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+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.
+
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+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #66579 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66579)
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-The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular
-Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 46, Vol. I, November 15,
-1884, 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: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth
- Series, No. 46, Vol. I, November 15, 1884
-
-Author: Various
-
-Release Date: October 20, 2021 [eBook #66579]
-
-Language: English
-
-Produced by: Susan Skinner, Eric Hutton and the Online Distributed
- Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
- produced from images generously made available by The
- Internet Archive)
-
-*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR
-LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 46, VOL. I, NOVEMBER 15,
-1884 ***
-
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration:
-
-CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL
-
-OF
-
-POPULAR
-
-LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART
-
-Fifth Series
-
-ESTABLISHED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS, 1832
-
-CONDUCTED BY R. CHAMBERS (SECUNDUS)
-
- NO. 46.—VOL. I. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1884. PRICE 1½_d._]
-
-
-
-
-SCOTTISH DEER-FORESTS.
-
-
-Deer-stalking has for many a long year been looked upon as the king
-of sports; and in Scotland, a large area of land has from an early
-period been occupied by the red-deer and the roebuck. At the present
-time, as far as has been ascertained by a recent inquiry under Royal
-Commission, the extent of all the deer-forests in Scotland amounts
-to about two millions of acres. It is only, however, right to say
-that the land devoted to these animals could not be more profitably
-employed. It has been affirmed by practical men that it is scarcely
-possible to feed even one hardy black-faced sheep on less than six
-acres of such land, so scant is the herbage. Indeed, some intelligent
-farmers maintain that it will take a hundred and sixty acres of
-forest-land to graze a score of these sheep. No person who is even
-tolerably familiar with the deer-districts of Scotland will gainsay
-this. The contour, altitude, and climate of a deer-forest quite unfit
-it for agricultural purposes—the range of ground occupied by these
-stately animals is of the most miscellaneous description: hill and
-dale, moor and morass, mountain and glen, with every here and there
-rocky precipices, and small groups of trees naturally planted, and
-chiefly of the hardy native birch. In the three chief deer-counties
-of Scotland, the cultivable area is singularly small in proportion
-to their total extent. Taking Argyll, Inverness, and Ross-shire as
-examples, only three hundred and eighty-seven thousand five hundred
-and ninety-eight acres are to be found under cultivation, out of an
-area which covers six million eight hundred and twenty-three thousand
-and two acres, leaving nearly six and a half millions of acres to be
-inhabited by sheep, deer, and grouse, and as the site of lochs, rivers,
-and mountains, and sterile places on which nothing grows and nothing
-can live.
-
-No authentic statistics are collected in Scotland of the deer which are
-annually slain in the way of sport; but we are enabled from records
-which appear from time to time in the public prints, to estimate the
-number of stags which are killed in the different forests. In the
-county of Inverness—which may be called the deer-county of Scotland
-_par excellence_, in the same way as Perthshire is looked upon as being
-the representative grouse-producing county of the kingdom—probably
-about sixteen hundred stags are annually killed. The figure which
-represents the number of deer in all Scotland, counting animals of all
-ages, must be very considerable, seeing that, as stated in evidence
-before the recent Royal Commission, it yields to the sportsman’s rifle
-four thousand six hundred and fifty stags per annum, and a nearly
-equal number of hinds. Scrope the deer-stalker, when writing his
-celebrated work some fifty years since, estimated that in the Forest
-of Athole, which at that date contained an area of over fifty-one
-thousand acres, there would be, young and old, between five and six
-thousand deer. Calculating on that data, there ought now to be found
-on the two million acres of land at present given over to stags and
-hinds and their calves, as many as two hundred and twenty-five thousand
-animals of the deer kind. Each stag which succumbs to the prowess of
-the stalker has been estimated to cost fifty pounds to the lessee
-or proprietor of a deer-forest. At that rate, the four thousand six
-hundred and fifty stags annually killed in Scotland represent a sum of
-two hundred and thirty-two thousand five hundred pounds paid in the
-form of rent and other items of expenditure which are yearly incurred.
