Aversion to the writing of Letters, as indeed you ought - to be aware, since I am sure I have told you as much, I _might_ - feel Regrets at hearing so seldom—but that it means the less toil - on _my_ part, you understand. If it were not that in your last you - give a delicate hint that Silence on my part might be construed to - mean something of the Nature of Indifference, why even now I should - be greatly disposed to indulge my Dislike to driving the Quill, and - wait till another day. - - “But since doubtless you will expect to hear, and since we never - may know which letters have gone astray, I will so far overcome my - inclinations—or my _dis_inclinations—as to sit down and endeavour - to entertain you with the best of Bath News. - - “My letter which was writ from Sandgate you have, I trust, already - received, and thus you know all about the scare which took place, - when the French fleet was descried by somebody of not very good - sight—or so I suppose!—and when signals went wrong, and the - Soldiers and Sea-fencibles and Volunteers were all called out, and - when General Moore galloped the whole distance from Dungeness - Point to be in time, and when Mrs. Bryce’s heart failed her. But - not _Polly’s_, Captain Ivor—of that you may be sure! For _Polly_ - is to be one day the wife of a soldier! And also Polly knew that, - if she were to be taken prisoner, as Mrs. Bryce dolefully foretold, - why—why—that might mean that she could hope to be sent to where - Somebody is, whom she would not be greatly sorry to see once again. - - “Mrs. Bryce insisted on coming hither in hot haste, lest Napoleon - should please to land at Sandgate, where General Moore waited to - receive him; and now she is in doubt what to do next, since some - think London is the safer place to be in. But General Moore does - not now think that Napoleon will make any effort till spring, since - any day winter storms in the Channel may begin; and Jack scorns - the notion that, when he does come, he will ever advance beyond - the sea-beach. ’Tis said that, if Mr. Pitt comes into power again, - he will speedily _start_ some new ideas for our Preservation; and - my Grandmamma says, therefore, that we may not _start_ any new - expenses till we know to what length Taxation will allow us to run. - But for which I wanted much a new frock. - - “Last week I was in Bristol for three days, with our Grandmother’s - old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Graham. I was asked to a dance with them, - and I went, but without the smallest idea of dancing, having been - assured that beaux were scarce, and strangers seldom asked. So I - determined to enjoy seeing others more fortunate, and to pass a - quiet stupid evening, meditating on an absent Somebody—can you by - any possibility guess Whom, my dear Sir? - - “But matters turned out otherwise. I had entered the room only a - few minutes, when a most genteel handsome young Man advanced, and - with such sort of speeches as you all make solicited the honour of - my hand. To tell you the honest and plain truth, I had seen him - before, and I therefore graciously assented. I left the ladies that - accompanied me—Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Graham’s sister—to look out - for themselves; and I began thereupon to enjoy myself. Now, if you - want to know his name, you must wait till I choose to tell you. He - contributed to my passing a very agreeable evening; and so far I - am obliged to him, for he knew many who were present, and he took - good care that I should be in no lack of partners; but whether I - ever see him again does not seem to be of any sort of consequence. - Everyone was astonished at my great good luck in dancing, for - the Gentlemen were, as usual, idle. There were some sad Coxcombs - present, I regret to say, who found it too much exertion even - to come forward and shawl a lady, when she was departing. But I - forget—I am writing to one who knows not the meaning of the word - ‘trouble,’ and who would never leave any woman, not if she were - the _least_ Bewitching of her Sex, to stand neglected, if he could - put matters right. So you see, my dear Sir, what my opinion of you - is. - - “Having related thus much, I really am bound to go farther, and - to inform you that the young man’s name was Albert Peirce, that - he is a nephew of the good Admiral, that he is an officer in His - Majesty’s Army, and that I saw him at Sandgate, the evening before - our great scare about the Invasion. After all his civilities in the - way of getting me Partners, he also handed me down to the vastly - elegant Supper, which was provided; and by that time, there’s no - doubt, I needed it. - - “You may perhaps be thinking that I do very well without you, on - the whole; yet I cannot say that I do not miss my absent friend. - Indeed I do, and my Spirits are lower since you went away. ’Tis - said too that my Roses are much diminished, and that I must e’en - take to the use of Painting and Cosmetics, if I would preserve - my charms; but this, I confess, I am loath to do. So come home - again, my dear Denham, I entreat of you, as soon as ever you may, - for in truth I am longing to see you again. Is there no Exchange - of Prisoners ever to be brought about by the two Governments? The - present state of things is sad and dolorous for so many. I think - of sending this letter to your old address in Paris, in a cover - addressed to M. de Bertrand, who so kindly took in Roy, when he - had the Small-pox. It appears that few letters which are posted, - arrive safely; and ’tis at least worth while to try this mode. And - now I must write no more, for my Grandmother craves a part of the - sheet for a letter on her own behalf, that she may give suitable - particulars about Molly, who begs me to send her Duty to her - Parents, and her Love to Roy. I have begged only that the Letter - may be writ to yourself, that so the whole sheet may be yours. - - “So at present no more, from - “Yours faithfully and Till Death, - “POLLY KEENE.” - -Denham held the signature to his lips. Would he ever again be tempted -to doubt sweet Polly’s constancy? - -The letter following, on the last page, was much shorter and different -in style. Mrs. Fairbank wrote— - - “MY DEAR CAPTAIN IVOR,—I am desirous to let Colonel Baron and his - wife know that Molly is in good health, and Behaves herself as she - ought. I have therefore requested the use of one page in Polly’s - letter, since she assures me that she has nought else to say that - is of great Importance. You will doutless kindly give my message to - Colonel and Mrs. Baron. - - “I am greatly Indebted to Coonel Baron for the money which has - been sent to me by his Bankers regularly, in conformity with his - orders given many months ago. Expenses are increasingly heavy, - as Prices continue steadily to arise, in consequence of the - long-continued Wars; and I shou’d find it tru’ly difficult to - manage, as things are now, but for his Seasonable and generous - Help. I am thankful to have it in my power to do all that is needed - for Molly, and the help to myself is not small. Bread and every - necessary are rising. - - “Molly has a Governess who comes in every day; and I am pleased - to be able to report that she makes good advance in her Study’s, - as much as one cou’d expect. The young Governess is of French - Extraction, her father having lost his life in the French - Revolution, and her mother having fled with this daughter to - England. She will therefore be able to impart to Molly the correct - Pronunciation of French terms, which few Britishers manage to - Acquire. Molly is growing fast, and though she will never be - handsome, she is gaining a Pleasing expression of countenance; her - manners are Genteel; and she behaves with Candour and Propriety. - - “Serious fears have been Entertain’d of a French Invasion of this - Country, but I trust, thro’ the Mercy of God, that the danger is - averted for this autumn. Mr. and Mrs. Bryce have fled to Bath for - greater Safety, in accordance with my Advice; and indeed I was - heartily glad when Polly had left Sandgate. If the french Army - shou’d land, and shou’d advance to Lon^{n}, God forbid they shou’d - molest the good Citizens, who I hope will be enabled to drive the - french by thousands into old Thames.[1] People seem now, however, - greatly to relax in their fears. - - “You will dou’tless be glad to hear that Polly is well, though she - has not quite her usual bloom. Indeed, I am convinc’d that she has - suffered greatly from your prolonged Absence, although, having a - high Spirit, she does not readily betray her feelings. - - “Believe me, my dear Sir, - “Yours sincerely, - “C. FAIRBANK.” - -“Den, is it from Polly?” cried Roy, bursting into the room. - -“Yes. And Molly is quite well, and sends you her love. Come, we must -tell your mother that I have heard.” - -“I’ve done your unpacking. Mademoiselle wouldn’t let me stay. She said -I ought to leave you to read your letter in peace.” - -“Rather hard upon you, eh?” suggested Ivor. “Come along!” and Roy, -forgetting all else, sent a shout in advance to prepare his mother for -what was coming. - -They had to make the most of this letter. None could guess how long a -time might pass before they would hear again. Every detail was eagerly -dwelt upon, and on the whole Polly’s report was counted satisfactory. -Naturally it awoke fresh memories, fresh regrets, fresh longings; yet -Denham at least seemed the better for his “medicine.” The look of -weight and strain was gone from his face next morning, and he appeared -to be in much his usual spirits, when he proposed a walk with Roy to -explore the neighbourhood. He and the Colonel had just returned from -_appel_; all détenus and prisoners having at stated intervals to report -themselves at the _maison de ville_. - -“Will you have to sign your names every day?” Mrs. Baron asked, on -hearing particulars. - -“At present, no. Den and I and a few others are excused from doing -so more often than once in five days. But the greater number have to -show themselves every day—unless they can send a medical certificate, -forbidding them to go out, on account of illness.” - -“Remedy worse than disease,” murmured Ivor. - -“And if one stays away, without sending such a certificate, the -gendarmes promptly make their appearance, expecting a fee for the -trouble.” - -“How much?” - -“Three francs—so I am told.” - -“What a shame!” - -“General Roussel does not seem to be a bad sort of fellow. Civil -enough. But they mean to be strict.” - -“Good many escapes of late, sir.” - -“Why, Den—escapes when they’ve given their parole!” cried Roy. - -“No; only when they have not given their parole. That makes all the -difference.” - -“And may you and papa go wherever you like?” - -“Within stiff limits. Five miles from the town—no more without leave.” - -“I foresee that we shall have to pay pretty liberally for that leave,” -added the Colonel. - -“Did you see many friends there, George?” - -“A good many coming and going. All of course who were at Fontainebleau -are here, and numbers from Valenciennes and Brussels. We came across -Mr. Kinsland, and General Cunningham and Welby, Greville, Franklyn and -others.” - -“Den, I say, do come along,” urged Roy, who had already been for a run, -but who greatly preferred a companion. - -“All right—if you don’t mind paying a call by the way.” - -Roy declared himself ready for anything, and they went first toward -the lower part of the town, on a level with the river. Roy, full as -usual of ideas and talk, poured out for his companion’s edification -some items of information, which he had gained from Mademoiselle de St. -Roques. - -“She says Verdun is an awfully old place—goes back to almost the days -of Charlemagne. When _did_ Charlemagne live? And only a little while -ago it was a French border town—frontier town, I mean—but it isn’t -now, because Napoleon has conquered such a lot of Europe. And do you -know, the Prussians took it from France only just a few years ago, -after quite a short siege. And the French Governor killed himself.” - -“Saved Napoleon the trouble, I suppose.” - -“Does Napoleon kill his generals when they are beaten? Oh, let’s go -up on the ramparts! Look, there are trees all along, just like a -boulevard. Mademoiselle says the ramparts are three miles long. Are -they, do you think? What is the business you have to do on the way? Are -you going to see somebody?” - -(_To be continued._) - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] See footnote, p. 162. - - - - -[Illustration: THE LESSON.] - - - - -SONG. - -BY L. G. MOBERLY. - - - If only I might hear the larks again - Upon the downs in spring, - And linger in the copses, as of yore, - To hear the thrushes sing, - - If I might see again the wide clear sky - That stoops to meet the hills, - And catch the golden gleam of sun that lies - Upon the daffodils, - - And watch, just once again, the shadows pass - Across the uplands sweet, - And feel the springy sweetness of the grass - Growing beneath my feet; - - I think that I could learn at last to bear - My life in this great town; - If I might feel Spring’s breath again—and hear - The larks—upon the down! - -[Illustration] - - - - -THE RULING PASSION. - - -CHAPTER I. - -Among the crowd in the top gallery at St. James’s Hall was one very -remarkable figure who was an object of speculation to most of his -fellow-listeners at the Monday Popular Concerts. He was a regular and -unfailing attendant for many, many years, but not very long ago he -disappeared suddenly in the middle of the season, and his place knew -him no more. - -He was an old man, apparently between seventy and eighty, very tall, -thin almost to emaciation, with a magnificent head, white hair that -was still thick and rather long, a short white beard and moustache, a -fine straight nose, and very sad, kindly grey eyes. His hands, though -old and shrunken, with their veins standing out in relief, were well -shaped, and still had the trained, capable look that only those people -possess who, having been taught to use and develop the muscles of their -hands while young, keep them in constant use and practice afterwards. - -That he was very poor was certain, for year by year he appeared in -the same clothes. A very old, threadbare, but well-brushed Inverness -cape, a white woollen comforter, and a soft felt hat that had once been -black, but was now of the indescribable greenish-brown tint that black -hats assume in their last stages of existence. He also wore grey cloth -gloves and carried a thick blackthorn walking-stick with a knob handle. - -He came alone to the concerts and sat on the extreme right-hand of -the gallery, close against the wall, in the third row from the front. -Sometimes he was joined by a young man, who was the only person he was -ever seen to converse with at length, though he would answer politely -any chance question about the music or the artists, on both of which -subjects he appeared to have considerable knowledge. - -His English was perfect and fluent, but the impression prevailed in the -gallery that he was foreign. - -One Monday evening a few years ago he came to the gallery at seven -o’clock and took his usual place. It happened to be the first -appearance of Joachim that season, and it was not unreasonable to -suppose that there might be a crowd. The old gentleman looked round -anxiously as each new-comer opened the door, fearing evidently that -some stranger would take the seat next him. His fears, however, were -vain ones on that night, and at about twenty minutes before eight, -looking round as the door opened, his face lighted up with joy as his -friend, a rather good-looking, dark young man, pushed his way across -the gallery to his side. - -“Dear Professor Crowitzski,” he said affectionately, “I am sorry to be -so late. I knew you would be anxious, but I have come straight from -Grignoletti’s house in the Avenue Road.” - -“My dear boy—my dear boy,” returned the old man tremulously, “I -have been anxious about you for several reasons. I have thought much -about your interview with Grignoletti and its possible result, and I -also began to fear you would not get here in time to hear the Brahms -Sextett, which is placed first upon the programme to-night. I would not -have you miss it if you could possibly help it; you should hear Brahms -as often as you can. Do not neglect the other masters of course. Hear -and study the works of all; but especially those of that great trinity, -Bach, Beethoven, Brahms. Now, however, tell me about yourself. Did -Grignoletti hold out any hope to you?” - -“Indeed he did,” said the young man, “almost too much, for I do not -quite see how the hope is to be realised. He spoke in high terms of -my voice, said I had a career before me, and advised my entering the -Royal Academy at once, saying he should not let me study with anyone -but himself.” - -“That is a high compliment,” said the Professor. “Grignoletti is the -finest teacher of singing in London. Moreover, he is a true artist and -an honest man. He will say nothing to you he does not mean. But tell me -what difficulties stand in your way.” - -Herbert Maxwell sighed. It was so hard to see the bright pathway of his -highest wishes shining in the distance, and to realise that between him -and the beginning of it lay a dark stream that could only be crossed by -means of golden stepping-stones. - -“I’m afraid money is the chief difficulty,” he said rather sadly. “The -Academy fees are ten pounds a term. The half-term examination is next -Monday, and I have not the means of raising five pounds. You know my -mother and I depend entirely on my weekly wage, and it is not a very -large one.” - -“I know—I know,” replied the old man; “but supposing this amount could -be found, how would you support your mother and yourself when you give -up your present work? If you mean to adopt singing as your profession, -you must give your whole time to the study of music.” - -“It was in that matter that Grignoletti showed himself so very kind,” -said Herbert. “He asked me how I lived, and promised, if I were -admitted to the Academy, he would find work for me by which I could -earn at least as much as I do now, and which would also increase my -musical knowledge. He——” - -A sudden storm of applause interrupted him, in which he joined -vigorously, as Joachim, followed by the other artists, emerged from -the curious little well at the end of the platform, where those of the -players and singers who are not performing assemble to listen to those -who are, sitting on the stairs or on the settee just inside. - -Nothing more was said by the old Professor or Herbert himself on the -subject of his musical education. The concert absorbed them both -entirely, and in the intervals between each item on the programme no -other subject was discussed by them but the music and the performers. - -It was a shorter concert than usual, and as they were slowly making -for the door with the rest of the crowd, the old man said to his young -friend, “Can you come home with me to-night, my dear boy? I have -something more to say to you, and I cannot say it here. I do not think -it will make you very late.” - -“I shall be very glad to,” replied Herbert, “and very glad to hear -anything from you. You are the only person in the world to whom I can -go for advice about music. It is very good of you to take so much -interest in me.” - -At Piccadilly Circus they got into that red omnibus which is -affectionately called by those who use it constantly “The Kennington -Lobster,” and travelled over Westminster Bridge some little distance -down the wide Kennington Road. - -“Green Street,” said the Professor after a time, and the conductor -stopped the omnibus almost immediately. - -They got down and turned into a little street on the right-hand of the -main road; one of those streets still to be found here and there in -some of the older parts of London, though they are fast being swept -away by the remorseless builder to make room for the huge piles of -model dwellings that are springing up on every side. - -It was a narrow street of small but still respectable-looking houses, -not detached. Each had a tiny square of garden in front of its one -window, and a path of flagstones led from the gate to the front door. - -The old man stopped at No. 9, opened the door with a latch-key, and led -the way up a narrow staircase to the second floor. - -“Wait a moment till we have a light,” he said; “you may fall over -something in my tiny room.” - -It was a tiny room indeed that Herbert found himself in when the -Professor had lighted the lamp, and, as might have been expected, not -a luxurious one; but it was as neatly arranged as a ship’s cabin, and -everything was scrupulously clean. - -On one side of the room stood a very narrow bed covered with a -patchwork quilt, at its foot a tiny square washstand of painted deal. -An old-fashioned mahogany chest of drawers piled high with books, a -small deal table in the middle of the room, an old stuffed chair by the -fireplace, and a low wooden one by the head of the bed completed the -tale of furniture, with the exception of—a piano! - -It was of the small, old-fashioned, cottage kind, with a square lid and -faded green silk fluting for its front. It looked thin and worn like -its master; but there it was. It proved, too, that its owner must be a -musician, for there was nothing on the top of it. There was not much -room anywhere, save on the little table, to put anything down; but the -Professor would have been horrified at the idea of using the piano as a -resting-place for anything. He would not even let Herbert put his hat -on it. - -“I should like to hear you sing,” he said, going to a large square pile -of something by the piano covered with an old cloth. “Do you know the -‘Elijah’?” He lifted the cloth as he spoke and disclosed a quantity -of music; sheet music, loose and bound, and scores of many famous -works—all old, all worn, but still his treasures. He picked out a -vocal score of the “Elijah” and put it on the piano desk. - -“Yes,” said Herbert. “Shall I try ‘If with all your hearts’?” - -The old man nodded with a smile, and, sitting down on the crazy music -stool, laid his aged hands upon the aged keys. - -It needed but two bars to show Herbert that his old friend was a real -artist. The piano’s tone was like a tone ghost; but it was in perfect -tune. The Professor saw to that himself. And his touch seemed so to -caress the yellow keys that they gave him the very best they still had -in them. - -As the song proceeded, the old gentleman smiled and nodded gently to -himself, as if he, too, were pleased and satisfied with what he heard. -He had good reason. Herbert’s voice was of that rare delicious quality -given perhaps to one singer in a generation. Full, rich, intensely -sympathetic, without a trace of that metallic hardness in the upper -notes so often found in tenor voices. He sang the great solo with the -utmost simplicity, but with a beauty of expression that would have gone -straight to the heart of any audience, musical or unmusical. - -“My boy, you have a gift—a great gift,” said the Professor solemnly -at the end. “See that you use it well. You may, if you choose, be one -of the singers of the world; but it will mean more than three years at -the Academy, and then to sing at ballad concerts. Aim at the highest, -and make up your mind that it must be your life work. You must let me -help you put your foot on the lowest rung of the ladder. You can climb -yourself afterwards.” - -He went to the bed and drew from underneath it a small old-fashioned -box covered with skin with the hair on and studded with brass nails. -This he unlocked, and took from it a small yellow canvas bag. - -“I have here,” he said, “a kind of nest egg which I have managed to put -by from time to time out of my little income. It is the exact sum you -need just now, and you must pay your first fees with it.” - -“My dear Professor,” stammered Herbert, completely taken aback, -“indeed, I cannot! I should never forgive myself for taking money that -you might possibly want for all sorts of things before I had a chance -of paying it back again!” - -“Nonsense!” replied the old man, rather sternly. “You must take it! -I will have it so. I should never forgive _myself_ if I allowed your -young life and precious talent to be wasted because you were in want of -what I had lying idle! You can repay me some day when you can spare it.” - -“But what will you do in the meantime?” asked the young man rather -diffidently, for he felt a delicacy about inquiring too closely into -the old man’s circumstances. - -“My dividend falls due to-morrow,” was the reply. “There is not the -smallest reason for your refusing to take this. Go home to your mother, -tell her everything is decided, and take care of your voice for the -next week. Shall you be at the concert next Monday? Perhaps not, if you -are kept late at your work. If I do not see you there, will you come -here the next day and tell me about it all?” - -His young friend promised this gladly; and in order to cut short his -expressions of thanks, the Professor took up the lamp and lighted him -downstairs, giving him a last warning against taking cold or overtiring -his throat as he let him out. - -“He is a good boy,” he said to himself as he went back to his little -room. “I am very glad I was able to do it. It is for the young ones to -carry on the world. We old ones who have served our time must stand by -and encourage the others.” - -He set about preparing his frugal supper—a small loaf and a pennyworth -of milk, which he took from a cupboard in one corner of the room. He -put the milk into a tiny tin saucepan, and, as of course there was no -fire in the grate, he lighted a little spirit lamp, set the saucepan -over the flame, and sat down to watch till it boiled. - -His mind was still running on Herbert Maxwell and his probable career, -and from that it wandered back to his own young days. Gradually he -seemed to live through the whole of his past life. He recalled the -early home life in the comfortable house at Clapham; his kind Polish -parents who had been driven like so many others from their own -country; his childish passion for music which had caused him so often -to be laughed at by his English schoolfellows, and the decision of -his parents that he should adopt it as a profession. Then came those -happy student days at Leipzig, with the growing consciousness of his -own powers and the encouragement of his teachers and fellow students, -his _début_ at the Gewandhaus, with the applause and laurel wreaths, -succeeded by his first concert tour in Germany. He remembered his -return home, to his parents’ joy, and his success in London as a player -and teacher, with constant tours on the Continent, during one of which -he met that lovely girl he afterwards wooed and won, to spend those few -happy years with him till her sudden death abroad. - -Then followed a ghastly blank, with isolated memories of being in some -great building with many other people, who were all waited on by kindly -men and sweet-faced women, and he could remember the feeling of having -been ill and not knowing how. Till one day, when he had grown stronger, -the knowledge came to him that, for a time, his mind had left him. - -He vividly recalled his return to England, to find himself forgotten -and eclipsed by others who had sprung to fame during his long absence, -his failure to obtain either engagements or pupils, and, finally, the -collapse of the bank in which almost all his savings had been placed. - -At this point, as if in sympathy with his thoughts, the spirit-lamp -went out with a little “fuff,” and the milk, which was on the verge of -boiling over, collapsed too. - -This recalled him from his sad memories, and he tried, as he ate -his bread and milk, to put them out of his mind and to think of the -pleasanter events of the evening—of the fine concert, how splendidly -Joachim played, and of his young friend, whose mother would be so glad -at her boy’s good fortune. - -But he could not rid himself of them, and even through the night his -broken sleep was haunted by harassing dreams and vague feelings of some -impending evil. - -(_To be concluded._) - - - - -ABOUT PEGGY SAVILLE. - -BY JESSIE MANSERGH (Mrs. G. de Horne Vaizey), Author of “Sisters -Three,” etc. - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -Robert did not make his appearance next morning, and his absence seemed -to give fresh ground for the expectation that Lady Darcy would drive -over with him in the afternoon and pay a call at the vicarage. - -Mrs. Asplin gathered what branches of russet leaves still remained in -the garden and placed them in bowls in the drawing-room, with a few -precious chrysanthemums peeping out here and there; laid out her very -best tea cloth and d’Oyleys, and sent the girls upstairs to change -their well-worn school dresses for something fresher and smarter. - -“And you, Peggy dear—you will put on your pretty red, of course!” -she said, standing still, with a bundle of branches in her arms, and -looking with a kindly glance at the pale face which had somehow lost -its sunny expression during the last two days. - -Peggy hesitated and pursed up her lips. - -“Why ‘of course,’ Mrs. Asplin? I never change my dress until evening. -Why need I do it to-day just because some strangers may call whom I -have never seen before?” - -It was the first time that the girl had objected to do what she was -told, and Mrs. Asplin was both surprised and hurt by her tone in -which she spoke—a good deal puzzled too, for Peggy was by no means -indifferent to pretty frocks, and as a rule fond of inventing excuses -to wear her best clothes. Why, then, should she choose this afternoon -of all others to refuse so simple a request? Just for a moment she -felt tempted to make a sharp reply, and then tenderness for the girl -whose mother was so far away took the place of the passing irritation, -and she determined to try a gentler method. - -“There is not the slightest necessity, dear,” she said quietly. “I -asked only because the red dress suits you so well, and it would have -been a pleasure to me to see you looking your best. But you are very -nice and neat as you are. You need not change unless you like.” - -She turned to leave the room as she finished speaking; but before she -had reached the door, Peggy was by her side, holding out her hands to -take possession of twigs and branches. - -“Let me take them to the kitchen, please! Do let me help you!” she said -quickly, and just for a moment a little hand rested on her arm with a -spasmodic pressure. That was all, but it was enough. There was no need -of a formal apology. Mrs. Asplin understood all the unspoken love and -penitence which was expressed in that simple action, and beamed with -her brightest smile. - -“Thank you, my lassie, please do! I’m glad to avoid going near the -kitchen again, for when cook once gets hold of me, I can never get -away. She tells me the family history of all her relations, and indeed -it’s very depressing, it is” (with a relapse into her merry Irish -accent), “for they are subject to the most terrible afflictions! I’ve -had one dose of it to-day, and I don’t want another!” - -Peggy laughed and carried off her bundle, lingered in the kitchen -just long enough to remind the cook that “Apple Charlotte served with -cream” was a seasonable pudding at the fall of the year, and then went -upstairs to put on the red dress, and relieve her feelings by making -grimaces at herself in the glass as she fastened the buttons. - -At four o’clock the patter of horses’ feet came from below, doors -opened and shut, and there was a sound of voices in the hall. The -visitors had arrived! - -Peggy pressed her lips together and bent doggedly over her writing. She -had not progressed with her work as well as she had hoped during Rob’s -absence, for her thoughts had been running on other subjects, and she -had made mistake after mistake. She must try to finish one batch at -least to show him on his return. Unless she was especially sent for she -would not go downstairs; but before ten minutes had passed, Mellicent -was tapping at the door and whispering eager sentences through the -keyhole. - -“Peggy, quick! They’ve come! Rosalind’s here! You’re to come down! -Quick! Hurry up!” - -“All right, my dear, keep calm! You will have a fit if you excite -yourself like this!” said Peggy coolly. - -The summons had come and could not be disregarded, and on the whole she -was not sorry. The meeting was bound to take place sooner or later, -and, in spite of her affectation of indifference, she was really -consumed with curiosity to know what Rosalind was like. She had no -intention of hurrying, however, but lingered over the arrangement of -her papers until Mellicent had trotted downstairs again and the coast -was clear. Then she sauntered after her with leisurely dignity, opened -the drawing-room door, and gave a swift glance round. - -Lady Darcy sat talking to Mrs. Asplin a few yards away in such a -position that she faced the doorway. She looked up as Peggy entered and -swept her eyes curiously over the girl’s figure. She looked older than -she had done from across the church the day before, and her face had a -bored expression, but, if possible, she was even more elegant in her -attire. It seemed quite extraordinary to see such a fine lady sitting -on that well-worn sofa, instead of the sober figure of the Vicar’s wife. - -Peggy flashed a look from one to the other—from the silk dress to the -serge, from the beautiful weary face to the cheery loving smile—and -came to the conclusion that, for some mysterious reason, Mrs. Asplin -was a happier woman than the wife of the great Lord Darcy. - -The two ladies stopped talking and looked expectantly towards her. - -“Come in, dear! This is our new pupil, Lady Darcy, for whom you were -asking. You have heard of her——” - -“From Robert. Oh, yes, frequently! I was especially anxious to see -Robert’s little friend. How do you do, dear? Let me see! What is your -funny little name? Molly—Dolly—something like that I think—I forget -for the moment!” - -“Mariquita Saville!” quoth Peggy blandly. She was consumed with regret -that she had no second name to add to the number of syllables, but she -did her best with those she possessed, rolling them out in her very -best manner and with a stately condescension which made Lady Darcy -smile for the first time since she entered the room. - -“Oh—h!” The lips parted to show a gleam of regular white teeth. -“That’s it, is it? Well, I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, -Mariquita. I hope we shall see a great deal of you while we are here. -You must go and make friends with Rosalind—my daughter. She is longing -to know you.” - -“Yes, go and make friends with Rosalind, Peggy dear! She was asking -for you,” said Mrs. Asplin kindly, and as the girl walked away the two -ladies exchanged smiling glances. - -“Amusing! Such grand little manners! Evidently a character.” - -“Oh, quite! Peggy is nothing if not original. She is a dear, good girl, -but quite too funny in her ways. She is really the incarnation of -mischief, and keeps me on tenter-hooks from morning until night, but -from her manner you would think she was a model of propriety. Nothing -delights her so much as to get hold of a new word or a high-sounding -phrase.” - -“But what a relief to have someone out of the ordinary run! There are -so many bores in the world, it is quite refreshing to meet with a -little originality. Dear Mrs. Asplin, you really must tell me how you -manage to look so happy and cheerful in this dead-alive place? I am -desolate at the idea of staying here all winter. What in the world do -you find to do?” - -Mrs. Asplin laughed. - -“Indeed, that’s not the trouble at all; the question is how to find -time to get through the day’s duties! It’s a rush from morning till -night, and when evening comes I am delighted to settle down in an -easy-chair with a nice book to read. One has no chance of feeling dull -in a house full of young people.” - -“Ah, you are so good and clever, you get through so much. I want to -ask your help in half-a-dozen ways. If we are to settle down here for -some months there are so many arrangements to make. Now tell me, what -would you do in this case?” The two ladies settled down to a discussion -on domestic matters, while Peggy crossed the room to the corner -where Rosalind Darcy sat in state, holding her court with Esther and -Mellicent as attendant slaves. She wore the same grey dress in which -she had appeared in church the day before, but the jacket was thrown -open and displayed a distractingly dainty blouse, all pink chiffon, -and frills, and ruffles of lace. Her gloves lay in her lap, and the -celebrated diamond ring flashed in the firelight as she held out her -hand to meet Peggy’s. - -“How do you do? So glad to see you! I’ve heard of you often. You are -the little girl who is my bwothar’s fwiend.” She pronounced the letter -“r” as if it had been “w,” and the “er” in brother as if it had been -“ah,” and spoke with a languid society drawl, more befitting a woman of -thirty than a schoolgirl of fifteen. - -Peggy stood motionless and looked her over, from the crown of her -hat to the tip of the little trim shoe, with an expression of icy -displeasure. - -“Oh dear me, no,” she said quietly, “you mistake the situation. You -put it the wrong way about. Your brother is the big boy whom I have -allowed to become a friend of mine!” - -Esther and Mellicent gasped with amazement, while Rosalind gave a trill -of laughter, and threw up her pretty white hands. - -“She’s wexed!” she cried. “She’s wexed, because I called her little! -I’m wewwy sowwy, but I weally can’t help it, don’t you know. It’s the -twuth! You are a whole head smaller than I am.” She threw back her -chin, and looked over Peggy’s head with a smile of triumph. “There, -look at that, and I’m not a year older. I call you wewwy small indeed -for your age.” - -“I’m thankful to hear it! I admire small women,” said Peggy promptly, -seating herself on a corner of the window seat, and staring critically -at the tall figure of the visitor. She would have been delighted if -she could have persuaded herself that her height was awkward and -ungainly, but such an effort was beyond imagination. Rosalind was -startlingly and wonderfully pretty; she had never seen anyone in real -life who was in the least like her. Her eyes were a deep, dark blue, -with curling dark lashes, her face was a delicate oval, and the pink -and white colouring, and flowing golden locks gave her the appearance -of a princess in a fairy tale, rather than an ordinary flesh and blood -maiden. Peggy looked from her to Mellicent who was considered quite a -beauty among her companions, and oh dear me! how plain, and fat, and -prosaic she appeared when viewed side by side with this radiant vision! -Esther stood the comparison better, for though her long face had no -pretensions to beauty, it was thoughtful and interesting in expression. -There was no question which was most charming to look at; but if it -had come to a choice of a companion, an intelligent observer would -certainly have decided in favour of the Vicar’s daughter. Esther’s -face was particularly grave at this moment, and her eyes met Peggy’s -with a reproachful glance. What was the matter with the girl this -afternoon? Why did she take up everything that Rosalind said in that -hasty, cantankerous manner? Here was an annoying thing—to have just -given an enthusiastic account of the brightness and amicability of a -new companion, and then to have that companion come into the room only -to make snappish remarks, and look as cross and ill-natured as a bear! -She turned in an apologetic fashion to Rosalind, and tried to resume -the conversation at the point where it had been interrupted by Peggy’s -entrance. - -“And I was saying, we have ever so many new things to show -you—presents, you know, and things of that kind. The last is the -nicest of all; a really good, big camera with which we can take proper -photographs. Mrs. Saville—Peggy’s mother—gave it to us before she -left. It was a present to the schoolroom, so it belongs equally to us -all, and we have such fun with it. We are beginning to do some good -things now, but at first they were too funny for anything. There is -one of father where his boots are twice as large as his head, and -another of mother where her face has run, and is about a yard long, and -yet it is so like her! We laughed till we cried over it, and father has -locked it away in his desk. He says he will keep it to look at when he -is low-spirited.” - -Rosalind gave a shrug to her shapely shoulders. - -“It would not cheer me up to see a cawicature of myself! I don’t think -I shall sit to you for my portrait, if that is the sort of thing you -do, but you shall show me all your failures. It will amuse me. You will -have to come up and see me vewwy often this winter, for I shall be so -dull. We have been abroad for the last four years, and England seems so -dark and dweawy. Last winter we were at Cairo. We lived in a big hotel, -and there was something going on almost every night. I was not out, of -course, but I was allowed to go into the room for an hour after dinner, -and to dance with the gentlemen in mother’s set. And we went up the -Nile in a steamer, and dwove about every afternoon, paying calls, and -shopping in the bazaars. It never rains in Cairo and the sun is always -shining. It seems so wonderful! Just like a place in a fairy tale.” She -looked at Peggy as she spoke, and that young person smiled with an air -of elegant condescension. - -“It would do so to you. Naturally it would. When one has been born in -the East, and lived there the greater part of one’s life, it seems -natural enough, but the trippers from England who just come out for a -few months’ visit are always astonished. It used to amuse us so much to -hear their remarks!” - -Rosalind stared and flushed with displeasure. She was accustomed to -have her remarks treated with respect, and the tone of superiority was -a new and unpleasing experience. - -“You were born in the East?” - -“Certainly I was!” - -“Where, may I ask?” - -“In India—in Calcutta, where my father’s regiment was stationed.” - -“You lived there till you were quite big? You can remember all about -it?” - -“All I want to remember. There was a great deal that I choose to -forget. I don’t care for India. England is more congenial to my -feelings.” - -“And can you speak the language? Did you learn Hindostanee while you -were there?” - -“Naturally. Of course I did.” - -A gasp of amazement came from the two girls in the window, for a -knowledge of Hindostanee had never been included in the list of Peggy’s -accomplishments, and she was not accustomed to hide her light under -a bushel. They gazed at her with widened eyes, and Rosalind scented -scepticism in the air, and cried quickly— - -“Say something then. If you can speak, say something now, and let us -hear you.” - -“Pardon me!” said Peggy simpering. “As a matter of fact I was sent home -because I was learning to speak too well. The language of the natives -is not considered suitable for English children of tender age. I must -ask you to be so kind as to excuse me. I should be sorry to shock your -sensibilities.” - -Rosalind drew her brows together and stared steadily in the speaker’s -face. Like many beautiful people she was not over gifted with a sense -of humour, and therefore Peggy’s grandiose manner and high-sounding -words failed to amuse her as they did most strangers. She felt only -annoyed and puzzled, dimly conscious that she was being laughed at, and -that this girl with the small face and the peaked eyebrows was trying -to patronise her—Rosalind Darcy—instead of following the Vicar’s -daughters in adoring her from a respectful distance, as of course it -was her duty to do. She had been anxious to meet the Peggy Saville of -whom her brother had spoken so enthusiastically, for it was a new thing -to hear Rob praise a girl, but it was evident that Peggy on her side -was by no means eager to make her acquaintance. It was an extraordinary -discovery, and most disconcerting to the feelings of one who was -accustomed to be treated as a person of supreme importance. Rosalind -could hardly speak for mortification, and it was an immense relief when -the door opened and Max and Oswald hurried forward to greet her. Then -indeed she was in her element, beaming with smiles, and indulging a -dozen pretty little tricks of manner for the benefit of their admiring -eyes. Max took possession of the chair by her side, his face lighted up -with pleasure and admiration. He was too thoroughly natural and healthy -a lad to be much troubled with sentiment, but ever since one winter -morning five years before, when Rosalind had first appeared in the -little country church, she had been his ideal of all that was womanly -and beautiful. At every meeting he discovered fresh charms, and to-day -was no exception to the rule. She was taller, fairer, more elegant. In -some mysterious manner she seemed to have grown older than he, so that -though he was in reality three years her senior, he was still a boy, -while she was almost a young lady. - -Mrs. Asplin looked across the room, and a little anxious furrow showed -in her forehead. Maxwell’s admiration for Rosalind was already an old -story, and as she saw his eager face and sparkling eyes, a pang of fear -came into his mother’s heart. If the Darcys were constantly coming down -to the Larches, it was only natural to suppose that this admiration -would increase, and it would never do for Max to fall in love with -Rosalind! The Vicar’s son would be no match for Lord Darcy’s daughter; -it would only mean a heart-ache for the poor lad, a clouded horizon -just when life should be the brightest. For a moment a prevision of -trouble filled her heart, then she waved it away in her cheery, hopeful -fashion— - -“Why, what a goose I am! They are only children. Time enough to worry -my head about love affairs in half-a-dozen years to come. The lad would -be a Stoic if he didn’t admire her. I don’t see how he could help it!” - -“Rosalind is lovelier than ever, Lady Darcy, if that is possible!” she -said aloud, and her companion’s face brightened with pleasure. - -“Oh, do you think so?” she cried eagerly. “I am so glad to hear it, -for this growing stage is so trying. I was afraid she might outgrow -her strength and lose her complexion, but so far I don’t think it has -suffered. I am very careful of her diet, and my maid understands all -the new skin treatments. So much depends on a girl’s complexion. I -notice your youngest daughter has a very good colour. May I ask what -you use?” - -“Soap and water, fresh air, good plain food—those are the only -cosmetics we use in this house,” said Mrs. Asplin, laughing outright -at the idea of Mellicent’s healthy bloom being the result of “skin -treatment.” “I am afraid I have too much to do looking after the -necessities of life for my girls, Lady Darcy, to worry myself about -their complexions.” - -“Oh, yes. Well, I’m sure they both look charming; but Rosalind will go -much into society, and of course——” She checked herself before the -sentence was finished, but Mrs. Asplin was quick enough to understand -the imputation that the complexions of a Vicar’s daughters were but -of small account, but that it was a very different matter when the -Honourable Rosalind Darcy was concerned. She understood, but she was -neither hurt nor annoyed by the inferences, only a little sad and -very, very pitiful. She knew the story of the speaker’s life, and the -reason why she looked forward to Rosalind’s entrance into society with -such ambition. Lady Darcy had been the daughter of poor but well-born -parents, and had married the widower, Lord Darcy, not because she loved -him or had any motherly feeling for his two orphan boys, but simply -and solely for a title and establishment, and a purse full of money. -Given these, she had fondly imagined that she was going to be perfectly -happy. No more screwing and scraping to keep up appearances; no more -living in dulness and obscurity; she would be Lady Darcy, the beautiful -young wife of a famous man. So, with no thought in her heart but for -her own worldly advancement, Beatrice Fairfax stood before God’s altar -and vowed to love, honour, and obey a man for whom she had no scrap -of affection, and whom she would have laughed to scorn if he had been -poor and friendless. She married him, but the life which followed was -not by any means all that she had expected. Lord Darcy had heavy money -losses, which obliged him to curtail expenses almost immediately after -his wedding; her own health broke down, and it was a knife in her heart -to know that her boy was only the third son, and that the two big, -handsome lads at Eton would inherit the lion’s share of their father’s -property. Hector, the lifeguardsman, and Oscar, the dragoon, were for -ever running into debt and making fresh demands on her husband’s purse. -She and her children had to suffer for their extravagances, while -Robert, her only son, was growing up a shy, awkward lad, who hated -society, and asked nothing better than to be left in the country alone -with his frogs and his beetles. Ambition after ambition had failed -her, until now all her hopes were centred in Rosalind, the beautiful -daughter, in whom she saw a reproduction of herself in the days of her -girlhood. She had had a dull and obscure youth; Rosalind should be the -belle of society. Her own marriage had been a disappointment; Rosalind -should make a brilliant alliance. She had failed to gain the prize for -which she had worked; she would live again in Rosalind’s triumphs, and -in them find fullest satisfaction. - -So Lady Darcy gloated over every detail of her daughter’s beauty, -and thought day and night of her hair, her complexion, her figure, -striving still to satisfy her poor, tired soul with promises of future -success, and never dreaming for a moment that the prize which seemed -to elude her grasp had been gained long ago by the Vicar’s wife, with -her old-fashioned dress and work-worn hands. But Mrs. Asplin knew, and -thanked God in her heart for, the sweetness and peace of her dear, -shabby home; for the husband who loved her, and the children whom they -were training to be good servants for Him in the world. Yes, and for -that other child too, who had been taken away at the very dawn of his -manhood, and who, they believed, was doing still better work in the -unseen world. - -Until Lady Darcy discovered that the only true happiness rose from -something deeper than worldly success, there was nothing in store for -her but fresh disappointments and heart-hunger, while as for Rosalind, -the unfortunate child of such a mother—— Mrs. Asplin looked at the -girl as she sat leaning back in her chair, craning her throat, and -showing off all her little airs and graces for the benefit of the two -admiring schoolboys, gratified vanity and self love showing on every -line of her face. - -“It seems almost cruel to say so,” she sighed to herself, “but it -would be the best thing that could happen to the child if she were to -lose some of her beauty before she grew up. Such a face as that is a -terrible temptation to vanity.” But Mrs. Asplin did not guess how soon -these unspoken words would come back to her memory, or what bitter -cause she would have to regret their fulfilment. - -(_To be continued._) - -[Illustration] - - - - -ALL ABOUT OATMEAL. - -BY DORA DE BLAQUIÈRE. - - -The native land of the common oat seems to be absolutely unknown, but -as in many other cases, the best authorities have given it an origin in -Central Asia. The wild oat from which it descends is found in Europe, -in North Africa, Siberia, Japan, and the North-West Provinces of India; -and it was well known to the Greeks and Romans, though it is not one -of the cereals that are mentioned in the Bible. But the common oat, as -we know it, is an improved form (says Professor Buckman) derived by a -continued and selective cultivation from the aboriginal wild oat, of -which I have been speaking. The word oat or oats is from an old English -word _ata_, from the verb _etau_, to eat; and it means anything in -the way of food which can be eaten. The botanical name of the genus -is _avena_, and there are upwards of forty species in it, which are -generally natives of cold or temperate climes. It can be grown in a -wider range of climatical differences than wheat, but in a less range -than barley, while in every temperate region it has become recognised -as a food for horses. In the more northerly parts, where less wheat is -grown, it has formed the staple food for man, under the two well-known -forms, _i.e._, of porridge and oatcake. - -A drug has been distilled from it under the name of _Avena Sattisa_, -which is supposed to give the qualities of cheerfulness and spirit; the -same qualities, in short, which the oat is considered to give to horses. - -In the returns of 1894, for the United Kingdom, we find that oats are -more cultivated than wheat, but it is much to be regretted that the use -of oatmeal as food is becoming unfashionable amongst the poorer classes -in England, who consider that wheat is a more refined food, and who -leave off oatmeal when possible. The Highlanders of Scotland are an -example of muscular vigour, and also of the clear intellects which are -fostered under its regimen; one of the old Edinburgh reviewers says, -“We cultivate literature on a little oatmeal,” and, at some time of the -day, in Scotland, the native consumes oatmeal under some form or other. -Porridge for breakfast is known in other lands as well as in Scotland, -and is quite as well liked, particularly when a generous larder affords -cream in thickness and plenty. But to be a true son of Scotland you -must be above such frivolous additions. The kernels or grain of the -oat, deprived of the husks, are called groats, or grits; and in old -days they were used entire in broths and soups, like hot barley. When -bruised you will recognise them very well, as forming part of a sick -folk dietary. _Sowans_, known also as seeds or _flummery_, is made from -the thin pellicles or inner scales which adhere to the groats in the -process of shelling. These are steeped in water for a few days, till -they ferment and become sourish. They are then skimmed and the liquid -boiled down so much, that when cold it will become of the thickness of -gruel. In Wales this is known as _Sucan Budrum_, and is prepared in the -same manner; but it is boiled down even more, to become, when cold, a -firm jelly, like blanc-mange. It has a high reputation as a nutritious, -light food, for weak stomachs. Chemically speaking, in this change, -the starch has been converted into dextrin and sugar, the latter -passing at once into acetic fermentation. - -Sowans is used as a light supper dish, with milk, cream, or butter, and -sweetened with sugar to taste. - -Bread is made of oatmeal mixed with pea-flour in parts of Lancashire, -as well as in Scotland. A peck of oatmeal and another of peameal may -be mixed thoroughly together, and sifted through a sieve to which add -three or four ounces of salt, and make into dough with warm water. -Then roll into thin cakes or flat rolls, and bake on a hot plate or in -the oven. This, of course, is unfermented bread. In Scotland the thick -cakes of oatmeal are called bannock, and the thin ones cakes, and in -the farm-houses a great number are made at once and stored on a rack -close to the ceiling, where they will keep for a long time if quite -dry. When needed, they are crisped before the fire and slightly browned. - -Bread is also made of oatmeal and wheat flour; also oatmeal and rice. -Take a peck each of flour and oatmeal and half a peck of potatoes, -peeled and washed and boiled. Knead into a dough with yeast, salt, and -warm milk. Make into loaves and bake as usual. Rice is made in the same -manner. - -In the early centuries oatmeal was eaten almost altogether raw by the -Scot, as indeed was the flour of wheat, and I daresay every other kind. -In Mrs. Stone’s delightful book, _Teneriffe and its Seven Satellites_, -she gives an account of the food of the population of the islands, -and says that it was undoubtedly a primeval usage derived from the -mysterious Guanches, the first inhabitants of the Isles, a civilised -people who embalmed their dead, but have long since ceased to exist -as a separate people. This flour is prepared by first roasting the -wheat itself, then grinding it, and afterwards storing it in bags for -carriage. It is eaten simply mixed with cold water, and is not only -palatable, but delicious, with a sweet and nutty flavour, caused by the -previous wasting of the grain. Even now, in many parts of Scotland, -oatmeal is eaten uncooked and stirred simply into hot or cold water, -with salt, mixed together in a basin. This is called brose, a word -derived from the Anglo-Saxon, and the same as breuis and broth, the -word meaning the liquor in which meat or anything else is boiled and -macerated. Kail brose is made of green vegetable, mixed with the -oatmeal, and it may have meal or broth as well. Plain brose is called -often “sojer’s brose,” as it was made in haste, and “crowdy” is also -a Scotch word, used to describe any food of the porridge kind, or a -mixture of oatmeal and any liquid at hand, which might be milk, or even -something far stronger. - -The cooking of oatmeal marks an advance in civilisation, I suppose. -Even the very word porridge is more recent, and marks an epoch when the -Scotch received some instructions from one of the Latin nations; the -original word being either from the Latin _porrus_, a leek, or the old -French _porree_, or a pottage, made of beets with other pot herbs, a -kind of food made by boiling vegetables in water with or without meat. - -The person who taught me to make the best of porridge was an -Irishwoman, and her method was to stir the oatmeal into the pot -containing the boiling water, which must be bubbling fiercely, and must -also have been salted. The oatmeal she sprinkled in with her left hand -(having the oatmeal close to her) and stirring all the time busily with -her right hand. Long experience will tell you how thick to make it, -and it wants at least half an hour’s boiling to cook it properly. - -But the most delightful form of gruel is that made by a Scotchwoman -with milk and not water; and this needs well boiling too. Many people, -however, prefer the gruel made by steeping the oatmeal in water for -some hours, and pouring off the water and boiling