-As to the rent paid for particular deer-forests, it varies considerably
-according to extent and amenities. Some forests contain a large area of
-ground; and although the rental per acre looks trifling enough—ranging
-as it probably does from ninepence to double, or in some instances to
-treble, that sum—the amount soon accumulates and becomes important. For
-an area of twelve thousand acres, a thousand pounds will frequently be
-paid. Many Scottish forests are, however, rented at double that sum;
-and not a few at an even larger rent. In the county of Inverness,
-for example, there are a dozen which yield a total amount of fully
-thirty-three thousand pounds, including five of three thousand pounds
-and upwards, and one of nearly six thousand pounds, of yearly rent.
-In the counties of Ross, Argyll, Aberdeen, and Perth there are also
-many forests which command a high price. In the first-named county, we
-could name twenty that fetch an aggregate annual rent of upwards of
-thirty-three thousand pounds, or an average of nearly seventeen hundred
-pounds; while it is no secret that an American gentleman pays a yearly
-rental for deer-ground in Inverness and Ross of nearly eleven thousand
-pounds.
-
-Deer-stalking has been denominated ‘the pastime of princes;’ and it is
-a sport that calls for pluck, patience, and endurance on the part of
-those who undertake it. From daybreak to sundown has been often spent
-in circumventing the monarch of the mountain; and often, after a hard
-day’s work, the noble hart has got the better of his pursuers, and
-found his way to a place of safety. The deer is difficult of access,
-being a most suspicious and wary animal, with a wonderfully acute power
-of scent and sense of hearing. The antlered stag has to be watched from
-afar with a powerful telescope, the anxious stalker and his gillies
-requiring to be circumspect in all their movements. As an intelligent
-forester told the writer: ‘You have to creep on your stomach like a
-serpent; you have to crouch as you go like a collier at work; while
-to make sure of your prey, you may have to make a tour of a couple of
-miles, even though you are just about within range. You must force your
-way through the morass, and must, if necessary, walk for a few hundred
-yards up to your middle in water—that is all in the way of business,
-sir, when you go deer-stalking. A slight rustle, the displacing of
-a stone on the mountain-side as you laboriously creep or climb to
-overlook your quarry, and your chance is gone; the deer being perhaps
-miles away before you can realise the fact that you have disturbed him.’
-
-These words contain an epitome of the work of deer-stalking. A stag
-will note a man a long way off, and will, when he does so, most
-probably at once take alarm and run for his life. The sense of smell
-which has been bestowed on these animals is wonderful; wind carries the
-scent to them unbroken, and whenever they have ‘got the wind,’ as it is
-called, of man, or any other source of disturbance, they are sure to
-move off to a place of safety. When once a herd of deer is disturbed,
-they will take themselves away to a distance; and it is generally a
-considerable time before they settle down again to rest or feed in
-quietness. The red-deer is excessively shy, and, as we have been trying
-to show, easily frightened. The melancholy note of a flying plover,
-the crowing of a cock-grouse, or the bustling past of a mountain hare,
-will sometimes cause him to gallop in a state of alarm for a mile or
-two before he pauses to see what has happened; and consequently, it
-is generally the policy of the devoted deer-stalker to discourage
-the rearing of grouse or hares in his deer-forest. The desire for
-possessing ‘fine heads’ causes some of the best specimens of the tribe
-to be shot at an early stage of the season, a stag-royal being a prize
-greatly coveted. It is a somewhat curious feature of the economy of
-a forest that so few horns are found. The deer sheds its horns every
-year; but what becomes of most of those that are shed is not very
-accurately known, the number found not being in anything like proper
-proportion to the number that must be shed. The horns, as a general
-rule, are given to the foresters who find them, as a perquisite; and
-therefore it may be taken for granted they are well looked after; or
-their scarcity may be partly due to the fact of their being eaten by
-the deer themselves after being shed! This, to a certain extent at
-least, seems certainly to be the case.