that. The best gruel, -I consider, is to be obtained on an Atlantic steamer; especially if -it should happen to be of Scotch extraction, and to have a Scotch -stewardess. There is some consolation in your sorrows at sea, if you -can get some of the chicken broth they make on the Cunard steamers, -which is quite too good to be forgotten. They put barley into it, I -think, or perhaps rice; but whatever the flavour is, I have never -succeeded in obtaining the same on shore, and I am inclined to think it -is the long boiling that is the secret. When cold it forms a solid and -nearly clear jelly. - -There is plenty of oatmeal, too, in haggis, that essentially Scottish -dish, which Robert Burns called “The great chieftain of the pudding -race.” The component parts of a haggis are a sheep’s head and liver, -boiled, minced, mixed with suet, onions, oatmeal and seasoning, -moistened with beef gravy, and put into a haggis bag and boiled. A -haggis will keep for some time, as it is quite firm, and may be packed -for a journey. But in that last event the onions must be omitted in the -making of it. Both black and white puddings are indebted to oatmeal -for some of their filling, but few people, unless educated up to it, -appreciate either of these delicacies. - -Cock-a-leekie is a Scotch name for a very ancient English dish, that -was known as long ago as the 14th century by the name of Malachi. “Ma” -is the old name for a fowl, and Malachi means sliced fowl. So, though -the modern rendering seems to promise that the leeks in it would be -too prominent for most people, it is a mistake. The fowl is first half -roasted, then boiled in broth, then cut up, and served with a quantity -of vegetables, mostly onions. Spices were added, and the broth was -thickened with fine oatmeal. - -There are some English recipes in which oatmeal plays a part, and the -first that I remember is what is called tharfe cake, in Yorkshire, -which is baked for the fifth of November. I give a very old family -recipe for it. Take four pounds of fresh oatmeal and rub into it one -pound of butter, one pound of brown sugar, a quarter of a pound of -candied lemon peel, and two ounces of caraway seeds well bruised. Mix -the whole with three pounds and a half of treacle. When the cake is -baked, which should be in a slow oven, pour over it a little flavouring -while hot. - -Parkin is also a Yorkshire cake, which resembles tharfe cake, but is -not so good. The following is also an old recipe for it, and both of -these cakes will be found very good for children’s use. Rub half a -pound of butter into three pounds of fine oatmeal, add one ounce of -ginger, and as much stiff treacle as will make it into a stiff paste. -Roll it out in cakes of about half an inch thick, lay these on buttered -tins and bake in a slow oven. The tops may be washed over with milk, -if you prefer it, as it has a more appetising effect perhaps. All the -modern recipes for parkin contain baking powder and sugar, but for the -first there is no need at all, as all these Yorkshire cakes are not -at all of the light order, and are both heavy and stiff, nor are they -intended to be very sweet. - -One of the dishes in which oatmeal plays a part, is in the savoury -or sweet porridge seen in Derbyshire and the north of England. It is -made as follows: Oatmeal two or three tablespoons, onions two or three -ounces, milk one pint, butter a quarter of a pound, pepper and salt -one teaspoonful. Boil the onions in two waters; when tender shred them -finely, and add them to the boiling milk, sprinkle in the oatmeal, add -the butter, pepper and salt, boil during from ten to fifteen minutes, -pour into soup plates and serve with sippets. Instead of onions, grated -cheese may be stirred in with the oatmeal. - -To make sweet porridge proceed in the same manner. Take the same -quantity of oatmeal, but instead of onions and pepper put in two or -three ounces each of sugar, sultanas and currants, and candied peel if -you like it, and serve in the same manner. This is a very excellent -porridge for children’s suppers. - -In America, the coarse oatmeal is used for frying oysters. They are -rolled in it—instead of either in flour or crackers—before frying, -and a very good addition it makes. The oatmeal may also be used for -chops or cutlets, if you have no crumbs. - -I had nearly omitted a Persian dish, of oatmeal and honey, which is a -kind of porridge made by beating up a tablespoonful of oatmeal and the -same quantity of honey with the yolk of an egg, and then pouring on it -a pint of boiling water and boiling the mixture for a few minutes. - -The following is an oatmeal pudding. Take of oatmeal one pint, of -boiling milk two pints, of eggs two and of salt a little. Pour the -boiling milk over the oatmeal and let it soak all night. Add the eggs, -well beaten; butter a basin that will just hold it, cover it tightly -with a floured cloth and boil it an hour and a half. Eat it with cold -butter and salt. When cool it may be sliced and toasted and eaten as -oat-cake buttered. - -A porridge of rice and oatmeal was once very popular amongst -vegetarians. It was made by boiling eight ounces of rice in a pint of -water, and as the water was absorbed, gradually adding two quarts more, -also add half a tablespoon of sugar and some salt, and lastly stir in -eight ounces of oatmeal, and let the whole boil for twenty minutes. If -it be liked sweet, add two ounces of sugar, but if savoury add pepper, -salt and some onions boiled and chopped. - -Our forefathers were very fond of oatmeal flummery, but it has quite -gone out of fashion, though an excellent dish. Put a pound and a half -of fine white oatmeal to steep for a day and a night in cold water, -and pour it off clear, adding as much more water, and let it stand for -the same time; then strain it through a fine hair sieve, and boil it -till as thick as hasty pudding, stirring it slowly all the time, and -being most careful to prevent its burning. When you first strain the -water off, put to it one large tablespoonful of white sugar and two -tablespoonfuls of orange-flower water; then pour it into a bowl and -serve. It is eaten cold, and with new milk, or cream, and sugar. I am -sure my readers will have heard very often of “flummery,” and perhaps -may like to try it for themselves. - -An oatmeal hasty pudding also comes from Yorkshire. Beat the yolks of -two eggs with half a pint of new milk, cold, and a little salt. Thicken -this with fine oatmeal, and beat to a very smooth batter. Set a pint -and a half of new milk on the fire, and when it is scalding hot pour in -the batter, stirring it well that it may be smooth and not burn. Let it -be over the fire till it thickens, but do not permit it to boil, and -the moment you take it from the fire pour it into a dish. It is eaten -with cold butter and sugar, and either a little lemon juice or vinegar. - -In that delightful book, _The Chemistry of Cookery_, by Mr. W. Mathieu -Williams, the well-known scientist and lecturer, a book that ought to -be studied by every housekeeper, I find that he advocates the idea of -porridge being made for some days before it is required, then stored in -a closed jar, and brought out and warmed for use. The change effected -in it is just that which may theoretically be expected, _i.e._, a -softening of the fibrous material, and a sweetening, due to the -formation of sugar. This may be called an application of the principle -of ensilage to human food; for ensilage is a process of slow vegetable -cookery, a digesting or maceration of fibrous vegetables in their own -juices, which loosens the fibre, renders it softer and more digestible; -and not only does this, but, to some extent, converts it into dextrine -and sugar. - -“Although in many respects,” says a recent writer, “oatmeal and flour -are very similar, the effect produced by them upon the system is very -different. Oatmeal is richer in oily, fatty matter than any other -cultivated grain, and its proportion of proteine compounds exceeds -that of the finest wheaten flour. Although so nutritious, it cannot be -used as a substitute for flour; the peculiar character of its gluten -preventing the meal being made into fermented bread. But in other -forms it may be made into very pleasant food, such as biscuits, gruel, -oatcake and porridge. Oats are a natural grain in England, and are -cultivated at less expense than wheat. This last is better adapted for -making good fermented bread, and so is more in request. But perhaps the -time may come when we shall return to the use of unfermented bread, -and shall think that bread made from other grains, and unfermented, -is quite as good, or even better, than the fermented bread of flour. -At the present time, however, wheat is more consumed than any other -grain,” and with this long quotation I will conclude. - - - - -[Illustration: G.O.P. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS] - - -STUDY AND STUDIO. - -H. M. I.—1. Your hymn tune shows the need of instruction in harmony. -There are several consecutive fifths in it, and other faults which -study would enable you to avoid. We should advise you to take -lessons.—2. Dr. Lemmi’s Italian Grammar is published at 5s. by Messrs. -Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh, and by Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall & Co., -London. - -WHEELBARROW.—If you write to the office of _The Boy’s Own Paper_, -56, Paternoster Row, we believe you will find that a chart of the -colours peculiar to the different colleges of each University has been -published. At all events, we refer you to the Editor. - -TOPSY.—We should prefer the Senior Cambridge and the Cambridge Higher -Local out of the four examinations you mention. - -IN our September part we informed RUBY that the couplet - - “Crabbed age and youth - Cannot live together.” - -was from “The Passionate Pilgrim,” by Shakespeare. In so saying -we handed on the information of three recognised authorities on -“quotations,” and observed that “The Passionate Pilgrim” appears -without note or comment in numerous editions of Shakespeare’s works. -“The Passionate Pilgrim,” a miscellany of twenty “Songs and Sonnets,” -was first published in 1599, and the words “By W. Shakespeare” are -on the title pages of the 1599 and 1612 editions; but of the twenty -poems only five are certainly by Shakespeare, and the poem in question -(No. xii. of the series) is not one of these. Its author, in fact, is -unknown, although it appears now, and appeared three centuries ago, -under Shakespeare’s name. - -WILD ROSE.—1. In bar seven of your composition you have the second -inversion of a chord, which should not be followed by the first -inversion of another chord. It is, however, an interesting attempt, and -we should urge you to persevere.—2. Your writing is rather too small -and crabbed, and seems to us as though in childhood you had not learned -to “turn” your letters well. Copy any model you admire, and you will -soon improve. - -DONOVAN and TILLY WHIM.—We can direct you to three amateur reading -societies, mentioned in this column during the past year or so, but -can take no responsibility whatever with regard to them. Address—The -Half Hour Reading Society, 2, Headingley Terrace, Headingley, Leeds; -The Queen Reading Society, secretary, Miss Isabel G. Kent, Lay Rectory, -Little Abington, Cambridge; Miss E. L. Tangye, The Elms, Redruth, -Cornwall. The National Home Reading Union, Surrey House, Victoria -Embankment, is being continually recommended by us. - -SISTER HARRIET.—Your most satisfactory plan is to write to the -publisher of the books you name, asking your questions, and enclosing -a stamped envelope for reply. Unless the authoress objects to the -particulars being known, you are sure to receive an answer. - -ANONYMOUS.—You give no name nor pseudonym in your inquiry about the -Civil Service. - - -OUR OPEN LETTER BOX. - -A. MARTIN wishes to find a poem called “Voices at the Throne,” beginning - - “A little child— - A little meek-eyed child, - Sitting at a cottage door.” - -“SWEET MARIE” is informed that her quotation, - - “Laugh and the world laughs with you, - Weep and you weep alone,” - -is from one of Ella Wheeler’s poems of Passion—“Solitude.” We thank -our masculine correspondent for his help and his very kind letter. - -ETHEL RIMMER has more replies from SOLDIER’S DAUGHTER, ALICE NIMON, -and C. PERKINS, whom we thank. KLONDYKE, in answering Ethel Rimmer, -requests a recipe for “the American Harlequin Cake,” and inquires the -name of the English agent, Gold Coast. These queries are scarcely -literary; but as they occur in a letter concerning a literary subject, -we print them here. - -CAN anyone direct “DOUBTFUL” to the verses beginning - - “The woman was old, and ragged, and gray, - And bent with the chill of a winter’s day”? - -MABEL ENTWISTLE sends a reply to La Marguerite’s question concerning -painting on panel, which we copy verbatim:— - - “Surely she refers to chrystoleum painting. Chrystoleums are - photographs taken from Academy pictures and then painted on. It - is possible to affix these (whether painted on convex or flat - glass) on to a panel. If this is what La Marguerite means, if she - will write to me, I shall be pleased to send full particulars and - give her any help I can, as I have had considerable experience in - chrystoleum painting. But if she refers to the painting on the - surface of photographs in water-colours, that is something I have - wanted to learn for some time, and shall be equally glad to obtain - information upon. This art requires a special medium and treatment - of photo, I know, but I cannot get to know exactly. Trusting this - may be of some use, - - “I remain, - “Sincerely yours, - “MABEL ENTWISTLE.” - - 1, William Street, - Darwen. - - -MEDICAL. - -A. Z.—Mussels form a food of considerable value, but they are by -no means free from danger. As a food they are fairly nutritious and -digestible, though far inferior in both these points to oysters. The -dangers of eating mussels are very real, although they have been -grossly exaggerated. They depend in part upon whether the mussels have -been feeding upon sewage. Mussels taken from the mouths of rivers or -elsewhere where they can come into contact with sewage matter should -never be eaten. The danger is much greater when the mussels are eaten -raw. If they are boiled first the likelihood of harm resulting is -considerably less. Practically all germs are destroyed by boiling, so -that there is little fear of contracting typhoid from eating boiled -mussels. Indeed the danger of catching typhoid is far less from eating -mussels than it is from eating oysters, because the latter are nearly -always eaten raw, whereas the former are usually cooked. But besides -the dangers of contamination with sewage, there is another danger -in eating mussels, that is, that mussels are very liable to quickly -decompose, and in their decomposition to set free animal poisons of -the most virulent description. This is the chief cause of the numerous -deaths which occur from partaking of mussels. But when we consider the -vast number of mussels eaten in England, especially in the North, it is -no wonder deaths should now and then occur. - -ARIEL.—If you wish your daughter to become a physician you must send -her to a hospital where lady students are taken. She cannot by any -possibility learn medicine without clinical instruction. The medicine -which can be learnt from books is of no value without practical -instruction. There is not such a thing as an amateur medical man or -woman. A person is either a qualified and registered medical man, or -else he is a quack, or a “medicine man” if you like. The law has lately -shown its objection to such persons in very strong terms. - -ANXIOUS ONE.—There are two causes of double chins, age and obesity, -and they usually operate together. We cannot, alas! mitigate the -effects of advancing years. We cannot prevent Father Time from -meddling with us. The treatment of obesity we have over and over again -described. The chief points to attend to are to reduce the amounts of -starchy or sugary food taken; to take liquids only in great moderation; -to forego alcohol in any form, and to take plenty of exercise daily. -Tight lacing and wearing tight collars are also said to produce double -chins. - -VIOLET.—In an article called “Diet in Health and Sickness,” published -in this magazine the year before last, you will find information about -the treatment of obesity. The chief points to attend to are:—reduce -the quantity of farinaceous and sweet food; avoid alcohol in all -forms, and only take liquids of any kind in moderation; take plenty of -exercise and avoid all drugs and nostrums. - -LADICE.—1. One attack of eczema does predispose to others; but it -is quite possible, indeed it is probable, that you will completely -overcome the disease in time. The application that you are using is -good, but the following is better, viz.:—lime water, olive oil and -oxide of zinc, equal parts of each, shaken up into a cream. This forms -a very soothing application. Is your hair free from scurf? Eczema of -the face often follows from seborrhœa.—2. April 8, 1868, was a Sunday. - -“AN OLD READER.”—We are sorry to say that we can give you but little -help. The description of your illness is not sufficiently lucid for -us to come to any conclusion as to what is wrong with you. And your -account of the present trouble with your legs is also so incomplete -that we can make nothing out of it. It may be due to flat-foot or -sciatica, or one of a vast host of conditions. You had far better see -the doctor who attended you during your last illness, as what you have -now may be only a sequel to that disease. - -CAT TONY.—Eustachian obstruction sometimes ends in complete deafness. -More often partial deafness ensues. It is a very difficult complaint to -treat. Complete cure is the exception rather than the rule; but some -improvement is usually gained by medicinal measures. Sometimes it gets -better of its own accord; but it is foolish to rely upon its doing so. -Though certainly dangerous to hearing, it is not of itself of any vital -danger. - -SYBIL.—You tell us that you weigh 9 st. 12 lb., but you neglect to -state your height. How is it possible for us to know whether you are -stout or not? 9 st. 12 lb. is certainly rather heavy for a girl of -seventeen; but then everything depends upon your height. The weight -is nothing extraordinary; and as you say that your health is perfect -you had far better take no notice of your condition. Unless really -necessary, it is better for stout persons to remain as they are than to -attempt to reduce their weight by means which must of themselves injure -the health. - -A SUBSCRIBER TO THE “G. O. P.”—Obviously you must be careful not to -overtire yourself or get wet, since these bring on the attacks of -neuralgia. During the attacks cover the course of the nerve with cotton -wool, and take ten grains of citrate of caffeine. A small blister or -other form of counter-irritation may give you relief; but it must not -be used when the attack is acute. - - -GIRLS’ EMPLOYMENTS. - -WOOD VIOLET (_Civil Service_).—A well-educated girl, such as the one -you describe, is wise to try to enter the Civil Service at the age of -sixteen. Under the new rule she is eligible from sixteen to eighteen -for one of the posts of girl clerks. These girl clerks receive a salary -of £35 the first year, £37 10s. the second and £40 the third. They can -afterwards be promoted to the rank of Female Clerks, if they have shown -themselves to be possessed of superior intelligence, otherwise they -become sorters. The advantage of entering the Service young is, that -a girl understands the routine of office work by the time she is old -enough to hold a clerkship, whereas women entering for a clerkship as -outsiders have their duties to learn. A Female Clerk begins at a salary -of £55, and may eventually obtain a maximum of £100, and further may be -promoted. A Female Sorter, in London, receives 12s. to £1 a week, and -in the provinces 10s. to 21s. 6d. a week. There are also prospects of -promotion for sorters. The examination is held in the ordinary English -subjects, together with French and German. Edinburgh would be the -nearest examination centre for you. The examinations are advertised in -the principal papers on a Thursday some weeks before the date fixed. -You would doubtless see the announcement by watching the pages of -_The Scotsman_. Having seen the advertisement, write at once to the -Secretary, Civil Service Commission, London, S.W., asking for a form -of application. This you return, with the necessary details respecting -yourself filled up, and you will then be informed the precise address -of the place of examination and the other particulars you require to -know. We think we have now told you all that is necessary. We have -only to add that a girl who intends entering this examination should -now occupy herself more particularly in acquiring a neat clerical -handwriting, in studying English composition, and in perfecting herself -in arithmetic and geography. - -LA COMTESSE (_Dairy Work_).—You would expend £5 very wisely, it seems -to us, in taking a month’s course of training at the Reading Dairy -Institute. You had better wait till the spring, as you suggest, and -then devote your attention as closely as possible to the practical -dairy work and cheese-making. From renewed inquiry which we have made -on the subject we still learn that women licensed at such schools as -this obtain excellent posts as dairy-maids and managers of dairies, and -receive salaries of about £25 with board and lodging. You should try on -the completion of the course to get an appointment in the dairy of some -large landed proprietor, and you might be willing to forego something -in wages at first in order to work under a competent superintendent. -The Principal of the Dairy Institute, we imagine, must constantly be -asked to recommend trained pupils. In any case you should consult him -as to the whole question of your suitability and prospects before -engaging to take the course of tuition. - -ANXIOUS (_Suggestions_).—If the sight of your one eye is thoroughly -strong and satisfactory, you had better learn dressmaking. But if -the eye is at all weak, it would be unwise to try it, and in this -event cookery or laundry-work would be better. In the end we believe -you will not be sorry that you have been considered ineligible as a -shop-assistant. It is only in youth that a shop-assistant can be sure -of obtaining employment; whereas the skilled worker at any trade can -always earn her living. - -LAUNDRESS (_Superintendentship or Opening for Laundry_).—If you have -received a thorough training in laundry work, by which we mean not -less than a year spent in learning the business, then by all means -advertise for a post as superintendent or manageress. The National -Laundry Association has lately fully corroborated all that has been -said on the subject in the “G. O. P.” by drawing the special attention -of educated women to the prospects that this business now offers under -the steam laundry system. We hear continually of places where a laundry -is required. Harringay, in the north of London, is one of those most -recently mentioned to us. Requests have reached us also from Lichfield, -Elstree and Richmond-on-Thames to recommend laundresses to establish -themselves in those localities. - -H. A. T. (_Training in a Children’s Hospital_).—At nineteen you are -too young to be admitted as a probationer to any London children’s -hospital. But when you are twenty you would be eligible, so far as -age is concerned, for the East London Hospital for Children, Glamis -Road, Shadwell, E. The vacancies there, however, are extremely few in -proportion to the number of applications. No premium is required, and -a salary of £10 is given the first year, £12 the second, and £20 the -third, with laundry and uniform. - -TEACHER.—We infer from your letter that the school in which you taught -two years ago was a National School. It ought not then to be difficult -for you to obtain employment of the same kind again. _The Guardian_, -_The Church Times_ and _The Schoolmistress_, are the most likely papers -in which to find advertisements of vacancies. - -A “G. O. P.” READER (_Hospital Nursing_).—You can certainly apply to -the matron of any of the chief London hospitals for admission as a -probationer. You should enclose a stamp in order that the matron may -reply to you. - - -MISCELLANEOUS. - -E. SAUNDERS.—The receipt you name is legal, and we think you need feel -no uneasiness. If properly stamped, dated, and signed, no names of -witnesses are required. - -PETITE.—Your letter does you much credit. The secret of preserving -the colour of the flowers is to change the sheets of blotting-paper -frequently; between which you lay them for the pressing. Your writing -is very legible, but you reverse the rule for making light and heavy -strokes. The copperplate copies employed for teaching to write would -show you what we mean. - -ORTHODOX.—The mistake of the so-called “Peculiar People” consists in -their overlooking the divine injunction to “obey them that have the -rule over you.” They are guilty of a breach of the law in not sending -for a medical man to give an opinion of the case, and offer his advice -and assistance, whether they avail themselves of his skill or not. We -are speaking of adults. In the case of infants and children, of course, -parents are bound to give them the benefit of medical aid; and in both -cases a true and undoubting faith in the promises—in connexion with -prayer—may be exercised _with_ the use of means nowhere forbidden in -the Bible. The danger of the spread of any disease has to be provided -against by the law—an act of mercy, not of cruel persecution, as these -well-meaning but misguided people imagine it to be. - -DELTA.—To preserve peas, fill some wide-necked, dry bottles with good -corks, place them in a pan of cold water, with a little hay at the -bottom, and set it on the fire, raising the temperature very gradually -to 160°. Keep it at this point for twenty or thirty minutes. As the -peas will shrink, fill each bottle, as far as the commencement of the -neck, with peas from another bottle, taking care not to bruise them. -When all the bottles are filled, remove the pan from the fire, take -out each bottle separately, fill it to within an inch of the cork with -boiling water; cork immediately, avoid shaking, and tie down the cork. -Cover well with wax, and replace the bottles in the pan, where they -should be left to cool gradually till cold. Then place the bottles in a -dry, cool place, lying on their sides, turn them partially round twice -a week during the first couple of months, and once or twice a month -afterwards. - -MOTHER.—Your question is one often raised. Should you desire to add -a name to those already registered for your child (born in England), -you must make application to the registrar who entered its name within -seven days of its baptism. We mean to say—supposing that, six months -after its registration, you wished to add a name at its baptism, go to -the same registrar and state your wish within a week after the baptism. -Procure the certificate of the latter from the clergyman (for a fee -of one shilling), take it to the registrar, and pay a second fee of a -shilling for the insertion of the name in the original registration. - -MARGOT.—The honour of having been the first navigator who sailed round -the world was earned by a Portuguese—_i.e._, Sebastien del Cano, -who accomplished the voyage in the ship _Vittoria_. The unfortunate -leader of the expedition was Ferdinand Magellan, who passed through the -Straits November 28th, 1520, and was killed on one of the Philippine -Islands the next year. The first attempt to discover the North-west -passage was made by Corte Real in about 1500; also a Portuguese. -But the first expedition correctly so-called was made by Sir Hugh -Willoughby in 1553, who wished to discover a North-west passage to -China. But he was blocked up by ice and frozen to death on the coast of -Lapland. - -A. CROSS.—There are “Y.W.C.A.” Homes in London. Amongst them, -Cloudesley Home, 34, Barnsbury Street, Islington, 17, Aubert Park, -Highbury, Seymour House, Portland Place, Lower Clapton, Ealing House, -Uxbridge Road, Ealing, Kent House, 89, Great Portland Street, Princess -House, Brompton Road, besides restaurants. Probably a communication -of your arrangements in regard to letting rooms to young women at -a reduced rate during the summer months, board as well as lodging -supplied, at from 14s. a week, would bring your visitors from town. We -are not acquainted with Corrymore, near Warminster, Wiltshire; but from -what we have seen of Wiltshire, we can imagine the country to be pretty -and the downs attractive. - -E. DE M.—All girls who take our paper, and look to us for advice and -instruction, we consider to be “our” girls. You are quite right in -saying that you have more blessings than crosses. Sometimes the eyes of -people are blind to this great truth. The great love of our heavenly -Father towards us and His unerring wisdom in the trial of our faith and -patience is but little realised. We hope your marriage will be for your -happiness. - -ETHELINDA.—Your hand is formed, and well formed. The French phrase, -“_Au revoir_,” is an abbreviated one. In full it should be, “_Au -plaisir de vous revoir_”—“to the pleasure of seeing you again.” As we -have so often told our readers, French pronunciation cannot be given by -English letters—at least, not often. The first word “_au_” (“to”) is -an exception, for the sound is that of the letter “_o_.” - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber’s note: the following corrections have been made to this -text. - -Page 238: Yorkskire changed to Yorkshire—these Yorkshire cakes. - -Page 239: crakers changed to crackers—flour or crackers.] - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER, VOL. XX, NO. -993, JANUARY 7, 1899 *** - -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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- font-style: normal;} - -.uppercase {text-transform: uppercase;} - - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ - -img { - max-width: 100%; - height: auto; -} -img.w100 {width: 100%;} - - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; - page-break-inside: avoid; - max-width: 100%; -} - - -/* Illustrated drop caps */ - -.ddropcapbox { - float: left; -} - -.idropcap { - height: auto; -} - -.ddropcapbox { - margin-left: 0; - margin-right: 0.5em; -} - -.x-ebookmaker .ddropcapbox { - float: left; - } - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes {border: 1px dashed;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - -/* Poetry */ -.poetry-container {text-align: center;} -.poetry {text-align: left; margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%;} -/* uncomment the next line for centered poetry in browsers */ - .poetry {display: inline-block;} -.poetry .stanza {margin: 1em auto;} -.poetry .verse {text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em;} -/* large inline blocks don't split well on paged devices */ -@media print { .poetry {display: block;} } -.x-ebookmaker .poetry {display: block;} - - -/* Poetry indents */ -.poetry .indent0 {text-indent: -3em;} -.poetry .indent2 {text-indent: -2em;} -.poetry .indent4 {text-indent: -1em;} - -/* Illustration classes */ -.illowe10_9375 {width: 10.9375em;} -.illowe7_8125 {width: 7.8125em;} -.illowp100 {width: 100%;} -.illowp43 {width: 43%;} -.x-ebookmaker .illowp43 {width: 100%;} -.illowp64 {width: 64%;} -.x-ebookmaker .illowp64 {width: 100%;} -.illowp74 {width: 74%;} -.x-ebookmaker .illowp74 {width: 100%;} -.illowp95 {width: 95%;} -.x-ebookmaker .illowp95 {width: 100%;} - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - -<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 993, January 7, 1899, by Various</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. 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. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 993, January 7, 1899</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Various</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: August 21, 2021 [eBook #66099]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Susan Skinner, Chris Curnow, Pamela Patten and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER, VOL. XX, NO. 993, JANUARY 7, 1899 ***</div> - -<h1 class="faux">THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER</h1> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_frontis" style="max-width: 43.75em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_frontis.jpg" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="center">AN ANTIQUE FÊTE.</p> -<p class="caption center"><i>From the Painting in the Salon by <span class="smcap">P. L. Vagnier</span>.</i></p></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">{225}</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="header" style="max-width: 37.5em;"> -<img class="w100" src="images/header.jpg" alt="The Girl's Own Paper." /> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="center"> -<div class="header"> -<p class="floatl"><span class="smcap">Vol. XX.—No. 993.]</span></p> -<p class="floatr"><span class="smcap">[Price One Penny.</span></p> -<p class="floatc">JANUARY 7, 1899.</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="center">[Transcriber’s Note: This Table of Contents was not present in the original.]</p> - - -<p class="center"> -<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. --> - -<a href="#SELF-CULTURE_FOR_GIRLS">SELF-CULTURE FOR GIRLS.</a><br /> -<a href="#CHRONICLES_OF_AN_ANGLO-CALIFORNIAN_RANCH">CHRONICLES OF AN ANGLO-CALIFORNIAN RANCH.</a><br /> -<a href="#ART_IN_THE">ART IN THE HOUSE.</a><br /> -<a href="#VARIETIES">VARIETIES.</a><br /> -<a href="#OUR_HERO">“OUR HERO.”</a><br /> -<a href="#SONG">SONG.</a><br /> -<a href="#THE_RULING_PASSION">THE RULING PASSION.</a><br /> -<a href="#ABOUT_PEGGY_SAVILLE">ABOUT PEGGY SAVILLE.</a><br /> -<a href="#ALL_ABOUT_OATMEAL">ALL ABOUT OATMEAL.</a><br /> -<a href="#GOP_ANSWERS">ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.</a><br /> - -<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. --> - -</p> - - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="SELF-CULTURE_FOR_GIRLS">SELF-CULTURE FOR GIRLS.</h2> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter illowp74" id="i_225" style="max-width: 28.125em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_225.jpg" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="center">ASPIRATION.</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="smalltext"><i>All rights reserved.</i>]</p> - - -<h3>PART I.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> is, perhaps, no word in the present -day which has been more frequently used and -abused than “culture.” It has come so -readily to the lips of modern prophets, that it -has acquired a secondary and ironical significance. -Some of our readers may have seen a -clever University parody (on the <i>Heathen -Chinee</i>) describing the encounter of two -undergraduates in the streets of Oxford. -One, in faultless attire, replies proudly to -the other’s inquiry where he is going—</p> - -<p>“I am bound for some tea and tall -culture.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">{226}</span></p> - -<p>He is, in fact, on the way to a meeting -of the Browning Society, and when a Don -hurries up to tell him the society has suddenly -collapsed, great is the lamentation!</p> - -<p>Probably the society in question deserved -no satire at all; but there is a sort of “culture -for culture’s sake” which does deserve to be -held up to ridicule.</p> - -<p>We find nothing to laugh at, however, but -a very real pathos, in the letters that are -reaching us literally from all quarters of the -globe; and we long to help the writers, as -well as those who have similar needs and -longings unexpressed. “How can I attain -self-culture?” is the question asked in varying -terms, but with the same refrain.</p> - -<p>Girls, after schooldays are past, wake up to -find themselves in a region of vast, dimly-perceived -possibilities:</p> - -<p>“Moving about in worlds not realised.”</p> - -<p>More to be pitied is the lot of those who -have not had any schooldays at all worth -speaking of, and who are awaking to their -own mental poverty—poverty, while there is -wealth all about them which they cannot -make their own. Their case is like that of -the heir to some vast estates, who cannot -enjoy them, because he cannot prove his title.</p> - -<p>What, then, is this much talked-of culture?</p> - -<p>There are several things which it is <i>not</i>.</p> - -<p>To begin with, it is not a superficial smattering -of certain accomplishments.</p> - -<p>It is not a general readiness to talk about -the reviews one has read of new books.</p> - -<p>It is not the varnish acquired from associating -day by day with well-educated and -urbane people.</p> - -<p>It is not development to an enormous -extent in one direction only.</p> - -<p>It is not attending one course of University -Extension Lectures.</p> - -<p>It is not the knack of cramming for examinations, -and of passing them with <i>éclat</i>.</p> - -<p>All these elements may enter into culture, -but they are not culture itself.</p> - -<p>It is a harder matter to define culture than -to say what it is not. As we write these -words, our eye falls on the saying of a well-known -prelate, reported in the <i>Times</i> of the -day: “General culture—another name for -sympathetic interest in the world of human -intelligence.” This sounds rather highflown -and difficult, but we may add three more -definitions—</p> - -<p>“Culture is a study of perfection.”—<i>Matthew -Arnold.</i></p> - -<p>“Culture is the passion for sweetness and -light, and (what is more) the passion for -making them prevail.”—<i>Matthew Arnold.</i></p> - -<p>“Culture is the process by which a man -becomes all that he was created capable of -being.”—<i>Carlyle.</i></p> - -<p>The third of these is, perhaps, the best -working definition of culture, for it shows -its real importance and significance, and also -makes it simpler to understand.</p> - -<p>Look at a neglected garden. The grass is -long and rank; the beds are a mere tangle of -weeds and of straggling flowers that have -run to seed, or deteriorated in size and -sweetness until they can hardly be called -flowers at all. It is a wilderness.</p> - -<p>The garden is taken in hand and cultivated, -not by a mechanical ignorant gardener, but -by someone who understands the capacities -of the soil, and knows what will do well and -repay his care. See the transformation in -time to come! There is everything by turn -that is beautiful in its season; the lovely -herbaceous border, the standard rose-trees, -the sheltered bed of lilies of the valley, the -peaches on the warm southern wall, the ferns -waving in feathery profusion in the cool corner -near the well—all that the garden can produce -for delight to the eye or for food is there. -The ground is not given over exclusively to -one flower, one vegetable; it is not stocked -mechanically for the summer with geraniums -and calceolarias; but it is, as we say in -homely parlance, “made the most of” in every -particular, and is a delight to behold.</p> - -<p>This may seem a simple illustration, and we -are writing not for the erudite, but for the -simple reader. The man or woman of culture -is the man or woman whose nature has been -cultivated in such a way as to develop all -its capabilities in the best possible direction; -whose education has been adapted skilfully to -taste and capacity, and who has been taught -the art of self-instruction.</p> - -<p>It is hardly necessary to urge the value of -this “cultivation.” “Cultivation is as necessary -to the mind as food to the body,” said -a wise man, and this is gradually coming to -be believed. Culture is something more by -far than mere instruction, though instruction -is a means by which it may be attained. -Bearing in mind our simile of the garden, we -are led on from one thought to another.</p> - -<p>It was a very wise man indeed who pointed -out that, even as ground will produce something, -“herbs or weeds,” the mind will not -remain empty if it is not cultivated; it tends -to become full of silly or ignorant thoughts -like “an unweeded garden.”</p> - -<p>Again, in a well-ordered, cultivated plot of -ground we have what is useful as well as what -is lovely. In culture, not only the acquirement -of “useful knowledge” plays a part, but -the storing of the mind with what is beautiful, -the development of taste in all directions.</p> - -<p>In brief, a woman of real culture is the -woman who makes you instinctively feel, -when in her company, that she is just what -she was meant to be; harmoniously developed -in accordance with her natural capacity. -There is nothing startling about her paraded -attainments. The extreme simplicity of a -person of true culture is one of the most marked -traits, and the chief point that distinguishes -spurious from real culture is that the former -is inclined to “tall talk” and the latter is not.</p> - -<p>Charles Dickens can still make us smile at his -caricature of an American L. L. (literary lady) -and her remarks on her introduction to some -great personage. She immediately begins—</p> - -<p>“Mind and matter glide swift into the -vortex of Immensity. Howls the sublime, -and softly sleeps the calm Ideal in the whispering -chambers of Imagination. To hear it, -sweet it is. But then outlaughs the stern -philosopher and saith to the Grotesque: -‘What ho; arrest for me that Agency! Go, -bring it here!’ And so the vision fadeth.”</p> - -<p>The woman of culture does not attempt fine -talking, and it is only gradually that her -power and charm dawn upon her companion. -“It is proof of a high culture to say the -greatest matters in the simplest way.”</p> - -<p>In the same manner simplicity is a proof of -high breeding. The people who are “somebody” -are, as a rule, easy to “get on” with. -It is the rich “parvenue” who is disconcerting, -and who tries to drag into her conversation -the names of great people or great doings -that will impress her companion.</p> - -<p>When we observe this sort of thing in a -woman, we always know she is not “to the -manner born.” So when we hear people -declare, “I am afraid of So-and-so because she -is so clever,” we feel that, if there is ground -for their fear, there is something defective in -the clever one’s culture.</p> - - -<p class="p2 center"><span class="smcap">Why should Culture be Desired?</span></p> - -<p>It opens the eye and ear to the beauty and -greatness of the world, revealing wonders that -could not otherwise be understood, and bringing -with it a wealth of happiness; and more, -it gives an understanding of life in its due -proportion. The woman of culture is not the -woman who objects to perform necessary tasks -at a pinch because they are “menial,” or takes -offence at imaginary slights, or is for ever -fussing about her domestic duties and her -servants, or gets up little quarrels and “storms -in a teacup” generally, or delights in -ill-natured gossip. She sees how ineffably -small such things are, and she sees them in -this light because she has the width of vision -which enables her to discern the meaning of life -as a whole. Those whose eyes have once -been opened to the beauty and pathos that lie -around their path, even in the common round -of daily duty, do not notice the dust that -clings to their shoes.</p> - -<p>Sympathy is an accompaniment of true -culture; the sympathy that comes of understanding. -Ignorant people are very often -hard just because of ignorance. They cannot -in the least enter into the feelings of others, -nor do they understand that there is a world -beyond their own miserable little enclosure.</p> - -<p>For instance, what a puzzle a clever, sensitive, -imaginative child is to people of contented -matter-of-fact stupidity! One need -not think of Maggie and Mrs. Tulliver, or -Aurora Leigh and her aunt, to illustrate this—there -are plenty of examples from real life.</p> - -<p>The girl does not take to sewing and the -baking of bread and puddings; she is always -wanting to get hold of a book—never so -happy as when she is reading. Or the boy -is always poring over the mysteries of fern and -flower—never so happy as when he is afoot to -secure some fresh specimen. People of -culture would foresee that the one may be a -student, the other a botanist, in days to come, -and, while of course insisting that practical -duty is not selfishly overlooked, they would try -to give scope for the individual taste. People -without culture would set the whole thing -down as laziness and vagabond trifling and -“shirking,” to be severely repressed. Sympathetic -insight is one of the most valuable -attributes of culture; valuable all through life, -especially when dealing with others.</p> - -<p>But we can imagine that the reader may -be thinking rather hopelessly, “It is not -necessary to preach to me on the advantages -of culture; I am fully convinced of them; but -all you say makes me hopeless of ever attaining -such a degree of perfection. In fact, I can -see culture is not for me at all, and I must -just go on as I am.”</p> - -<p>The dictionary definition of culture is “the -application of labour, or other means, to -improve good qualities, or growth.” This -does not sound quite like the other definitions, -and a great deal of confusion has been caused -by people forgetting that the word “culture” -is used for two things—the “process” of -cultivation, and the “result” of that process. -Now it is quite true that “culture,” in the -last and highest sense, is not within the reach -of all our readers; but surely there is no -reader who would say she cannot “apply -labour or other means” to improve her -intelligence, be it in ever so small a degree. -It is better to cultivate a garden ever so little -than to leave it a wilderness.</p> - -<p>Culture, looked upon as a process, may -begin and go on almost indefinitely. Goethe -well says—</p> - -<p>“Woe to every sort of culture which -destroys the most effectual means of all true -culture, and directs us to the end, instead of -rendering us happy on the way.”</p> - -<p>In other words, it is foolish to strain -miserably after “culture for culture’s sake,” -endeavouring to reach an impossible goal, and -feeling discontented and wretched because it -is too remote. The wise way is to do the -best one can with the opportunities that lie -within reach. Every girl who reads these -pages can do something to render herself -a little nearer her ideal of “culture,” and -in the subsequent papers we shall try to show -her how she can best succeed.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Lily Watson.</span> -</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>To be continued.</i>)</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">{227}</span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_227" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_227.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHRONICLES_OF_AN_ANGLO-CALIFORNIAN_RANCH">CHRONICLES OF AN ANGLO-CALIFORNIAN RANCH.</h2> -</div> -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">By</span> MARGARET INNES.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER IV.</h3> - - -<p class="center">OUR CHOICE OF LAND FOR LEMONS—THE PLANTING OF -THE TREES—OUR REMOVAL TO THE BARN.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Meanwhile</span> we were furiously busy at the -old search again. We were able to get more -and fresh details about the whole business -from a source which we knew to be perfectly -reliable; and as these facts were encouraging, -we picked up heart again. The whole surrounding -neighbourhood was driven over, -generally with a pick and shovel in the buggy -with which to make careful examination of the -depth and kind of soil.</p> - -<p>There were plenty of ready-made ranches for -sale, but they were never just what we wanted. -So we resolved that if we bought anything, it -should be untouched, uncleared land, on some -of the foothills where we could get a broad -and sweeping view of the splendid ranges of -mountains. We would make our own ranch, -planned after our own tastes, and, above all, -we would build our own house.</p> - -<p>We had determined to plant lemons. They -seemed to us to have many advantages over -other fruits. The land which will produce -fine lemons must necessarily be limited in -area; it must be high enough to escape the -frost. Lemons do not need the great heat -which is needed to ripen oranges. They are -gathered all the year round and will keep. -Deciduous fruit ripens all at one time, and has -to be gathered and sold at once, which makes -it necessary to engage outside labour. As all -wages are very high, this is a heavy expense. -Even if the fruit is dried, as in the case of -peaches, pears, prunes, apples, etc., for winter -use, considerable work is involved, and as far -as we can learn, yields only a small profit for -this extra trouble. Lemons too, in America, -are a daily necessity, not a luxury. Everyone -uses them, and the drinking saloons alone -require a constant supply.</p> - -<p>These were the principal reasons which -decided our choice, and at last, after a whole -year’s uncertainty, we found land in a position -that we liked—good rich land, lying high, -and in a most beautiful position, with a splendid -view of the distant mountains, the tops -of five ranges standing up, one behind the -other, and the different distances marked with -exquisite softness of colouring.</p> - -<p>It was situated about fourteen miles from -San Miguel, not out of reach of the cool -breeze which blows from the sea all day and -every day during the summer.</p> - -<p>We went many times to examine it, and -finally the great decision was taken to buy -thirty acres. At that time we found we could -buy in this neighbourhood first-class citrus -land, with water, at about one hundred dollars -the acre. We knew there was no good land -to be had for less. As a matter of fact, -however, the first cost of land and water bears -but a small proportion to the whole cost of -the ranch up to the point of yielding returns.</p> - -<p>After our long time of anxious indecision, -it was a relief to have something settled about -the future, and to plan and work for the new -home, although I must confess that, as long -as no definite steps had been taken, I was -conscious of a hope buried deep down out of -sight, that it might be proved wisest for us to -return to the dear old country. The home-sickness -was such a hunger and pain.</p> - -<p>It was the month of June when we bought -our land, and we were anxious to plant as -many trees as possible without delay, for the -later the summer, the drier the ground. -Spring is, of course, the best time for planting, -when the earth is in beautiful condition -after the winter rains. But to wait till next -spring seemed too great a loss of time. We -were very proud of ourselves that we managed -to get five hundred beautiful little lemon-trees -planted before the end of July.</p> - -<p>Considering that the ground had to be -cleared of brush and sumac and sage, then -ploughed, and the water-pipes laid from the -main in such a manner as to reach all over the -ranch, and the position of the trees carefully -measured (this last all the more difficult in our -case, because the ground is up and down hill)—considering -all this hard work, we had a right -to some self-satisfaction.</p> - -<p>We were able to find a competent ranchman -who lived quite conveniently near, for, until -we had time to build, there was nowhere for -him to sleep on the ranch, although, in some -cases, the conveniences for these men are of -the roughest. We heard from one man that, -when he arrived at a new place and asked where -he was to sleep, the “boss” stared at him a -moment, then, giving a comprehensive glance -round his enormous tract of land, said, “Well, -if you can’t find a place to suit you in seven -thousand acres, I guess I can’t help you!” -However, I do not vouch for the truth of this, -although sleeping out-of-doors in the summer -months in this beautiful climate is no hardship.</p> - -<p>During this busy time, my husband and -eldest boy drove out constantly to the ranch -for a stay of three or four days at a time, -returning home for a short rest at the little -house in San Miguel, then back again to the -hard work of planting, etc. On these expeditions -they started always very early in the -morning, and took with them provisions and -various odds and ends to give them some -comfort in the tent in which they slept.</p> - -<p>We were feeling the urgent necessity for -carrying through some plan that would enable -us to settle at the ranch altogether with as little -delay as possible. So we decided to have our -barn built first and to live in this till the house -should be finished. This we carried out, and it -saved us much loss of time and vexation, both -in building the house and in working the ranch.</p> - -<p>It was an exciting moment when the day -arrived for us to move from our little house -at San Miguel to the barn at the ranch. A -removal is a very different matter in this far-away -corner from the same thing in any more -settled part of the world. Looking back to -the old life in the beloved old country, I find -I have an almost sentimental regard for the -strong, well-trained men who come and help -so splendidly at such times. Here, where the -rule of life is to help yourself in everything, -one has to be thankful for the most casual, -untrained assistance—very little of that too, -and at a price that would make one open -one’s eyes at home.</p> - -<p>We had two large waggons coupled together, -the one behind being called a trailer, with six -horses to pull the load; and our luggage, -which included a large iron cooking-stove and -a grand piano, was packed into these in a -most casual fashion. They looked very top -heavy when ready to start, and we knew the -road to be terribly rough, full of “chuck -holes” and sudden lumps. However, we -waved the men a cheery farewell as they -lumbered off, and then turned to gather up -the numberless forgotten odds and ends and -to pack them into the “Surrey,” which stood -waiting for us.</p> - -<p>It looked like part of a gipsy procession -when we had finished, and we rejoiced that -our boys had gone with the waggons, for -there seemed absolutely no room for anybody -inside the “Surrey.” Nevertheless, we wedged -ourselves in somehow, my husband and I and -the “coloured lady” whom I was taking out -as cook, also two small dogs that had been -added to the family. Then we also lumbered -off, leaving with rather mixed feelings the little -house where we had done our first housekeeping -in California.</p> - -<p>About a month before this, after many -experiments with horses we had bought a -pair of greys, and now drove them out to the -ranch, where they were to plough and cultivate -and to serve as carriage horses when needed.</p> - -<p>The ordinary ranch horse is of a lighter -build than his cousin the English farm horse, -having a strong dash of broncho mixed with -his peasant blood, which makes him rather -lively and very tough.</p> - -<p>Ours were called Dan and Joe. Joe was -very gentle and willing, and Dan, who for -some years had worked constantly with him, -traded on his goodness and left always the -greatest strain of everything to him. However, -generally they ran along together at a -good pace and gave no trouble.</p> - -<p>This day we were obliged to go more slowly, -as the “Surrey” was so heavily laden, and -the rough country roads bumped and lurched -us about so violently that it was difficult to -keep ourselves and our bundles from being -shot into the air. With all our care, a large -and tempting piece of cheese, which had been -added to the provisions as an afterthought, -disappeared, and we spent some valuable time -in turning back to hunt for it.</p> - -<p>We were anxious to reach the ranch as long -before sunset as possible, for we knew it would -not be easy work to get our little family settled -in the barn.</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>To be continued.</i>)</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">{228}</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ART_IN_THE">ART IN THE -HOUSE.</h2> -</div> - - -<h3>PART III.</h3> - -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">How to Stencil in Oil -Colours.</span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ordinary</span> tube colours -should be used for stencilling -on your furniture mixed -with a little copal varnish -and slightly thinned with -turps. Driers are put up in -tubes under the names of -<i>sacrum</i> or sugar of lead, and -it is as well to mix a little with -your colours as it makes them -dry off quickly. The white -should be mixed up in a batch -with the varnish, driers and -turps, and be of the consistency -of thick cream. Your tinting -colours should be squeezed out -on your palette so that you -can readily mix up your tones.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp43" id="i_228" style="max-width: 21.875em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_228.jpg" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"><p><span class="smcap">Fig. 1.</span>—<i>Panel of -corner cupboard decorated -in stencilling. -The centre -panel is founded on -the iris, with the -daisy at base.</i></p></div> -</div> - -<p>Stencil brushes are round -and short in the hair, so that -they present a flat surface on -the stencil. You require three -or four, two about an inch in -diameter, one five-eighths and -one three-eighths or a quarter -of an inch. Two or three small -flat hog brushes for touching -in ties and putting in particular -parts of a stencil should be -handy. We will begin with the -stiles of the door of chiffonier, -which is decorated with the -ornamental stencil B, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49179/49179-h/49179-h.htm#Page_12">Fig. 1</a> -in <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49179/49179-h/49179-h.htm#ART_IN_THE">first article</a>. We put the -corners in first and this corner -I cut separately as I could not -fit in the stencil I was using. -Having done this see how your -other stencil will work out, for -it does not look workmanlike -to start at the top and find -that you have to end it with a -different spacing to what you -started with. If you begin in -the centre of each stile and -work to the corners you will -obtain a symmetrical result. -Always remember to space out -any part of your work which is -conspicuous, so that the stencil -seems to just fit in the space -as though it were cut specially -for it. I find it a good plan to have some pins -handy, and just tap in a couple, one at each end -of the stencil, to keep it from shifting while you -rub on the colour. Both your hands are then at -liberty. Or you can get a friend to hold the plate -down on the wood, but the pinning does almost -better. If you shift the stencil before you have -knocked out the impression you will not get a -sharp result.</p> - -<p>Having tinted your white to the desired tone -spread a little of the colour on to your palette and -knock your stencil brush on to this colour a few -times, so that the brush takes up some of the -colour, then begin by gently knocking the brush -on to the wood over the cut-out portions until -you have completely covered them with colour. -Don’t try to do this too quickly. Proceed gently, -getting the colour out of your brush by degrees, -and take up the colour from the palette in the -same gentle manner. The reason for this caution -is that if you take up too much colour at a time in -your brush and knock it violently on the stencil -plate, you will find when you lift up the same that -the impression, instead of being sharp will be -blobby at the edges through the colour having -worked under the stencil.</p> - -<p>The art of stencilling is in getting sharp, clean -impressions, and this can only come of care and -taking time. On no account get the colour too -thin. It should be of such a consistency as will -enable you to knock it out of the brush with -slight exertion. If too stodgy thin it with a drop -or two of turps and linseed oil, and then mix with -palette knife, but on no account get turps into -the stencil brush or you will get very bad impressions, -for the colour is sure then to run under -the stencil. Therefore again I say, don’t hurry.</p> - -<p>I have said nothing yet as to the tones of -colour to be used. This is a matter of taste, -and is a most difficult subject to write about. -Two artists will use the same colours, and yet -one with an eye for colour will give us beautiful -harmonies, and the other one wanting this -delicacy of perception will give us crudity. -Form in your mind some tone of colour suggested, -say, by the warm mellow colours of -autumn, the soberer russet and greys of the -winter, or the light, fresh, delicate tints of -spring, and carry these suggestions out in your -decoration. The corner cupboard, <a href="#i_228">Fig. 1</a>, we -might tint in the russet tones, and you will -find that such colours as raw sienna, raw umber, -yellow ochre, <i>terra verte</i>, burnt sienna, chromes -Nos. 1 and 2, Prussian blue, French ultramarine, -and light red will supply you with a very varied -palette. White tinted with yellow ochre, raw -sienna or raw umber are all good tones for -stencilling in, and each of them can be mixed -or toned with one of the others. The addition -of <i>terra verte</i> or Prussian blue will give you -soft tones of green. By using such a yellow -as ochre to make greens you obtain softer, -quieter tones than if you used chromes. Suppose -you have small quantities of the above -three tints mixed on your palette, you can -take a little of one in your brush and knock -that out on the stencil, and then a little of the -next tint and knock that out, and so on with -the third. In this way you get a variety of -tints in the stencilled border and yet a certain -“tone” will run all through, which -gives one a sense of harmony, and at the -same time variety, and so lessens the hard -mechanical look which stencilling in just one -colour is apt to give. Then, too, when you -have knocked out one impression before lifting -off the stencil, you can take one of the hog -hair brushes or the smallest stencil brush and -put in the body and the portion of the wings -around it of the butterflies B in the corner -cupboard, <a href="#i_228">Fig. 1</a>, in a little darker colour, say -more raw umber or sienna. It is very little -more trouble and greatly adds to the general -effect to give these accents. The idea is to -make the butterflies come off the web, so -keep the web lighter and the insects darker.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">{229}</span> -In the border B, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49179/49179-h/49179-h.htm#Page_12">Fig. 1</a>, in <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49179/49179-h/49179-h.htm#ART_IN_THE">first article</a> the -flowers might be touched in to bring them off -the lines of the background.</p> - -<p>The pattern on the spaces surrounding the -door A, <a href="#i_228">Fig. 1</a>, can still be in the same tones, -varied as I have suggested, but the panels of -the doors being themselves more naturalesque, -might be a little more positive in colouring, -<i>i.e.</i>, the leaves and grass can be put in, in -quiet, soft tones of green, while the flowers -could be in lemon chrome and white or bluish -purple made of rose madder and French blue -or Indian red and Prussian blue lightened -with white, but don’t make the colouring too -bright, so that it is in too strong contrast to -the stiles. Greens made of blue and chrome -are much cruder than if you use yellow ochre -or raw sienna. Going back now to the -colouring of the chiffonier <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49179/49179-h/49179-h.htm#Page_12">Fig. 1</a> (<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49179/49179-h/49179-h.htm#ART_IN_THE">p. 13</a>) in first -article. The plinth or bottom D can be in -low-toned greens, not too dark but darker -than the leaves in the panels, while the daisies -can be in grey made of white, raw umber, -and a touch of blue, with centres in yellow. -Stencil the flowers first and then with a small -brush put in the yellow centres. A slight -touch of pink at the edges of the daisies might -look well, effected by using a small hog brush -and a little rose madder. The leaves around -the column keep in the quiet greens used in -plinth D. The back of the upper part of -chiffonier, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49179/49179-h/49179-h.htm#Page_13">Fig. 2</a>, with its shelf can be treated -like the panels in colouring, and the festoon -above the shelf can have the flowers in the -grey and the leaves in russet not too dark, -and the ribbon in pale blue. As you have a -white surface to decorate, be careful not to get -your colouring too strong. Use plenty of white -with all your colours, for you will find that -delicate tones are much pleasanter to live with -than heavy ones. A little of the pure colours -from the tubes will tint a lot of white, so the -colours will not be a great expense. Buy the -flake white in half-pound tubes for cheapness.</p> - -<p>In arranging stencils act somewhat on the -plan I have observed, which is to keep the -more naturalesque stencils for such places as -panels or other flat, broad surfaces, and as a -framing to them the more ornamental patterns, -to contrast with the natural ones. The -butterfly border on the stiles of the corner -cupboard B, <a href="#i_228">Fig. 1</a>, is a good foil to the iris -panel, just as the border B, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49179/49179-h/49179-h.htm#Page_12">Fig. 1</a>, is a good -foil to the daisy panel in the chiffonier.</p> - -<p>The conventional grass seemed a suitable -pattern for the plinth, and such a purely -ornamental design as a festoon not inappropriate -to the shaped top.</p> - -<p>I have mentioned before that great variety -can be obtained by combining portions of -different stencils. The plinth D, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49179/49179-h/49179-h.htm#Page_12">Fig. 1</a>, of -chiffonier, for instance, is a combination of -two, the flowers being from one and the grass -itself from another. The butterfly and sprig -running border, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50795/50795-h/50795-h.htm#Page_188">Fig. 1</a>, in <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50795/50795-h/50795-h.htm#ART_IN_THE_HOUSE">second article</a>, I -have shown in variation, and the border in -corner cupboard, A, <a href="#i_228">Fig. 1</a>, is made by taking -the sprig portion only and putting the root in -between each impression. When you want -only a portion of a stencil cover over the rest -with paper, so that you do not get an impression -of a part you do <i>not</i> require.</p> - -<p>Some colours are very fugitive such as -indigo, crimson lake, yellow lake, etc.; but the -colours I have mentioned may be relied upon -for permanency.</p> - -<p>When the stencilling is thoroughly dry it -will preserve the work to give it a coat of white -hard varnish. Apply this freely with a flat hog -brush (or regular varnish brush), seeing that you -miss no portion of the surface. Keep it from -the dust until dry and you will have a pretty -and useful article of furniture. Of course you -may have some other article to do up than the -chiffonier I have sketched, which I took simply -because it was to my hand, but you can easily -apply these hints to your own necessities.</p> - -<p>When your stencils are done with you wash -them thoroughly in turpentine, both back and -front, and dry them and put them away, keeping -them flat.</p> - -<p>While you are using your stencils wipe the -back after each impression, so that if any -colour has worked there you can remove it. -Have an old board and some newspaper to lay -the stencil on when you clean it.</p> - -<p>With the batch of stencils given with these -articles endless variations and combinations -are possible. Many of the patterns too could -be easily adapted for needlework; in fact, you -have only to lightly stencil your material in -water colour and work over the impressions. -Use Chinese white if a dark textile, and lamp -black and Chinese white if a light one.</p> - -<p>Though I have advised white paint for these -two articles of furniture, there is no reason why -you shouldn’t try dark ones. Stencilling is -very effective on dark paint, and a cabinet or -cupboard painted a dark brownish green would -look well with stencilling in shades of old -gold. To get a rich colour the final coat must -have very little white with it. For a brownish -green use burnt sienna, black, deep chrome, -and touch of Prussian blue, with only enough -white to make it light enough.</p> - -<p class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Fred Miller.</span> -</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="VARIETIES">VARIETIES.</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="p2 center"><span class="smcap">How to Get On.</span></p> - -<p>When Lord Esher took leave of the Bench -and Bar recently, he made a noteworthy -utterance, which has an interest for all young -people, even though they are not lawyers or -ever likely to be.</p> - -<p>This eminent judge, who has sat on the -judicial bench with great distinction for -twenty-nine years, told his hearers that -resoluteness of purpose had been the secret of -his success.</p> - -<p>“What I will say to all of you,” he -remarked, “is this. I became a judge -because I had made up my mind and will, -from the beginning, that I would be a judge. -Do not suppose I had no checks, and that -there were not occasional times when it -appeared that one was being passed over. I -said, ‘Never mind the checks; I will go on, -and I will get to the top, if it is possible to -do it!’ I recommend that to you all.”</p> - - -<p class="p2 center"><span class="smcap">Such is Fame.</span></p> - -<p>The great Napoleon, more than a year -after he had become Emperor, tried to find -out if there was anyone in France who had -never heard of him.</p> - -<p>It was not long before he discovered a -wood-cutter at Montmartre within the walls -of Paris, to whom the name of Napoleon was -quite unknown, and, more than that, the man -was ignorant of the Revolution and had no -knowledge of the fact that Louis XVI. was -dead.</p> - -<p>Another anecdote showing equally well that -the trumpet of fame does not reach the ears -of everybody was told by Mr. Roebuck in -the course of a speech made at Salisbury in -1852. He told his audience that when he mentioned -the recent death of the Duke of Wellington -to a “shrewd Hampshire labourer,” -the man replied—</p> - -<p>“I be very sorry for he. But who was he?”</p> - - -<p class="p2 center"><span class="smcap">Kindness and Courage.</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Life is mostly froth and bubble,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Two things stand like stone:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Kindness in another’s trouble,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Courage in your own.</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<p class="p2"><span class="smcap">A Real Friend.</span>—Account her your real -friend who desires your good rather than your -good-will.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Answer to Triple Acrostic</span> (p. 63).</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>Extra Christmas Part.</i>)</p> - -<table class="autotable" summary=""> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">1.</td> -<td class="tdc">E</td> -<td class="tdc">ver</td> -<td class="tdc">G</td> -<td class="tdc">ree</td> -<td class="tdc">N</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">2.</td> -<td class="tdc">L</td> -<td class="tdc"> </td> -<td class="tdc">E</td> -<td class="tdc"> </td> -<td class="tdc">A</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">3.</td> -<td class="tdc">I</td> -<td class="tdc">st</td> -<td class="tdc">H</td> -<td class="tdc">mi</td> -<td class="tdc">A</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">4.</td> -<td class="tdc">S</td> -<td class="tdc">ol</td> -<td class="tdc">A</td> -<td class="tdc">nu</td> -<td class="tdc">M</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">5.</td> -<td class="tdc">H</td> -<td class="tdc">u</td> -<td class="tdc">Z</td> -<td class="tdc">z</td> -<td class="tdc">A</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">6.</td> -<td class="tdc">A</td> -<td class="tdc">nd</td> -<td class="tdc">I</td> -<td class="tdc">ro</td> -<td class="tdc">N</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p class="center">Elisha—Gehazi—Naaman. -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">{230}</span></p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="OUR_HERO">“OUR HERO.”</h2> -</div> -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">By</span> AGNES GIBERNE, Author of “Sun, Moon and Stars,” “The Girl at the Dower House,” etc.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER XV.</h3> - -<p class="ph3">FROM OVER THE WATER.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lucille</span>, turning to go, made a little -sign to Roy to follow her. Ivor opened -the door, moving mechanically, as if -his mind were far away; and Roy, with -a show of reluctance, went in her rear.</p> - -<p>“But, Mademoiselle, I want to know -about them all at home. Molly most! -And Den can tell me.”</p> - -<p>“Yes; soon. But would you not -leave Monsieur to read his letter in -peace? Would not that be kind?”</p> - -<p>“Are you more sorry for Den than for -the rest of us?” demanded Roy, his -frank grey eyes looking Lucille in the -face somewhat laughingly. The question -took her by surprise; and afterwards -she recurred to it, wondering at the -boy’s unconscious penetration. At the -moment she met his glance readily -enough.</p> - -<p>“I do not know. I am sorry for you -all. But Captain Ivor—yes, perhaps -most. I am not sure. He is more -changed by his imprisonment than any. -Cannot you perceive? <i>Mais non</i>—you -are a boy—you do not look.”</p> - -<p>“I do, though,” protested the injured -Roy. “That was why I wouldn’t go -on playing chess. And then for you to -say that I don’t <i>look</i>. But I can’t see -that Den is changed—not a scrap. -What do you mean? He’s the best old -fellow that ever lived—just as he always -was, you know.”</p> - -<p>“Old!” repeated Lucille, with a lifting -of her eyebrows.</p> - -<p>“O, that’s only—that means nothing. -At least, it means that I like him better -than anybody else—except Molly. No, -he isn’t old really, of course—he was -twenty-five his last birthday.” Roy -laughed to himself.</p> - -<p>“Something that you find amusing, -Roy!”</p> - -<p>“It’s only the letter. Do you know, -that’s from the girl he is going to -marry some day. It’s from Polly.”</p> - -<p>“Oui.” Lucille had already conjectured -as much. “Mademoiselle Pol-ly. -C’est un peu drôle, ce nom-là.”</p> - -<p>“But ’tis not Mademoiselle Po-lee. -’Tis just Polly. You do say names so -drolly—so French! Den says I’m not to -cure you of talking as you do, because -’tis pretty. But her name really and -truly isn’t Polly. She is Mary Keene—only -no one ever calls her Mary.”</p> - -<p>“Mademoiselle Marie Keene—ah, -oui. And is this Mademoiselle Keene -pretty—gentille?”</p> - -<p>“I should just think she was. The -prettiest girl that ever was,” declared -Roy. “Though I like Molly best, you -know, and she’s not pretty. But Polly’s -nice, too. May I go back now? Den -has had lots of time.”</p> - -<p>“I would wait—ten minutes—why -not? You have not yet unpacked for -monsieur.”</p> - -<p>Roy murmured one impatient “Bother! -Plague take it!” and then his face -cleared, and he complied. Ivor did not -know how much he owed to Lucille, -in being thus left to the undisturbed -enjoyment of his letter.</p> - -<p>He forgot all about both Lucille and -Roy, when once he had it in possession. -The very touch of that thick paper, with -its red seals, did him good. As he unfolded -it, the weight on his brain -lessened, and sight became more clear. -If Polly only wrote to say that she was -growing tired of waiting and could not -promise to wait indefinitely, still even -that would be better than not hearing at -all—even to know the worst at once -would be better than absolute uncertainty. -And meanwhile it was her own -handwriting.</p> - -<p>There was one sheet, square-shaped, -written well over. Polly’s letter came -first, and another from somebody else -followed it. Ivor did not trouble himself -as to the authorship of the second, -till he had read through the first. He -scarcely vouchsafed it a glance.</p> - -<p>The early part of Polly’s effusion, -which bore a date many weeks old, was -written in a strain of studied archness -and badinage, such as in those days -was greatly affected by young ladies. -Towards the end a little peep into -Polly’s heart was permitted. She had -apparently just received one of Ivor’s -many epistles, the greater number of -which never reached their destination.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="right"> -“Bath. November 7, 1803.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">My dear Captain Ivor</span>,—So you -consider that I have been too slow in -writing to you, and you make complaint -that I leave you too long without Letters. -But how know you that I have not sent -at least <i>one</i> for every single one of yours -to me? In truth, I cannot boast of any -vast correspondence on <i>your</i> side, my -dear Sir, since the letter which is now -arriv’d is but the second in——O in -quite an interminable length of time. -And were it not that I have an exceeding -Aversion to the writing of Letters, as -indeed you ought to be aware, since I -am sure I have told you as much, I -<i>might</i> feel Regrets at hearing so seldom—but -that it means the less toil on <i>my</i> -part, you understand. If it were not -that in your last you give a delicate -hint that Silence on my part might be -construed to mean something of the -Nature of Indifference, why even now I -should be greatly disposed to indulge -my Dislike to driving the Quill, and wait -till another day.</p> - -<p>“But since doubtless you will expect -to hear, and since we never may know -which letters have gone astray, I will -so far overcome my inclinations—or -my <i>dis</i>inclinations—as to sit down and -endeavour to entertain you with the -best of Bath News.</p> - -<p>“My letter which was writ from Sandgate -you have, I trust, already received, -and thus you know all about the scare -which took place, when the French fleet -was descried by somebody of not very -good sight—or so I suppose!—and when -signals went wrong, and the Soldiers -and Sea-fencibles and Volunteers were -all called out, and when General Moore -galloped the whole distance from Dungeness -Point to be in time, and when Mrs. -Bryce’s heart failed her. But not -<i>Polly’s</i>, Captain Ivor—of that you may -be sure! For <i>Polly</i> is to be one day -the wife of a soldier! And also Polly -knew that, if she were to be taken -prisoner, as Mrs. Bryce dolefully foretold, -why—why—that might mean that -she could hope to be sent to where -Somebody is, whom she would not be -greatly sorry to see once again.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Bryce insisted on coming -hither in hot haste, lest Napoleon -should please to land at Sandgate, -where General Moore waited to receive -him; and now she is in doubt what to -do next, since some think London is the -safer place to be in. But General -Moore does not now think that Napoleon -will make any effort till spring, -since any day winter storms in the -Channel may begin; and Jack scorns -the notion that, when he does come, he -will ever advance beyond the sea-beach. -’Tis said that, if Mr. Pitt comes into -power again, he will speedily <i>start</i> some -new ideas for our Preservation; and my -Grandmamma says, therefore, that we -may not <i>start</i> any new expenses till we -know to what length Taxation will allow -us to run. But for which I wanted much -a new frock.</p> - -<p>“Last week I was in Bristol for three -days, with our Grandmother’s old -friends, Mr. and Mrs. Graham. I was -asked to a dance with them, and I went, -but without the smallest idea of -dancing, having been assured that -beaux were scarce, and strangers seldom -asked. So I determined to enjoy seeing -others more fortunate, and to pass a -quiet stupid evening, meditating on an -absent Somebody—can you by any possibility -guess Whom, my dear Sir?</p> - -<p>“But matters turned out otherwise. -I had entered the room only a few -minutes, when a most genteel handsome -young Man advanced, and with -such sort of speeches as you all make -solicited the honour of my hand. To -tell you the honest and plain truth, I -had seen him before, and I therefore -graciously assented. I left the ladies -that accompanied me—Mrs. Graham -and Mrs. Graham’s sister—to look out -for themselves; and I began thereupon -to enjoy myself. Now, if you want to -know his name, you must wait till I -choose to tell you. He contributed to -my passing a very agreeable evening; -and so far I am obliged to him, for he -knew many who were present, and he -took good care that I should be in no -lack of partners; but whether I ever see -him again does not seem to be of any -sort of consequence. Everyone was -astonished at my great good luck in -dancing, for the Gentlemen were, as -usual, idle. There were some sad Coxcombs -present, I regret to say, who -found it too much exertion even to come -forward and shawl a lady, when she -was departing. But I forget—I am -writing to one who knows not the -meaning of the word ‘trouble,’ and who<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">{231}</span> -would never leave any woman, not if she -were the <i>least</i> Bewitching of her Sex, to -stand neglected, if he could put matters -right. So you see, my dear Sir, -what my opinion of you is.</p> - -<p>“Having related thus much, I really -am bound to go farther, and to inform -you that the young man’s name was -Albert Peirce, that he is a nephew of -the good Admiral, that he is an -officer in His Majesty’s Army, and that -I saw him at Sandgate, the evening -before our great scare about the -Invasion. After all his civilities in the -way of getting me Partners, he also -handed me down to the vastly elegant -Supper, which was provided; and by that -time, there’s no doubt, I needed it.</p> - -<p>“You may perhaps be thinking that -I do very well without you, on the whole; -yet I cannot say that I do not miss my -absent friend. Indeed I do, and my -Spirits are lower since you went away. -’Tis said too that my Roses are much -diminished, and that I must e’en take to -the use of Painting and Cosmetics, if I -would preserve my charms; but this, I -confess, I am loath to do. So come -home again, my dear Denham, I entreat -of you, as soon as ever you may, for in -truth I am longing to see you again. Is -there no Exchange of Prisoners ever to -be brought about by the two Governments? -The present state of things is -sad and dolorous for so many. I think -of sending this letter to your old address -in Paris, in a cover addressed to M. de -Bertrand, who so kindly took in Roy, -when he had the Small-pox. It appears -that few letters which are posted, arrive -safely; and ’tis at least worth while to -try this mode. And now I must write -no more, for my Grandmother craves a -part of the sheet for a letter on her own -behalf, that she may give suitable particulars -about Molly, who begs me to -send her Duty to her Parents, and her -Love to Roy. I have begged only that -the Letter may be writ to yourself, that -so the whole sheet may be yours.</p> - -<p><span class="ml2">“So at present no more, from</span><br /> -<span class="ml4">“Yours faithfully and Till Death,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap ml6">“Polly Keene.”</span><br /> -</p> -</div> - -<p>Denham held the signature to his -lips. Would he ever again be tempted -to doubt sweet Polly’s constancy?</p> - -<p>The letter following, on the last page, -was much shorter and different in style. -Mrs. Fairbank wrote—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">My dear Captain Ivor</span>,—I am -desirous to let Colonel Baron and his -wife know that Molly is in good health, -and Behaves herself as she ought. I -have therefore requested the use of one -page in Polly’s letter, since she assures -me that she has nought else to say that -is of great Importance. You will doutless -kindly give my message to Colonel -and Mrs. Baron.</p> - -<p>“I am greatly Indebted to Colonel -Baron for the money which has been -sent to me by his Bankers regularly, in -conformity with his orders given many -months ago. Expenses are increasingly -heavy, as Prices continue steadily to -arise, in consequence of the long-continued -Wars; and I shou’d find it tru’ly -difficult to manage, as things are now, -but for his Seasonable and generous -Help. I am thankful to have it in my -power to do all that is needed for Molly, -and the help to myself is not small. -Bread and every necessary are rising.</p> - -<p>“Molly has a Governess who comes -in every day; and I am pleased to be -able to report that she makes good advance -in her Study’s, as much as one -cou’d expect. The young Governess is -of French Extraction, her father having -lost his life in the French Revolution, -and her mother having fled with this -daughter to England. She will therefore -be able to impart to Molly the -correct Pronunciation of French terms, -which few Britishers manage to Acquire. -Molly is growing fast, and though she -will never be handsome, she is gaining -a Pleasing expression of countenance; -her manners are Genteel; and she behaves -with Candour and Propriety.</p> - -<p>“Serious fears have been Entertain’d -of a French Invasion of this Country, -but I trust, thro’ the Mercy of God, that -the danger is averted for this autumn. -Mr. and Mrs. Bryce have fled to Bath -for greater Safety, in accordance with -my Advice; and indeed I was heartily -glad when Polly had left Sandgate. If -the french Army shou’d land, and -shou’d advance to Lon<sup>n</sup>, God forbid -they shou’d molest the good Citizens, -who I hope will be enabled to drive the -french by thousands into old Thames.<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> -People seem now, however, greatly to -relax in their fears.</p> - -<p>“You will dou’tless be glad to hear -that Polly is well, though she has not -quite her usual bloom. Indeed, I am -convinc’d that she has suffered greatly -from your prolonged Absence, although, -having a high Spirit, she does not -readily betray her feelings.</p> - -<p> -<span class="ml2">“Believe me, my dear Sir,</span><br /> -<span class="ml4">“Yours sincerely,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap ml6">“C. Fairbank.”</span><br /> -</p> -</div> - -<p>“Den, is it from Polly?” cried Roy, -bursting into the room.</p> - -<p>“Yes. And Molly is quite well, and -sends you her love. Come, we must tell -your mother that I have heard.”</p> - -<p>“I’ve done your unpacking. Mademoiselle -wouldn’t let me stay. She -said I ought to leave you to read your -letter in peace.”</p> - -<p>“Rather hard upon you, eh?” suggested -Ivor. “Come along!” and -Roy, forgetting all else, sent a shout in -advance to prepare his mother for what -was coming.</p> - -<p>They had to make the most of this -letter. None could guess how long a -time might pass before they would hear -again. Every detail was eagerly dwelt -upon, and on the whole Polly’s report was -counted satisfactory. Naturally it awoke -fresh memories, fresh regrets, fresh -longings; yet Denham at least seemed -the better for his “medicine.” The -look of weight and strain was gone from -his face next morning, and he appeared -to be in much his usual spirits, when he -proposed a walk with Roy to explore -the neighbourhood. He and the -Colonel had just returned from <i>appel</i>; -all détenus and prisoners having at -stated intervals to report themselves at -the <i>maison de ville</i>.</p> - -<p>“Will you have to sign your names -every day?” Mrs. Baron asked, on -hearing particulars.</p> - -<p>“At present, no. Den and I and a -few others are excused from doing so -more often than once in five days. But -the greater number have to show themselves -every day—unless they can send -a medical certificate, forbidding them -to go out, on account of illness.”</p> - -<p>“Remedy worse than disease,” murmured -Ivor.</p> - -<p>“And if one stays away, without -sending such a certificate, the gendarmes -promptly make their appearance, -expecting a fee for the trouble.”</p> - -<p>“How much?”</p> - -<p>“Three francs—so I am told.”</p> - -<p>“What a shame!”</p> - -<p>“General Roussel does not seem to -be a bad sort of fellow. Civil enough. -But they mean to be strict.”</p> - -<p>“Good many escapes of late, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Why, Den—escapes when they’ve -given their parole!” cried Roy.</p> - -<p>“No; only when they have not given -their parole. That makes all the -difference.”</p> - -<p>“And may you and papa go wherever -you like?”</p> - -<p>“Within stiff limits. Five miles from -the town—no more without leave.”</p> - -<p>“I foresee that we shall have to -pay pretty liberally for that leave,” -added the Colonel.</p> - -<p>“Did you see many friends there, -George?”</p> - -<p>“A good many coming and going. -All of course who were at Fontainebleau -are here, and numbers from Valenciennes -and Brussels. We came across -Mr. Kinsland, and General Cunningham -and Welby, Greville, Franklyn and -others.”</p> - -<p>“Den, I say, do come along,” urged -Roy, who had already been for a run, but -who greatly preferred a companion.</p> - -<p>“All right—if you don’t mind paying -a call by the way.”</p> - -<p>Roy declared himself ready for anything, -and they went first toward the -lower part of the town, on a level with -the river. Roy, full as usual of ideas -and talk, poured out for his companion’s -edification some items of information, -which he had gained from Mademoiselle -de St. Roques.</p> - -<p>“She says Verdun is an awfully old -place—goes back to almost the days of -Charlemagne. When <i>did</i> Charlemagne -live? And only a little while ago it -was a French border town—frontier -town, I mean—but it isn’t now, because -Napoleon has conquered such a lot of -Europe. And do you know, the -Prussians took it from France only just -a few years ago, after quite a short siege. -And the French Governor killed himself.”</p> - -<p>“Saved Napoleon the trouble, I -suppose.”</p> - -<p>“Does Napoleon kill his generals -when they are beaten? Oh, let’s go up -on the ramparts! Look, there are trees -all along, just like a boulevard. Mademoiselle -says the ramparts are three -miles long. Are they, do you think? -What is the business you have to do -on the way? Are you going to see -somebody?”</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>To be continued.</i>)</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">{232}</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter illowp95" id="i_232" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_232.jpg" alt="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="center">THE LESSON.</p></div> -</div> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">{233}</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="SONG">SONG.</h2> -</div> -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">By</span> L. G. MOBERLY.</p> - - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0"><span class="smcap">If</span> only I might hear the larks again</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Upon the downs in spring,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And linger in the copses, as of yore,</div> - <div class="verse indent4">To hear the thrushes sing,</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">If I might see again the wide clear sky</div> - <div class="verse indent4">That stoops to meet the hills,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And catch the golden gleam of sun that lies</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Upon the daffodils,</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">And watch, just once again, the shadows pass</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Across the uplands sweet,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And feel the springy sweetness of the grass</div> - <div class="verse indent4">Growing beneath my feet;</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">I think that I could learn at last to bear</div> - <div class="verse indent4">My life in this great town;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">If I might feel Spring’s breath again—and hear</div> - <div class="verse indent4">The larks—upon the down!</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_233" style="max-width: 31.25em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_233.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_RULING_PASSION">THE RULING PASSION.</h2> -</div> - - -<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3> - -<p><span class="smcap">Among</span> the crowd in the top gallery at St. -James’s Hall was one very remarkable figure -who was an object of speculation to most of -his fellow-listeners at the Monday Popular -Concerts. He was a regular and unfailing -attendant for many, many years, but not very -long ago he disappeared suddenly in the -middle of the season, and his place knew him -no more.</p> - -<p>He was an old man, apparently between -seventy and eighty, very tall, thin almost to -emaciation, with a magnificent head, white -hair that was still thick and rather long, a -short white beard and moustache, a fine -straight nose, and very sad, kindly grey eyes. -His hands, though old and shrunken, with -their veins standing out in relief, were well -shaped, and still had the trained, capable -look that only those people possess who, -having been taught to use and develop the -muscles of their hands while young, keep -them in constant use and practice afterwards.</p> - -<p>That he was very poor was certain, for year -by year he appeared in the same clothes. A -very old, threadbare, but well-brushed Inverness -cape, a white woollen comforter, and a -soft felt hat that had once been black, but -was now of the indescribable greenish-brown -tint that black hats assume in their last stages -of existence. He also wore grey cloth gloves -and carried a thick blackthorn walking-stick -with a knob handle.</p> - -<p>He came alone to the concerts and sat on -the extreme right-hand of the gallery, close -against the wall, in the third row from the -front. Sometimes he was joined by a young -man, who was the only person he was ever -seen to converse with at length, though he -would answer politely any chance question -about the music or the artists, on both of -which subjects he appeared to have considerable -knowledge.</p> - -<p>His English was perfect and fluent, but the -impression prevailed in the gallery that he -was foreign.</p> - -<p>One Monday evening a few years ago he -came to the gallery at seven o’clock and took -his usual place. It happened to be the first -appearance of Joachim that season, and it -was not unreasonable to suppose that there -might be a crowd. The old gentleman -looked round anxiously as each new-comer -opened the door, fearing evidently that some -stranger would take the seat next him. His -fears, however, were vain ones on that night, -and at about twenty minutes before eight, -looking round as the door opened, his face -lighted up with joy as his friend, a rather -good-looking, dark young man, pushed his -way across the gallery to his side.</p> - -<p>“Dear Professor Crowitzski,” he said -affectionately, “I am sorry to be so late. I -knew you would be anxious, but I have come -straight from Grignoletti’s house in the -Avenue Road.”</p> - -<p>“My dear boy—my dear boy,” returned -the old man tremulously, “I have been -anxious about you for several reasons. I -have thought much about your interview with -Grignoletti and its possible result, and I also -began to fear you would not get here in time -to hear the Brahms Sextett, which is placed -first upon the programme to-night. I would -not have you miss it if you could possibly help -it; you should hear Brahms as often as you -can. Do not neglect the other masters -of course. Hear and study the works of all; -but especially those of that great trinity, -Bach, Beethoven, Brahms. Now, however, -tell me about yourself. Did Grignoletti hold -out any hope to you?”</p> - -<p>“Indeed he did,” said the young man, -“almost too much, for I do not quite see how -the hope is to be realised. He spoke in high -terms of my voice, said I had a career before<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">{234}</span> -me, and advised my entering the Royal -Academy at once, saying he should not let -me study with anyone but himself.”</p> - -<p>“That is a high compliment,” said the -Professor. “Grignoletti is the finest teacher -of singing in London. Moreover, he is a -true artist and an honest man. He will say -nothing to you he does not mean. But tell -me what difficulties stand in your way.”</p> - -<p>Herbert Maxwell sighed. It was so hard -to see the bright pathway of his highest -wishes shining in the distance, and to realise -that between him and the beginning of it lay -a dark stream that could only be crossed by -means of golden stepping-stones.</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid money is the chief difficulty,” -he said rather sadly. “The Academy fees -are ten pounds a term. The half-term examination -is next Monday, and I have not the -means of raising five pounds. You know my -mother and I depend entirely on my weekly -wage, and it is not a very large one.”</p> - -<p>“I know—I know,” replied the old man; -“but supposing this amount could be found, -how would you support your mother and -yourself when you give up your present -work? If you mean to adopt singing as your -profession, you must give your whole time to -the study of music.”</p> - -<p>“It was in that matter that Grignoletti -showed himself so very kind,” said Herbert. -“He asked me how I lived, and promised, if -I were admitted to the Academy, he would -find work for me by which I could earn at -least as much as I do now, and which -would also increase my musical knowledge. -He——”</p> - -<p>A sudden storm of applause interrupted -him, in which he joined vigorously, as Joachim, -followed by the other artists, emerged -from the curious little well at the end of the -platform, where those of the players and -singers who are not performing assemble to -listen to those who are, sitting on the stairs -or on the settee just inside.</p> - -<p>Nothing more was said by the old Professor -or Herbert himself on the subject of his -musical education. The concert absorbed -them both entirely, and in the intervals -between each item on the programme no -other subject was discussed by them but the -music and the performers.</p> - -<p>It was a shorter concert than usual, and as -they were slowly making for the door with -the rest of the crowd, the old man said to his -young friend, “Can you come home with me -to-night, my dear boy? I have something -more to say to you, and I cannot say it here. -I do not think it will make you very late.”</p> - -<p>“I shall be very glad to,” replied Herbert, -“and very glad to hear anything from you. -You are the only person in the world to -whom I can go for advice about music. It is -very good of you to take so much interest in -me.”</p> - -<p>At Piccadilly Circus they got into that red -omnibus which is affectionately called by -those who use it constantly “The Kennington -Lobster,” and travelled over Westminster -Bridge some little distance down the wide -Kennington Road.</p> - -<p>“Green Street,” said the Professor after a -time, and the conductor stopped the omnibus -almost immediately.</p> - -<p>They got down and turned into a little -street on the right-hand of the main road; -one of those streets still to be found here and -there in some of the older parts of London, -though they are fast being swept away by the -remorseless builder to make room for the huge -piles of model dwellings that are springing up -on every side.</p> - -<p>It was a narrow street of small but still respectable-looking -houses, not detached. Each -had a tiny square of garden in front of its one -window, and a path of flagstones led from the -gate to the front door.</p> - -<p>The old man stopped at No. 9, opened the -door with a latch-key, and led the way up a -narrow staircase to the second floor.</p> - -<p>“Wait a moment till we have a light,” he -said; “you may fall over something in my -tiny room.”</p> - -<p>It was a tiny room indeed that Herbert -found himself in when the Professor had -lighted the lamp, and, as might have been -expected, not a luxurious one; but it was as -neatly arranged as a ship’s cabin, and everything -was scrupulously clean.</p> - -<p>On one side of the room stood a very -narrow bed covered with a patchwork quilt, -at its foot a tiny square washstand of painted -deal. An old-fashioned mahogany chest of -drawers piled high with books, a small deal -table in the middle of the room, an old -stuffed chair by the fireplace, and a low -wooden one by the head of the bed completed -the tale of furniture, with the exception of—a -piano!</p> - -<p>It was of the small, old-fashioned, cottage -kind, with a square lid and faded green silk -fluting for its front. It looked thin and worn -like its master; but there it was. It proved, -too, that its owner must be a musician, for -there was nothing on the top of it. There -was not much room anywhere, save on the -little table, to put anything down; but the -Professor would have been horrified at the -idea of using the piano as a resting-place for -anything. He would not even let Herbert -put his hat on it.</p> - -<p>“I should like to hear you sing,” he said, -going to a large square pile of something by -the piano covered with an old cloth. “Do -you know the ‘Elijah’?” He lifted the -cloth as he spoke and disclosed a quantity of -music; sheet music, loose and bound, and -scores of many famous works—all old, all -worn, but still his treasures. He picked out -a vocal score of the “Elijah” and put it on -the piano desk.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Herbert. “Shall I try ‘If -with all your hearts’?”</p> - -<p>The old man nodded with a smile, and, -sitting down on the crazy music stool, laid his -aged hands upon the aged keys.</p> - -<p>It needed but two bars to show Herbert -that his old friend was a real artist. The -piano’s tone was like a tone ghost; but it was -in perfect tune. The Professor saw to that -himself. And his touch seemed so to caress -the yellow keys that they gave him the very -best they still had in them.</p> - -<p>As the song proceeded, the old gentleman -smiled and nodded gently to himself, as if he, -too, were pleased and satisfied with what he -heard. He had good reason. Herbert’s voice -was of that rare delicious quality given perhaps -to one singer in a generation. Full, rich, -intensely sympathetic, without a trace of that -metallic hardness in the upper notes so often -found in tenor voices. He sang the great -solo with the utmost simplicity, but with a -beauty of expression that would have gone -straight to the heart of any audience, musical -or unmusical.</p> - -<p>“My boy, you have a gift—a great gift,” -said the Professor solemnly at the end. “See -that you use it well. You may, if you choose, -be one of the singers of the world; but it will -mean more than three years at the Academy, -and then to sing at ballad concerts. Aim at -the highest, and make up your mind that it -must be your life work. You must let me -help you put your foot on the lowest rung -of the ladder. You can climb yourself -afterwards.”</p> - -<p>He went to the bed and drew from underneath -it a small old-fashioned box covered -with skin with the hair on and studded with -brass nails. This he unlocked, and took from -it a small yellow canvas bag.</p> - -<p>“I have here,” he said, “a kind of nest -egg which I have managed to put by from -time to time out of my little income. It is -the exact sum you need just now, and you -must pay your first fees with it.”</p> - -<p>“My dear Professor,” stammered Herbert, -completely taken aback, “indeed, I cannot! -I should never forgive myself for taking money -that you might possibly want for all sorts of -things before I had a chance of paying it back -again!”</p> - -<p>“Nonsense!” replied the old man, rather -sternly. “You must take it! I will have it -so. I should never forgive <i>myself</i> if I allowed -your young life and precious talent to be -wasted because you were in want of what I -had lying idle! You can repay me some day -when you can spare it.”</p> - -<p>“But what will you do in the meantime?” -asked the young man rather diffidently, for he -felt a delicacy about inquiring too closely into -the old man’s circumstances.</p> - -<p>“My dividend falls due to-morrow,” was -the reply. “There is not the smallest reason -for your refusing to take this. Go home to -your mother, tell her everything is decided, -and take care of your voice for the next week. -Shall you be at the concert next Monday? -Perhaps not, if you are kept late at your -work. If I do not see you there, will you -come here the next day and tell me about -it all?”</p> - -<p>His young friend promised this gladly; and -in order to cut short his expressions of thanks, -the Professor took up the lamp and lighted -him downstairs, giving him a last warning -against taking cold or overtiring his throat as -he let him out.</p> - -<p>“He is a good boy,” he said to himself as -he went back to his little room. “I am very -glad I was able to do it. It is for the young -ones to carry on the world. We old ones who -have served our time must stand by and -encourage the others.”</p> - -<p>He set about preparing his frugal supper—a -small loaf and a pennyworth of milk, which -he took from a cupboard in one corner of the -room. He put the milk into a tiny tin -saucepan, and, as of course there was no fire -in the grate, he lighted a little spirit lamp, set -the saucepan over the flame, and sat down to -watch till it boiled.</p> - -<p>His mind was still running on Herbert -Maxwell and his probable career, and from -that it wandered back to his own young days. -Gradually he seemed to live through the -whole of his past life. He recalled the early -home life in the comfortable house at -Clapham; his kind Polish parents who had -been driven like so many others from their -own country; his childish passion for music -which had caused him so often to be laughed -at by his English schoolfellows, and the -decision of his parents that he should adopt -it as a profession. Then came those happy -student days at Leipzig, with the growing -consciousness of his own powers and the -encouragement of his teachers and fellow -students, his <i>début</i> at the Gewandhaus, with -the applause and laurel wreaths, succeeded -by his first concert tour in Germany. He -remembered his return home, to his parents’ -joy, and his success in London as a player and -teacher, with constant tours on the Continent, -during one of which he met that lovely girl -he afterwards wooed and won, to spend those -few happy years with him till her sudden death -abroad.</p> - -<p>Then followed a ghastly blank, with isolated -memories of being in some great building -with many other people, who were all waited -on by kindly men and sweet-faced women, -and he could remember the feeling of having -been ill and not knowing how. Till one day, -when he had grown stronger, the knowledge -came to him that, for a time, his mind had -left him.</p> - -<p>He vividly recalled his return to England, -to find himself forgotten and eclipsed by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">{235}</span> -others who had sprung to fame during his long -absence, his failure to obtain either engagements -or pupils, and, finally, the collapse of the bank -in which almost all his savings had been -placed.</p> - -<p>At this point, as if in sympathy with his -thoughts, the spirit-lamp went out with a -little “fuff,” and the milk, which was on the -verge of boiling over, collapsed too.</p> - -<p>This recalled him from his sad memories, -and he tried, as he ate his bread and milk, to -put them out of his mind and to think of the -pleasanter events of the evening—of the fine -concert, how splendidly Joachim played, and -of his young friend, whose mother would be -so glad at her boy’s good fortune.</p> - -<p>But he could not rid himself of them, and -even through the night his broken sleep was -haunted by harassing dreams and vague feelings -of some impending evil.</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>To be concluded.</i>)</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ABOUT_PEGGY_SAVILLE">ABOUT PEGGY SAVILLE.</h2> -</div> -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">By</span> JESSIE MANSERGH (Mrs. G. de Horne Vaizey), Author of “Sisters Three,” etc.</p> - - -<h3>CHAPTER XIV.</h3> - -<div class="ddropcapbox illowe10_9375" id="i_235"> - <img class="w100 idropcap" src="images/i_235.jpg" alt="R" /> -</div> -<p><span class="uppercase">obert</span> did not make -his appearance next -morning, and his -absence seemed to -give fresh ground for -the expectation that Lady Darcy would -drive over with him in the afternoon and -pay a call at the vicarage.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Asplin gathered what branches -of russet leaves still remained in the -garden and placed them in bowls in -the drawing-room, with a few precious -chrysanthemums peeping out here and -there; laid out her very best tea cloth -and d’Oyleys, and sent the girls upstairs -to change their well-worn school dresses -for something fresher and smarter.</p> - -<p>“And you, Peggy dear—you will put -on your pretty red, of course!” she said, -standing still, with a bundle of branches -in her arms, and looking with a kindly -glance at the pale face which had -somehow lost its sunny expression -during the last two days.</p> - -<p>Peggy hesitated and pursed up her -lips.</p> - -<p>“Why ‘of course,’ Mrs. Asplin? I -never change my dress until evening. -Why need I do it to-day just because -some strangers may call whom I have -never seen before?”</p> - -<p>It was the first time that the girl had -objected to do what she was told, and -Mrs. Asplin was both surprised and -hurt by her tone in which she spoke—a -good deal puzzled too, for Peggy was -by no means indifferent to pretty frocks, -and as a rule fond of inventing excuses -to wear her best clothes. Why, -then, should she choose this afternoon -of all others to refuse so simple a -request? Just for a moment she felt -tempted to make a sharp reply, and -then tenderness for the girl whose -mother was so far away took the place -of the passing irritation, and she determined -to try a gentler method.</p> - -<p>“There is not the slightest necessity, -dear,” she said quietly. “I asked only -because the red dress suits you so well, -and it would have been a pleasure to -me to see you looking your best. But -you are very nice and neat as you are. -You need not change unless you like.”</p> - -<p>She turned to leave the room as she -finished speaking; but before she had -reached the door, Peggy was by her -side, holding out her hands to take -possession of twigs and branches.</p> - -<p>“Let me take them to the kitchen, -please! Do let me help you!” she -said quickly, and just for a moment a -little hand rested on her arm with a -spasmodic pressure. That was all, but -it was enough. There was no need of a -formal apology. Mrs. Asplin understood -all the unspoken love and penitence -which was expressed in that simple -action, and beamed with her brightest -smile.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, my lassie, please do! -I’m glad to avoid going near the -kitchen again, for when cook once gets -hold of me, I can never get away. She -tells me the family history of all her -relations, and indeed it’s very depressing, -it is” (with a relapse into her merry -Irish accent), “for they are subject to -the most terrible afflictions! I’ve had -one dose of it to-day, and I don’t want -another!”</p> - -<p>Peggy laughed and carried off her -bundle, lingered in the kitchen just long -enough to remind the cook that “Apple -Charlotte served with cream” was a -seasonable pudding at the fall of the -year, and then went upstairs to put on -the red dress, and relieve her feelings -by making grimaces at herself in the -glass as she fastened the buttons.</p> - -<p>At four o’clock the patter of horses’ -feet came from below, doors opened and -shut, and there was a sound of voices in -the hall. The visitors had arrived!</p> - -<p>Peggy pressed her lips together and -bent doggedly over her writing. She -had not progressed with her work as -well as she had hoped during Rob’s -absence, for her thoughts had been -running on other subjects, and she had -made mistake after mistake. She must -try to finish one batch at least to show -him on his return. Unless she was -especially sent for she would not go -downstairs; but before ten minutes had -passed, Mellicent was tapping at the -door and whispering eager sentences -through the keyhole.</p> - -<p>“Peggy, quick! They’ve come! -Rosalind’s here! You’re to come -down! Quick! Hurry up!”</p> - -<p>“All right, my dear, keep calm! -You will have a fit if you excite yourself -like this!” said Peggy coolly.</p> - -<p>The summons had come and could -not be disregarded, and on the whole -she was not sorry. The meeting was -bound to take place sooner or later, -and, in spite of her affectation of -indifference, she was really consumed -with curiosity to know what Rosalind -was like. She had no intention of -hurrying, however, but lingered over -the arrangement of her papers until -Mellicent had trotted downstairs again -and the coast was clear. Then she -sauntered after her with leisurely dignity, -opened the drawing-room door, and gave -a swift glance round.</p> - -<p>Lady Darcy sat talking to Mrs. Asplin -a few yards away in such a position that -she faced the doorway. She looked up -as Peggy entered and swept her eyes -curiously over the girl’s figure. She -looked older than she had done from -across the church the day before, and -her face had a bored expression, but, if -possible, she was even more elegant in -her attire. It seemed quite extraordinary -to see such a fine lady sitting on that -well-worn sofa, instead of the sober -figure of the Vicar’s wife.</p> - -<p>Peggy flashed a look from one to the -other—from the silk dress to the serge, -from the beautiful weary face to the -cheery loving smile—and came to the -conclusion that, for some mysterious -reason, Mrs. Asplin was a happier -woman than the wife of the great Lord -Darcy.</p> - -<p>The two ladies stopped talking and -looked expectantly towards her.</p> - -<p>“Come in, dear! This is our new -pupil, Lady Darcy, for whom you were -asking. You have heard of her——”</p> - -<p>“From Robert. Oh, yes, frequently! -I was especially anxious to see Robert’s -little friend. How do you do, dear? -Let me see! What is your funny little -name? Molly—Dolly—something like -that I think—I forget for the moment!”</p> - -<p>“Mariquita Saville!” quoth Peggy -blandly. She was consumed with regret -that she had no second name to add to -the number of syllables, but she did her -best with those she possessed, rolling -them out in her very best manner and -with a stately condescension which made -Lady Darcy smile for the first time since -she entered the room.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">{236}</span></p> - -<p>“Oh—h!” The lips parted to show -a gleam of regular white teeth. “That’s -it, is it? Well, I am very pleased to -make your acquaintance, Mariquita. -I hope we shall see a great deal of -you while we are here. You must go -and make friends with Rosalind—my -daughter. She is longing to know you.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, go and make friends with -Rosalind, Peggy dear! She was asking -for you,” said Mrs. Asplin kindly, and -as the girl walked away the two ladies -exchanged smiling glances.</p> - -<p>“Amusing! Such grand little manners! -Evidently a character.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, quite! Peggy is nothing if not -original. She is a dear, good girl, but -quite too funny in her ways. She is -really the incarnation of mischief, and -keeps me on tenter-hooks from morning -until night, but from her manner -you would think she was a model of -propriety. Nothing delights her so -much as to get hold of a new word or -a high-sounding phrase.”</p> - -<p>“But what a relief to have someone -out of the ordinary run! There are so -many bores in the world, it is quite -refreshing to meet with a little originality. -Dear Mrs. Asplin, you really -must tell me how you manage to look so -happy and cheerful in this dead-alive -place? I am desolate at the idea of -staying here all winter. What in the -world do you find to do?”</p> - -<p>Mrs. Asplin laughed.</p> - -<p>“Indeed, that’s not the trouble at all; -the question is how to find time to get -through the day’s duties! It’s a rush -from morning till night, and when evening -comes I am delighted to settle -down in an easy-chair with a nice book -to read. One has no chance of feeling -dull in a house full of young people.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, you are so good and clever, you -get through so much. I want to ask -your help in half-a-dozen ways. If we -are to settle down here for some months -there are so many arrangements to -make. Now tell me, what would you do -in this case?” The two ladies settled -down to a discussion on domestic matters, -while Peggy crossed the room to -the corner where Rosalind Darcy sat in -state, holding her court with Esther and -Mellicent as attendant slaves. She -wore the same grey dress in which she -had appeared in church the day before, -but the jacket was thrown open and -displayed a distractingly dainty blouse, -all pink chiffon, and frills, and ruffles of -lace. Her gloves lay in her lap, and -the celebrated diamond ring flashed in -the firelight as she held out her hand to -meet Peggy’s.</p> - -<p>“How do you do? So glad to see -you! I’ve heard of you often. You are -the little girl who is my bwothar’s -fwiend.” She pronounced the letter -“r” as if it had been “w,” and the -“er” in brother as if it had been “ah,” -and spoke with a languid society drawl, -more befitting a woman of thirty than a -schoolgirl of fifteen.</p> - -<p>Peggy stood motionless and looked -her over, from the crown of her hat to -the tip of the little trim shoe, with an -expression of icy displeasure.</p> - -<p>“Oh dear me, no,” she said quietly, -“you mistake the situation. You put -it the wrong way about. Your brother -is the big boy whom I have allowed to -become a friend of mine!”</p> - -<p>Esther and Mellicent gasped with -amazement, while Rosalind gave a trill -of laughter, and threw up her pretty -white hands.</p> - -<p>“She’s wexed!” she cried. “She’s -wexed, because I called her little! I’m -wewwy sowwy, but I weally can’t help -it, don’t you know. It’s the twuth! -You are a whole head smaller than I -am.” She threw back her chin, and -looked over Peggy’s head with a smile -of triumph. “There, look at that, and -I’m not a year older. I call you wewwy -small indeed for your age.”</p> - -<p>“I’m thankful to hear it! I admire -small women,” said Peggy promptly, -seating herself on a corner of the window -seat, and staring critically at the tall -figure of the visitor. She would have -been delighted if she could have persuaded -herself that her height was -awkward and ungainly, but such an -effort was beyond imagination. Rosalind -was startlingly and wonderfully -pretty; she had never seen anyone in -real life who was in the least like her. -Her eyes were a deep, dark blue, with -curling dark lashes, her face was a -delicate oval, and the pink and white -colouring, and flowing golden locks -gave her the appearance of a princess in -a fairy tale, rather than an ordinary -flesh and blood maiden. Peggy looked -from her to Mellicent who was considered -quite a beauty among her companions, -and oh dear me! how plain, and -fat, and prosaic she appeared when -viewed side by side with this radiant -vision! Esther stood the comparison -better, for though her long face had no -pretensions to beauty, it was thoughtful -and interesting in expression. There -was no question which was most charming -to look at; but if it had come to a -choice of a companion, an intelligent -observer would certainly have decided -in favour of the Vicar’s daughter. -Esther’s face was particularly grave at -this moment, and her eyes met Peggy’s -with a reproachful glance. What was -the matter with the girl this afternoon? -Why did she take up everything that -Rosalind said in that hasty, cantankerous -manner? Here was an annoying -thing—to have just given an enthusiastic -account of the brightness and amicability -of a new companion, and then to -have that companion come into the -room only to make snappish remarks, -and look as cross and ill-natured as a -bear! She turned in an apologetic -fashion to Rosalind, and tried to resume -the conversation at the point -where it had been interrupted by -Peggy’s entrance.</p> - -<p>“And I was saying, we have ever so -many new things to show you—presents, -you know, and things of that kind. -The last is the nicest of all; a really -good, big camera with which we can -take proper photographs. Mrs. Saville—Peggy’s -mother—gave it to us before -she left. It was a present to the schoolroom, -so it belongs equally to us all, -and we have such fun with it. We are -beginning to do some good things now, -but at first they were too funny for -anything. There is one of father where -his boots are twice as large as his head, -and another of mother where her face -has run, and is about a yard long, and -yet it is so like her! We laughed till -we cried over it, and father has locked -it away in his desk. He says he will -keep it to look at when he is low-spirited.”</p> - -<p>Rosalind gave a shrug to her shapely -shoulders.</p> - -<p>“It would not cheer me up to see a -cawicature of myself! I don’t think I -shall sit to you for my portrait, if that is -the sort of thing you do, but you shall -show me all your failures. It will amuse -me. You will have to come up and see -me vewwy often this winter, for I shall -be so dull. We have been abroad for -the last four years, and England seems -so dark and dweawy. Last winter we -were at Cairo. We lived in a big hotel, -and there was something going on -almost every night. I was not out, of -course, but I was allowed to go into the -room for an hour after dinner, and to -dance with the gentlemen in mother’s -set. And we went up the Nile in a -steamer, and dwove about every afternoon, -paying calls, and shopping in the -bazaars. It never rains in Cairo and -the sun is always shining. It seems so -wonderful! Just like a place in a fairy -tale.” She looked at Peggy as she -spoke, and that young person smiled -with an air of elegant condescension.</p> - -<p>“It would do so to you. Naturally it -would. When one has been born in -the East, and lived there the greater -part of one’s life, it seems natural -enough, but the trippers from England -who just come out for a few months’ -visit are always astonished. It used to -amuse us so much to hear their -remarks!”</p> - -<p>Rosalind stared and flushed with -displeasure. She was accustomed to -have her remarks treated with respect, -and the tone of superiority was a new -and unpleasing experience.</p> - -<p>“You were born in the East?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly I was!”</p> - -<p>“Where, may I ask?”</p> - -<p>“In India—in Calcutta, where my -father’s regiment was stationed.”</p> - -<p>“You lived there till you were quite -big? You can remember all about it?”</p> - -<p>“All I want to remember. There was -a great deal that I choose to forget. I -don’t care for India. England is more -congenial to my feelings.”</p> - -<p>“And can you speak the language? -Did you learn Hindostanee while you -were there?”</p> - -<p>“Naturally. Of course I did.”</p> - -<p>A gasp of amazement came from the -two girls in the window, for a knowledge -of Hindostanee had never been -included in the list of Peggy’s accomplishments, -and she was not accustomed -to hide her light under a bushel. They -gazed at her with widened eyes, and -Rosalind scented scepticism in the air, -and cried quickly—</p> - -<p>“Say something then. If you can -speak, say something now, and let us -hear you.”</p> - -<p>“Pardon me!” said Peggy simpering. -“As a matter of fact I was sent -home because I was learning to speak<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">{237}</span> -too well. The language of the natives -is not considered suitable for English -children of tender age. I must ask you -to be so kind as to excuse me. I should -be sorry to shock your sensibilities.”</p> - -<p>Rosalind drew her brows together and -stared steadily in the speaker’s face. -Like many beautiful people she was not -over gifted with a sense of humour, and -therefore Peggy’s grandiose manner -and high-sounding words failed to -amuse her as they did most strangers. -She felt only annoyed and puzzled, dimly -conscious that she was being laughed -at, and that this girl with the small face -and the peaked eyebrows was trying to -patronise her—Rosalind Darcy—instead -of following the Vicar’s daughters in -adoring her from a respectful distance, -as of course it was her duty to do. She -had been anxious to meet the Peggy -Saville of whom her brother had spoken -so enthusiastically, for it was a new -thing to hear Rob praise a girl, but it -was evident that Peggy on her side was -by no means eager to make her acquaintance. -It was an extraordinary -discovery, and most disconcerting to the -feelings of one who was accustomed to -be treated as a person of supreme importance. -Rosalind could hardly speak -for mortification, and it was an immense -relief when the door opened and Max -and Oswald hurried forward to greet her. -Then indeed she was in her element, -beaming with smiles, and indulging a -dozen pretty little tricks of manner for -the benefit of their admiring eyes. Max -took possession of the chair by her side, -his face lighted up with pleasure and -admiration. He was too thoroughly -natural and healthy a lad to be much -troubled with sentiment, but ever since -one winter morning five years before, -when Rosalind had first appeared in the -little country church, she had been his -ideal of all that was womanly and -beautiful. At every meeting he discovered -fresh charms, and to-day was -no exception to the rule. She was taller, -fairer, more elegant. In some mysterious -manner she seemed to have grown -older than he, so that though he was in -reality three years her senior, he was -still a boy, while she was almost a -young lady.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Asplin looked across the room, -and a little anxious furrow showed in -her forehead. Maxwell’s admiration for -Rosalind was already an old story, and -as she saw his eager face and sparkling -eyes, a pang of fear came into his -mother’s heart. If the Darcys were -constantly coming down to the Larches, -it was only natural to suppose that this -admiration would increase, and it would -never do for Max to fall in love with -Rosalind! The Vicar’s son would be -no match for Lord Darcy’s daughter; it -would only mean a heart-ache for the -poor lad, a clouded horizon just when -life should be the brightest. For a -moment a prevision of trouble filled her -heart, then she waved it away in her -cheery, hopeful fashion—</p> - -<p>“Why, what a goose I am! They -are only children. Time enough to -worry my head about love affairs in -half-a-dozen years to come. The lad -would be a Stoic if he didn’t admire -her. I don’t see how he could help it!”</p> - -<p>“Rosalind is lovelier than ever, Lady -Darcy, if that is possible!” she said -aloud, and her companion’s face -brightened with pleasure.</p> - -<p>“Oh, do you think so?” she cried -eagerly. “I am so glad to hear it, for -this growing stage is so trying. I was -afraid she might outgrow her strength -and lose her complexion, but so far I -don’t think it has suffered. I am very -careful of her diet, and my maid -understands all the new skin treatments. -So much depends on a girl’s complexion. -I notice your youngest daughter has a -very good colour. May I ask what -you use?”</p> - -<p>“Soap and water, fresh air, good -plain food—those are the only cosmetics -we use in this house,” said Mrs. Asplin, -laughing outright at the idea of Mellicent’s -healthy bloom being the result of -“skin treatment.” “I am afraid I -have too much to do looking after the -necessities of life for my girls, Lady -Darcy, to worry myself about their -complexions.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes. Well, I’m sure they both -look charming; but Rosalind will go -much into society, and of course——” -She checked herself before the sentence -was finished, but Mrs. Asplin was quick -enough to understand the imputation -that the complexions of a Vicar’s -daughters were but of small account, but -that it was a very different matter when -the Honourable Rosalind Darcy was -concerned. She understood, but she -was neither hurt nor annoyed by the -inferences, only a little sad and very, -very pitiful. She knew the story of the -speaker’s life, and the reason why she -looked forward to Rosalind’s entrance -into society with such ambition. Lady -Darcy had been the daughter of -poor but well-born parents, and had -married the widower, Lord Darcy, not -because she loved him or had any -motherly feeling for his two orphan -boys, but simply and solely for a title -and establishment, and a purse full of -money. Given these, she had fondly -imagined that she was going to be -perfectly happy. No more screwing -and scraping to keep up appearances; -no more living in dulness and obscurity; -she would be Lady Darcy, the beautiful -young wife of a famous man. So, with -no thought in her heart but for her own -worldly advancement, Beatrice Fairfax -stood before God’s altar and vowed to -love, honour, and obey a man for whom -she had no scrap of affection, and whom -she would have laughed to scorn if he -had been poor and friendless. She -married him, but the life which followed -was not by any means all that she had -expected. Lord Darcy had heavy -money losses, which obliged him to -curtail expenses almost immediately -after his wedding; her own health broke -down, and it was a knife in her heart to -know that her boy was only the third -son, and that the two big, handsome -lads at Eton would inherit the lion’s -share of their father’s property. Hector, -the lifeguardsman, and Oscar, the -dragoon, were for ever running into -debt and making fresh demands on her -husband’s purse. She and her children -had to suffer for their extravagances, -while Robert, her only son, was growing -up a shy, awkward lad, who hated -society, and asked nothing better than -to be left in the country alone with his -frogs and his beetles. Ambition after -ambition had failed her, until now all -her hopes were centred in Rosalind, -the beautiful daughter, in whom she -saw a reproduction of herself in the -days of her girlhood. She had had a -dull and obscure youth; Rosalind should -be the belle of society. Her own -marriage had been a disappointment; -Rosalind should make a brilliant -alliance. She had failed to gain the -prize for which she had worked; she -would live again in Rosalind’s triumphs, -and in them find fullest satisfaction.</p> - -<p>So Lady Darcy gloated over every -detail of her daughter’s beauty, and -thought day and night of her hair, her -complexion, her figure, striving still to -satisfy her poor, tired soul with promises -of future success, and never dreaming -for a moment that the prize which -seemed to elude her grasp had been -gained long ago by the Vicar’s wife, -with her old-fashioned dress and work-worn -hands. But Mrs. Asplin knew, -and thanked God in her heart for, the -sweetness and peace of her dear, shabby -home; for the husband who loved her, -and the children whom they were training -to be good servants for Him in the world. -Yes, and for that other child too, who -had been taken away at the very dawn -of his manhood, and who, they believed, -was doing still better work in the unseen -world.</p> - -<p>Until Lady Darcy discovered that the -only true happiness rose from something -deeper than worldly success, there was -nothing in store for her but fresh disappointments -and heart-hunger, while -as for Rosalind, the unfortunate child of -such a mother—— Mrs. Asplin looked -at the girl as she sat leaning back -in her chair, craning her throat, -and showing off all her little airs and -graces for the benefit of the two admiring -schoolboys, gratified vanity and self love -showing on every line of her face.</p> - -<p>“It seems almost cruel to say so,” -she sighed to herself, “but it would be -the best thing that could happen to the -child if she were to lose some of her -beauty before she grew up. Such a -face as that is a terrible temptation to -vanity.” But Mrs. Asplin did not guess -how soon these unspoken words would -come back to her memory, or what -bitter cause she would have to regret -their fulfilment.</p> - -<p class="center">(<i>To be continued.</i>)</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100" id="i_237" style="max-width: 12.5em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_237.jpg" alt="" /> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">{238}</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ALL_ABOUT_OATMEAL">ALL ABOUT OATMEAL.</h2> -</div> -<p class="ph3"><span class="smcap">By</span> DORA DE BLAQUIÈRE.</p> - - -<div class="ddropcapbox illowe7_8125" id="i_238"> - <img class="w100 idropcap" src="images/i_238.jpg" alt="T" /> -</div><p><span class="uppercase">he</span> native land of the -common oat seems -to be absolutely -unknown, but as in -many other cases, -the best authorities -have given it -an origin in Central -Asia. The -wild oat from -which it descends -is found in Europe, -in North Africa, -Siberia, Japan, and the North-West Provinces -of India; and it was well known to -the Greeks and Romans, though it is not one -of the cereals that are mentioned in the Bible. -But the common oat, as we know it, is an -improved form (says Professor Buckman) derived -by a continued and selective cultivation -from the aboriginal wild oat, of which I have -been speaking. The word oat or oats is from -an old English word <i>ata</i>, from the verb <i>etau</i>, -to eat; and it means anything in the way of -food which can be eaten. The botanical name -of the genus is <i>avena</i>, and there are upwards -of forty species in it, which are generally -natives of cold or temperate climes. It can -be grown in a wider range of climatical differences -than wheat, but in a less range than -barley, while in every temperate region it has -become recognised as a food for horses. In -the more northerly parts, where less wheat is -grown, it has formed the staple food for man, -under the two well-known forms, <i>i.e.</i>, of -porridge and oatcake.</p> - -<p>A drug has been distilled from it under the -name of <i>Avena Sattisa</i>, which is supposed to -give the qualities of cheerfulness and spirit; -the same qualities, in short, which the oat is -considered to give to horses.</p> - -<p>In the returns of 1894, for the United -Kingdom, we find that oats are more cultivated -than wheat, but it is much to be regretted -that the use of oatmeal as food is becoming -unfashionable amongst the poorer -classes in England, who consider that wheat is -a more refined food, and who leave off oatmeal -when possible. The Highlanders of Scotland -are an example of muscular vigour, and also of -the clear intellects which are fostered under its -regimen; one of the old Edinburgh reviewers -says, “We cultivate literature on a little oatmeal,” -and, at some time of the day, in Scotland, -the native consumes oatmeal under some -form or other. Porridge for breakfast is -known in other lands as well as in Scotland, -and is quite as well liked, particularly when a -generous larder affords cream in thickness -and plenty. But to be a true son of Scotland -you must be above such frivolous additions. -The kernels or grain of the oat, deprived of -the husks, are called groats, or grits; and in -old days they were used entire in broths and -soups, like hot barley. When bruised you -will recognise them very well, as forming part -of a sick folk dietary. <i>Sowans</i>, known also -as seeds or <i>flummery</i>, is made from the thin -pellicles or inner scales which adhere to the -groats in the process of shelling. These are -steeped in water for a few days, till they ferment -and become sourish. They are then -skimmed and the liquid boiled down so much, -that when cold it will become of the thickness -of gruel. In Wales this is known as -<i>Sucan Budrum</i>, and is prepared in the same -manner; but it is boiled down even more, -to become, when cold, a firm jelly, like -blanc-mange. It has a high reputation as a -nutritious, light food, for weak stomachs. -Chemically speaking, in this change, the -starch has been converted into dextrin and -sugar, the latter passing at once into acetic -fermentation.</p> - -<p>Sowans is used as a light supper dish, with -milk, cream, or butter, and sweetened with -sugar to taste.</p> - -<p>Bread is made of oatmeal mixed with pea-flour -in parts of Lancashire, as well as in -Scotland. A peck of oatmeal and another of -peameal may be mixed thoroughly together, -and sifted through a sieve to which add three or -four ounces of salt, and make into dough with -warm water. Then roll into thin cakes or flat -rolls, and bake on a hot plate or in the oven. -This, of course, is unfermented bread. In -Scotland the thick cakes of oatmeal are called -bannock, and the thin ones cakes, and in the -farm-houses a great number are made at once -and stored on a rack close to the ceiling, -where they will keep for a long time if quite -dry. When needed, they are crisped before -the fire and slightly browned.</p> - -<p>Bread is also made of oatmeal and wheat -flour; also oatmeal and rice. Take a peck -each of flour and oatmeal and half a peck of -potatoes, peeled and washed and boiled. -Knead into a dough with yeast, salt, and -warm milk. Make into loaves and bake as -usual. Rice is made in the same manner.</p> - -<p>In the early centuries oatmeal was eaten -almost altogether raw by the Scot, as indeed -was the flour of wheat, and I daresay every -other kind. In Mrs. Stone’s delightful book, -<i>Teneriffe and its Seven Satellites</i>, she gives -an account of the food of the population of -the islands, and says that it was undoubtedly -a primeval usage derived from the mysterious -Guanches, the first inhabitants of the Isles, a -civilised people who embalmed their dead, but -have long since ceased to exist as a separate -people. This flour is prepared by first roasting -the wheat itself, then grinding it, and -afterwards storing it in bags for carriage. It -is eaten simply mixed with cold water, and is -not only palatable, but delicious, with a sweet -and nutty flavour, caused by the previous -wasting of the grain. Even now, in many -parts of Scotland, oatmeal is eaten uncooked -and stirred simply into hot or cold water, with -salt, mixed together in a basin. This is -called brose, a word derived from the Anglo-Saxon, -and the same as breuis and broth, -the word meaning the liquor in which meat or -anything else is boiled and macerated. Kail -brose is made of green vegetable, mixed with -the oatmeal, and it may have meal or broth as -well. Plain brose is called often “sojer’s -brose,” as it was made in haste, and -“crowdy” is also a Scotch word, used to -describe any food of the porridge kind, or a -mixture of oatmeal and any liquid at hand, -which might be milk, or even something far -stronger.</p> - -<p>The cooking of oatmeal marks an advance -in civilisation, I suppose. Even the very word -porridge is more recent, and marks an epoch -when the Scotch received some instructions -from one of the Latin nations; the original -word being either from the Latin <i>porrus</i>, a -leek, or the old French <i>porree</i>, or a pottage, -made of beets with other pot herbs, a kind -of food made by boiling vegetables in water -with or without meat.</p> - -<p>The person who taught me to make the -best of porridge was an Irishwoman, and her -method was to stir the oatmeal into the pot -containing the boiling water, which must be -bubbling fiercely, and must also have been -salted. The oatmeal she sprinkled in with her -left hand (having the oatmeal close to her) -and stirring all the time busily with her right -hand. Long experience will tell you how -thick to make it, and it wants at least half an -hour’s boiling to cook it properly.</p> - -<p>But the most delightful form of gruel is -that made by a Scotchwoman with milk and -not water; and this needs well boiling too. -Many people, however, prefer the gruel made -by steeping the oatmeal in water for some -hours, and pouring off the water and boiling -that. The best gruel, I consider, is to be obtained -on an Atlantic steamer; especially if it -should happen to be of Scotch extraction, and -to have a Scotch stewardess. There is some -consolation in your sorrows at sea, if you can -get some of the chicken broth they make on -the Cunard steamers, which is quite too good -to be forgotten. They put barley into it, I -think, or perhaps rice; but whatever the -flavour is, I have never succeeded in obtaining -the same on shore, and I am inclined to think -it is the long boiling that is the secret. When -cold it forms a solid and nearly clear jelly.</p> - -<p>There is plenty of oatmeal, too, in haggis, -that essentially Scottish dish, which Robert -Burns called “The great chieftain of the -pudding race.” The component parts of a -haggis are a sheep’s head and liver, boiled, -minced, mixed with suet, onions, oatmeal -and seasoning, moistened with beef gravy, -and put into a haggis bag and boiled. A -haggis will keep for some time, as it is quite -firm, and may be packed for a journey. But -in that last event the onions must be omitted -in the making of it. Both black and white -puddings are indebted to oatmeal for some of -their filling, but few people, unless educated -up to it, appreciate either of these delicacies.</p> - -<p>Cock-a-leekie is a Scotch name for a very -ancient English dish, that was known as long -ago as the 14th century by the name of -Malachi. “Ma” is the old name for a fowl, -and Malachi means sliced fowl. So, though -the modern rendering seems to promise that -the leeks in it would be too prominent for -most people, it is a mistake. The fowl is first -half roasted, then boiled in broth, then cut up, -and served with a quantity of vegetables, -mostly onions. Spices were added, and the -broth was thickened with fine oatmeal.</p> - -<p>There are some English recipes in which -oatmeal plays a part, and the first that I -remember is what is called tharfe cake, in -Yorkshire, which is baked for the fifth of -November. I give a very old family recipe -for it. Take four pounds of fresh oatmeal -and rub into it one pound of butter, one -pound of brown sugar, a quarter of a pound -of candied lemon peel, and two ounces of -caraway seeds well bruised. Mix the whole -with three pounds and a half of treacle. -When the cake is baked, which should be in -a slow oven, pour over it a little flavouring -while hot.</p> - -<p>Parkin is also a Yorkshire cake, which -resembles tharfe cake, but is not so good. -The following is also an old recipe for it, and -both of these cakes will be found very good -for children’s use. Rub half a pound of -butter into three pounds of fine oatmeal, add -one ounce of ginger, and as much stiff treacle -as will make it into a stiff paste. Roll it out -in cakes of about half an inch thick, lay these -on buttered tins and bake in a slow oven. -The tops may be washed over with milk, if -you prefer it, as it has a more appetising -effect perhaps. All the modern recipes for -parkin contain baking powder and sugar, but -for the first there is no need at all, as all these -Yorkshire cakes are not at all of the light -order, and are both heavy and stiff, nor are -they intended to be very sweet.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">{239}</span></p> - -<p>One of the dishes in which oatmeal plays a -part, is in the savoury or sweet porridge seen -in Derbyshire and the north of England. It -is made as follows: Oatmeal two or three -tablespoons, onions two or three ounces, milk -one pint, butter a quarter of a pound, pepper -and salt one teaspoonful. Boil the onions in -two waters; when tender shred them finely, -and add them to the boiling milk, sprinkle in -the oatmeal, add the butter, pepper and salt, -boil during from ten to fifteen minutes, pour -into soup plates and serve with sippets. -Instead of onions, grated cheese may be -stirred in with the oatmeal.</p> - -<p>To make sweet porridge proceed in the -same manner. Take the same quantity of -oatmeal, but instead of onions and pepper put -in two or three ounces each of sugar, sultanas -and currants, and candied peel if you like it, -and serve in the same manner. This is a very -excellent porridge for children’s suppers.</p> - -<p>In America, the coarse oatmeal is used for -frying oysters. They are rolled in it—instead -of either in flour or crackers—before frying, -and a very good addition it makes. The -oatmeal may also be used for chops or cutlets, -if you have no crumbs.</p> - -<p>I had nearly omitted a Persian dish, of -oatmeal and honey, which is a kind of porridge -made by beating up a tablespoonful of oatmeal -and the same quantity of honey with the yolk -of an egg, and then pouring on it a pint of -boiling water and boiling the mixture for a -few minutes.</p> - -<p>The following is an oatmeal pudding. Take -of oatmeal one pint, of boiling milk two pints, -of eggs two and of salt a little. Pour the -boiling milk over the oatmeal and let it soak -all night. Add the eggs, well beaten; butter -a basin that will just hold it, cover it tightly -with a floured cloth and boil it an hour and a -half. Eat it with cold butter and salt. When -cool it may be sliced and toasted and eaten as -oat-cake buttered.</p> - -<p>A porridge of rice and oatmeal was once -very popular amongst vegetarians. It was -made by boiling eight ounces of rice in a pint -of water, and as the water was absorbed, -gradually adding two quarts more, also add -half a tablespoon of sugar and some salt, and -lastly stir in eight ounces of oatmeal, and let -the whole boil for twenty minutes. If it be -liked sweet, add two ounces of sugar, but if -savoury add pepper, salt and some onions -boiled and chopped.</p> - -<p>Our forefathers were very fond of oatmeal -flummery, but it has quite gone out of fashion, -though an excellent dish. Put a pound and a -half of fine white oatmeal to steep for a day -and a night in cold water, and pour it off -clear, adding as much more water, and let it -stand for the same time; then strain it through -a fine hair sieve, and boil it till as thick as -hasty pudding, stirring it slowly all the time, -and being most careful to prevent its burning. -When you first strain the water off, put to it -one large tablespoonful of white sugar and -two tablespoonfuls of orange-flower water; -then pour it into a bowl and serve. It is eaten -cold, and with new milk, or cream, and sugar. -I am sure my readers will have heard very -often of “flummery,” and perhaps may like -to try it for themselves.</p> - -<p>An oatmeal hasty pudding also comes from -Yorkshire. Beat the yolks of two eggs with -half a pint of new milk, cold, and a little salt. -Thicken this with fine oatmeal, and beat to a -very smooth batter. Set a pint and a half of -new milk on the fire, and when it is scalding hot -pour in the batter, stirring it well that it may -be smooth and not burn. Let it be over the -fire till it thickens, but do not permit it to -boil, and the moment you take it from the -fire pour it into a dish. It is eaten with cold -butter and sugar, and either a little lemon -juice or vinegar.</p> - -<p>In that delightful book, <i>The Chemistry of -Cookery</i>, by Mr. W. Mathieu Williams, the -well-known scientist and lecturer, a book that -ought to be studied by every housekeeper, I -find that he advocates the idea of porridge -being made for some days before it is required, -then stored in a closed jar, and brought out -and warmed for use. The change effected in -it is just that which may theoretically be -expected, <i>i.e.</i>, a softening of the fibrous -material, and a sweetening, due to the formation -of sugar. This may be called an -application of the principle of ensilage to -human food; for ensilage is a process of slow -vegetable cookery, a digesting or maceration -of fibrous vegetables in their own juices, which -loosens the fibre, renders it softer and more -digestible; and not only does this, but, to -some extent, converts it into dextrine and -sugar.</p> - -<p>“Although in many respects,” says a recent -writer, “oatmeal and flour are very similar, -the effect produced by them upon the -system is very different. Oatmeal is richer in -oily, fatty matter than any other cultivated -grain, and its proportion of proteine compounds -exceeds that of the finest wheaten -flour. Although so nutritious, it cannot be -used as a substitute for flour; the peculiar -character of its gluten preventing the meal -being made into fermented bread. But in -other forms it may be made into very pleasant -food, such as biscuits, gruel, oatcake and porridge. -Oats are a natural grain in England, -and are cultivated at less expense than wheat. -This last is better adapted for making good -fermented bread, and so is more in request. -But perhaps the time may come when we -shall return to the use of unfermented bread, -and shall think that bread made from other -grains, and unfermented, is quite as good, -or even better, than the fermented bread -of flour. At the present time, however, -wheat is more consumed than any other -grain,” and with this long quotation I will -conclude.</p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="GOP_ANSWERS" title="ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS."></h2><div class="figcenter illowp64" id="i_239" style="max-width: 18.75em;"> - <img class="w100" src="images/i_239.jpg" alt="ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS." /> -</div> -</div> - - -<h3>STUDY AND STUDIO.</h3> - -<div class="blockquot_ans"> - -<p>H. M. I.—1. Your hymn tune shows the need of -instruction in harmony. There are several consecutive -fifths in it, and other faults which study -would enable you to avoid. We should advise you -to take lessons.—2. Dr. Lemmi’s Italian Grammar -is published at 5s. by Messrs. Oliver & Boyd, -Edinburgh, and by Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall & -Co., London.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Wheelbarrow.</span>—If you write to the office of <i>The -Boy’s Own Paper</i>, 56, Paternoster Row, we believe -you will find that a chart of the colours peculiar to -the different colleges of each University has been -published. At all events, we refer you to the Editor.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Topsy.</span>—We should prefer the Senior Cambridge and -the Cambridge Higher Local out of the four -examinations you mention.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> our September part we informed <span class="smcap">Ruby</span> that the -couplet</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Crabbed age and youth</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Cannot live together.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">was from “The Passionate Pilgrim,” by Shakespeare. -In so saying we handed on the information -of three recognised authorities on “quotations,” -and observed that “The Passionate Pilgrim” -appears without note or comment in numerous -editions of Shakespeare’s works. “The Passionate -Pilgrim,” a miscellany of twenty “Songs and -Sonnets,” was first published in 1599, and the -words “By W. Shakespeare” are on the title -pages of the 1599 and 1612 editions; but of the -twenty poems only five are certainly by Shakespeare, -and the poem in question (No. xii. of the -series) is not one of these. Its author, in fact, is -unknown, although it appears now, and appeared -three centuries ago, under Shakespeare’s name.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Wild Rose.</span>—1. In bar seven of your composition -you have the second inversion of a chord, which -should not be followed by the first inversion of -another chord. It is, however, an interesting -attempt, and we should urge you to persevere.—2. -Your writing is rather too small and crabbed, -and seems to us as though in childhood you had -not learned to “turn” your letters well. Copy -any model you admire, and you will soon improve.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Donovan</span> and <span class="smcap">Tilly Whim</span>.—We can direct you -to three amateur reading societies, mentioned in -this column during the past year or so, but can -take no responsibility whatever with regard to -them. Address—The Half Hour Reading Society, -2, Headingley Terrace, Headingley, Leeds; The -Queen Reading Society, secretary, Miss Isabel G. -Kent, Lay Rectory, Little Abington, Cambridge; -Miss E. L. Tangye, The Elms, Redruth, Cornwall. -The National Home Reading Union, Surrey House, -Victoria Embankment, is being continually recommended -by us.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sister Harriet.</span>—Your most satisfactory plan is to -write to the publisher of the books you name, -asking your questions, and enclosing a stamped -envelope for reply. Unless the authoress objects -to the particulars being known, you are sure to -receive an answer.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Anonymous.</span>—You give no name nor pseudonym in -your inquiry about the Civil Service.</p> -</div> - - -<h3>OUR OPEN LETTER BOX.</h3> - -<div class="blockquot_ans"> - -<p><span class="smcap">A. Martin</span> wishes to find a poem called “Voices at -the Throne,” beginning</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“A little child—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">A little meek-eyed child,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Sitting at a cottage door.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Sweet Marie</span>” is informed that her quotation,</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Laugh and the world laughs with you,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Weep and you weep alone,”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="noindent">is from one of Ella Wheeler’s poems of Passion—“Solitude.” -We thank our masculine correspondent -for his help and his very kind letter.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ethel Rimmer</span> has more replies from <span class="smcap">Soldier’s -Daughter</span>, <span class="smcap">Alice Nimon</span>, and <span class="smcap">C. Perkins</span>, whom -we thank. <span class="smcap">Klondyke</span>, in answering Ethel Rimmer, -requests a recipe for “the American Harlequin -Cake,” and inquires the name of the English agent, -Gold Coast. These queries are scarcely literary; -but as they occur in a letter concerning a literary -subject, we print them here.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Can</span> anyone direct “<span class="smcap">Doubtful</span>” to the verses beginning</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“The woman was old, and ragged, and gray,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And bent with the chill of a winter’s day”?</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Mabel Entwistle</span> sends a reply to La Marguerite’s -question concerning painting on panel, which we -copy verbatim:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="noindent">“Surely she refers to chrystoleum painting. -Chrystoleums are photographs taken from Academy -pictures and then painted on. It is possible -to affix these (whether painted on convex or flat -glass) on to a panel. If this is what La Marguerite -means, if she will write to me, I shall be -pleased to send full particulars and give her any -help I can, as I have had considerable experience -in chrystoleum painting. But if she refers to the -painting on the surface of photographs in water-colours, -that is something I have wanted to learn -for some time, and shall be equally glad to obtain -information upon. This art requires a special -medium and treatment of photo, I know, but I cannot -get to know exactly. Trusting this may be of -some use,</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="ml2">“I remain,</span><br /> -<span class="ml4">“Sincerely yours,</span><br /> -<span class="smcap ml6">“Mabel Entwistle.”</span><br /> -<br /> -1, William Street,<br /> -<span class="ml2">Darwen.</span> -</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">{240}</span></p> - - -<h3>MEDICAL.</h3> - -<div class="blockquot_ans"> - -<p>A. Z.—Mussels form a food of considerable value, -but they are by no means free from danger. As a -food they are fairly nutritious and digestible, -though far inferior in both these points to oysters. -The dangers of eating mussels are very real, -although they have been grossly exaggerated. -They depend in part upon whether the mussels -have been feeding upon sewage. Mussels taken -from the mouths of rivers or elsewhere where they -can come into contact with sewage matter should -never be eaten. The danger is much greater when -the mussels are eaten raw. If they are boiled first -the likelihood of harm resulting is considerably -less. Practically all germs are destroyed by boiling, -so that there is little fear of contracting typhoid -from eating boiled mussels. Indeed the danger of -catching typhoid is far less from eating mussels -than it is from eating oysters, because the latter -are nearly always eaten raw, whereas the former -are usually cooked. But besides the dangers of -contamination with sewage, there is another danger -in eating mussels, that is, that mussels are very -liable to quickly decompose, and in their decomposition -to set free animal poisons of the most -virulent description. This is the chief cause of the -numerous deaths which occur from partaking of -mussels. But when we consider the vast number of -mussels eaten in England, especially in the North, -it is no wonder deaths should now and then occur.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ariel.</span>—If you wish your daughter to become a physician -you must send her to a hospital where lady -students are taken. She cannot by any possibility -learn medicine without clinical instruction. -The medicine which can be learnt from books is of -no value without practical instruction. There is not -such a thing as an amateur medical man or woman. -A person is either a qualified and registered medical -man, or else he is a quack, or a “medicine man” -if you like. The law has lately shown its objection -to such persons in very strong terms.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Anxious One.</span>—There are two causes of double -chins, age and obesity, and they usually operate together. -We cannot, alas! mitigate the effects of -advancing years. We cannot prevent Father Time -from meddling with us. The treatment of obesity -we have over and over again described. The chief -points to attend to are to reduce the amounts of -starchy or sugary food taken; to take liquids only -in great moderation; to forego alcohol in any form, -and to take plenty of exercise daily. Tight lacing -and wearing tight collars are also said to produce -double chins.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Violet.</span>—In an article called “Diet in Health and -Sickness,” published in this magazine the year -before last, you will find information about the -treatment of obesity. The chief points to attend to -are:—reduce the quantity of farinaceous and sweet -food; avoid alcohol in all forms, and only take -liquids of any kind in moderation; take plenty of -exercise and avoid all drugs and nostrums.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ladice.</span>—1. One attack of eczema does predispose -to others; but it is quite possible, indeed it is probable, -that you will completely overcome the -disease in time. The application that you are using -is good, but the following is better, viz.:—lime -water, olive oil and oxide of zinc, equal parts of -each, shaken up into a cream. This forms a very -soothing application. Is your hair free from scurf? -Eczema of the face often follows from seborrhœa.—2. -April 8, 1868, was a Sunday.</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">An Old Reader.</span>”—We are sorry to say that we -can give you but little help. The description of -your illness is not sufficiently lucid for us to come -to any conclusion as to what is wrong with you. -And your account of the present trouble with your -legs is also so incomplete that we can make nothing -out of it. It may be due to flat-foot or sciatica, or -one of a vast host of conditions. You had far -better see the doctor who attended you during your -last illness, as what you have now may be only a -sequel to that disease.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Cat Tony.</span>—Eustachian obstruction sometimes ends -in complete deafness. More often partial deafness -ensues. It is a very difficult complaint to treat. -Complete cure is the exception rather than the rule; -but some improvement is usually gained by medicinal -measures. Sometimes it gets better of its -own accord; but it is foolish to rely upon its -doing so. Though certainly dangerous to hearing, -it is not of itself of any vital danger.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sybil.</span>—You tell us that you weigh 9 st. 12 lb., but -you neglect to state your height. How is it -possible for us to know whether you are stout or -not? 9 st. 12 lb. is certainly rather heavy for a -girl of seventeen; but then everything depends -upon your height. The weight is nothing extraordinary; -and as you say that your health is perfect -you had far better take no notice of your condition. -Unless really necessary, it is better for stout persons -to remain as they are than to attempt to reduce -their weight by means which must of themselves -injure the health.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">A Subscriber to the “G. O. P.”</span>—Obviously you -must be careful not to overtire yourself or get wet, -since these bring on the attacks of neuralgia. -During the attacks cover the course of the nerve -with cotton wool, and take ten grains of citrate of -caffeine. A small blister or other form of counter-irritation -may give you relief; but it must not be -used when the attack is acute.</p> -</div> - - -<h3>GIRLS’ EMPLOYMENTS.</h3> - -<div class="blockquot_ans"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Wood Violet</span> (<i>Civil Service</i>).—A well-educated girl, -such as the one you describe, is wise to try to enter -the Civil Service at the age of sixteen. Under the -new rule she is eligible from sixteen to eighteen for -one of the posts of girl clerks. These girl clerks -receive a salary of £35 the first year, £37 10s. the -second and £40 the third. They can afterwards be -promoted to the rank of Female Clerks, if they -have shown themselves to be possessed of superior -intelligence, otherwise they become sorters. The -advantage of entering the Service young is, that a -girl understands the routine of office work by the -time she is old enough to hold a clerkship, whereas -women entering for a clerkship as outsiders have -their duties to learn. A Female Clerk begins at a -salary of £55, and may eventually obtain a maximum -of £100, and further may be promoted. A -Female Sorter, in London, receives 12s. to £1 a -week, and in the provinces 10s. to 21s. 6d. a week. -There are also prospects of promotion for sorters. -The examination is held in the ordinary English -subjects, together with French and German. Edinburgh -would be the nearest examination centre for -you. The examinations are advertised in the principal -papers on a Thursday some weeks before the -date fixed. You would doubtless see the announcement -by watching the pages of <i>The Scotsman</i>. -Having seen the advertisement, write at once to -the Secretary, Civil Service Commission, London, -S.W., asking for a form of application. This you -return, with the necessary details respecting yourself -filled up, and you will then be informed the -precise address of the place of examination and the -other particulars you require to know. We think -we have now told you all that is necessary. We -have only to add that a girl who intends entering -this examination should now occupy herself more -particularly in acquiring a neat clerical handwriting, -in studying English composition, and in -perfecting herself in arithmetic and geography.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">La Comtesse</span> (<i>Dairy Work</i>).—You would expend £5 -very wisely, it seems to us, in taking a month’s -course of training at the Reading Dairy Institute. -You had better wait till the spring, as you suggest, -and then devote your attention as closely as possible -to the practical dairy work and cheese-making. -From renewed inquiry which we have made -on the subject we still learn that women licensed -at such schools as this obtain excellent posts as -dairy-maids and managers of dairies, and receive -salaries of about £25 with board and lodging. -You should try on the completion of the course to -get an appointment in the dairy of some large -landed proprietor, and you might be willing to -forego something in wages at first in order to work -under a competent superintendent. The Principal -of the Dairy Institute, we imagine, must constantly -be asked to recommend trained pupils. In any case -you should consult him as to the whole question of -your suitability and prospects before engaging to -take the course of tuition.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Anxious</span> (<i>Suggestions</i>).—If the sight of your one eye -is thoroughly strong and satisfactory, you had better -learn dressmaking. But if the eye is at all weak, it -would be unwise to try it, and in this event cookery -or laundry-work would be better. In the end we -believe you will not be sorry that you have been -considered ineligible as a shop-assistant. It is -only in youth that a shop-assistant can be sure of -obtaining employment; whereas the skilled worker -at any trade can always earn her living.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Laundress</span> (<i>Superintendentship or Opening for -Laundry</i>).—If you have received a thorough training -in laundry work, by which we mean not less than a -year spent in learning the business, then by all means -advertise for a post as superintendent or manageress. -The National Laundry Association has lately fully -corroborated all that has been said on the subject -in the “G. O. P.” by drawing the special attention -of educated women to the prospects that this business -now offers under the steam laundry system. We -hear continually of places where a laundry is required. -Harringay, in the north of London, is one -of those most recently mentioned to us. Requests -have reached us also from Lichfield, Elstree and -Richmond-on-Thames to recommend laundresses -to establish themselves in those localities.</p> - -<p>H. A. T. (<i>Training in a Children’s Hospital</i>).—At -nineteen you are too young to be admitted as a -probationer to any London children’s hospital. -But when you are twenty you would be eligible, so -far as age is concerned, for the East London Hospital -for Children, Glamis Road, Shadwell, E. -The vacancies there, however, are extremely few in -proportion to the number of applications. No -premium is required, and a salary of £10 is given -the first year, £12 the second, and £20 the third, -with laundry and uniform.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Teacher.</span>—We infer from your letter that the school -in which you taught two years ago was a National -School. It ought not then to be difficult for you to -obtain employment of the same kind again. <i>The -Guardian</i>, <i>The Church Times</i> and <i>The Schoolmistress</i>, -are the most likely papers in which to -find advertisements of vacancies.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">A “G. O. P.” Reader</span> (<i>Hospital Nursing</i>).—You -can certainly apply to the matron of any of the -chief London hospitals for admission as a probationer. -You should enclose a stamp in order -that the matron may reply to you.</p> -</div> - - -<h3>MISCELLANEOUS.</h3> - -<div class="blockquot_ans"> - -<p><span class="smcap">E. Saunders.</span>—The receipt you name is legal, and -we think you need feel no uneasiness. If properly -stamped, dated, and signed, no names of witnesses -are required.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Petite.</span>—Your letter does you much credit. The -secret of preserving the colour of the flowers is to -change the sheets of blotting-paper frequently; -between which you lay them for the pressing. Your -writing is very legible, but you reverse the rule for -making light and heavy strokes. The copperplate -copies employed for teaching to write would -show you what we mean.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Orthodox.</span>—The mistake of the so-called “Peculiar -People” consists in their overlooking the divine -injunction to “obey them that have the rule over -you.” They are guilty of a breach of the law in -not sending for a medical man to give an opinion -of the case, and offer his advice and assistance, -whether they avail themselves of his skill or not. -We are speaking of adults. In the case of infants -and children, of course, parents are bound to give -them the benefit of medical aid; and in both cases -a true and undoubting faith in the promises—in -connexion with prayer—may be exercised <i>with</i> the -use of means nowhere forbidden in the Bible. The -danger of the spread of any disease has to be -provided against by the law—an act of mercy, not -of cruel persecution, as these well-meaning but -misguided people imagine it to be.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Delta.</span>—To preserve peas, fill some wide-necked, -dry bottles with good corks, place them in a pan -of cold water, with a little hay at the bottom, and -set it on the fire, raising the temperature very -gradually to 160°. Keep it at this point for twenty -or thirty minutes. As the peas will shrink, fill each -bottle, as far as the commencement of the neck, -with peas from another bottle, taking care not to -bruise them. When all the bottles are filled, -remove the pan from the fire, take out each bottle -separately, fill it to within an inch of the cork with -boiling water; cork immediately, avoid shaking, -and tie down the cork. Cover well with wax, and -replace the bottles in the pan, where they should -be left to cool gradually till cold. Then place the -bottles in a dry, cool place, lying on their sides, -turn them partially round twice a week during the -first couple of months, and once or twice a month -afterwards.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Mother.</span>—Your question is one often raised. Should -you desire to add a name to those already registered -for your child (born in England), you must make -application to the registrar who entered its name -within seven days of its baptism. We mean to say—supposing -that, six months after its registration, -you wished to add a name at its baptism, go to the -same registrar and state your wish within a week -after the baptism. Procure the certificate of the -latter from the clergyman (for a fee of one shilling), -take it to the registrar, and pay a second fee of a -shilling for the insertion of the name in the original -registration.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Margot.</span>—The honour of having been the first -navigator who sailed round the world was earned -by a Portuguese—<i>i.e.</i>, Sebastien del Cano, who -accomplished the voyage in the ship <i>Vittoria</i>. The -unfortunate leader of the expedition was Ferdinand -Magellan, who passed through the Straits -November 28th, 1520, and was killed on one of the -Philippine Islands the next year. The first attempt -to discover the North-west passage was made by -Corte Real in about 1500; also a Portuguese. But -the first expedition correctly so-called was made by -Sir Hugh Willoughby in 1553, who wished to discover -a North-west passage to China. But he was -blocked up by ice and frozen to death on the coast -of Lapland.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">A. Cross.</span>—There are “Y.W.C.A.” Homes in -London. Amongst them, Cloudesley Home, -34, Barnsbury Street, Islington, 17, Aubert Park, -Highbury, Seymour House, Portland Place, Lower -Clapton, Ealing House, Uxbridge Road, Ealing, -Kent House, 89, Great Portland Street, Princess -House, Brompton Road, besides restaurants. -Probably a communication of your arrangements -in regard to letting rooms to young women at a -reduced rate during the summer months, board as -well as lodging supplied, at from 14s. a week, would -bring your visitors from town. We are not acquainted -with Corrymore, near Warminster, -Wiltshire; but from what we have seen of Wiltshire, -we can imagine the country to be pretty and -the downs attractive.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">E. de M.</span>—All girls who take our paper, and look to -us for advice and instruction, we consider to be -“our” girls. You are quite right in saying that -you have more blessings than crosses. Sometimes -the eyes of people are blind to this great truth. -The great love of our heavenly Father towards us -and His unerring wisdom in the trial of our faith -and patience is but little realised. We hope your -marriage will be for your happiness.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ethelinda.</span>—Your hand is formed, and well formed. -The French phrase, “<i>Au revoir</i>,” is an abbreviated -one. In full it should be, “<i>Au plaisir de vous -revoir</i>”—“to the pleasure of seeing you again.” -As we have so often told our readers, French -pronunciation cannot be given by English letters—at -least, not often. The first word “<i>au</i>” (“to”) is -an exception, for the sound is that of the letter -“<i>o</i>.”</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="ph3">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> See <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/56111/56111-h/56111-h.htm#Footnote_1_1">footnote, p. 162</a>.</p> - -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>[Transcriber’s note: The following corrections have been made to this text.</p> - -<p>Page 238: Yorkskire changed to Yorkshire—these Yorkshire cakes.</p> - -<p>Page 239: crakers changed to crackers—flour or crackers.]</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER, VOL. XX, NO. 993, JANUARY 7, 1899 ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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