-
-It has been said of the Highland sports of deer-stalking and
-grouse-shooting, that as they never can be made to ‘pay’ in a
-commercial sense, so they never can be vulgarised. The deer-forests
-in particular are sure to remain select; it is only men who have an
-annual income of many thousands who can afford to indulge themselves
-in the ‘pastime of princes.’ As regards the produce of these vast
-areas of ground—the venison—it can hardly be said to have a marketable
-value. To produce a haunch at table on the occasion of a dinner-party
-is with some persons a matter of ambition; but table venison, except
-in Highland shooting-lodges and hotels, is generally obtained from
-park-bred fallow-deer, especially fed for the purpose, and which in its
-season commands a very high price. Red-deer venison—that is, a haunch
-from a Highland hart or hind—can only be assigned a secondary place
-in the cuisine. Happily, some sportsmen have discovered that venison
-does not require to be kept till it has begun to decay before it can
-be brought to table, but can be used to the greatest advantage in the
-space of two or three days after being killed, when its flavour is
-excellent and the flesh presumably nutritious. The deer can also be cut
-into chops, such cuts being delicious. Among sportsmen who thus utilise
-their venison we may be allowed to name the father of them all—Horatio
-Ross. There is, however, some probability that the Scottish red-deer
-may yet cut a better figure at table than it has ever done, and pains
-are being taken, we understand, to fortify the various breeds. The
-deer is a rather local animal, and therefore there must be in the
-various herds a certain amount of in-breeding; and to counteract the
-deterioration which must result from such a circumstance, Sutherland
-stags were some time ago placed in the forests of Ross and Cromarty
-with gratifying results; the Queen, it was some time ago stated, had
-forwarded some red-deer from Windsor to be crossed with the deer of the
-Duke of Portland in the county of Caithness; and various gentlemen well
-known in the deer-forest world of the Highlands have recently followed
-these examples. It is to be hoped we may learn in time how these
-experiments have succeeded.
-
-In conclusion, we have only to remark, that it is a fortunate
-circumstance for the owners of Highland estates that they can be
-rented for deer-forests. In no other way could the proprietors obtain
-so good an income from their lands. Those engaged in the sport of
-deer-stalking year by year expend a large amount of money; they
-give remunerative employment to many hundred persons, and have done
-much in many instances to improve the moral as well as the material
-circumstances of the people by setting those employed by them a good
-example. As to the question whether it would be more profitable to feed
-sheep or deer, that must be left to settle itself by the inevitable
-operation of economic law. It is a question of rental; persons having
-moors and forests in their hands, naturally enough let them to those
-who offer most money for them. It has been accurately ascertained by
-the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Crofting System, &c., that all
-the deer-forests in Scotland—comprising about two million acres—are
-capable of throwing on the market only about four hundred thousand
-sheep per annum; and as there are in the United Kingdom nearly thirty
-million sheep, it is at once seen how comparatively meagre is the
-displacement of sheep by the Scottish deer-forests.
-
-
-
-
-BY MEAD AND STREAM.
-
-
-CHAPTER LVI.—UPHILL.
-
-She knew and he knew that they were something more to each other on
-that white winter day than they had ever been before. What the degree
-of the ‘something more’ might be, neither Madge nor Philip attempted
-to calculate. They were conscious of it, and that was enough: yet
-both wondered how there could be this sense of closer alliance, when,
-looking back, they remembered how often they had thought that nothing
-on earth could decrease or increase their affection. They were learning
-the priceless lesson that _Love_ grows in suffering where mere passion
-quickly withers and dies, and frequently turns to hate.
-
-An honest, promptly spoken word had saved them from folly—cleared the
-mist from his eyes, and scoured the misery out of both hearts. And it
-was Madge who spoke this magical word, as it is the loving woman—God
-bless her—who always does. But then, says the cynic, ‘the loving woman’
-is so rare that she may be freely allowed all possible praise: vanity
-and interest have generally much more to do in linking men and women
-than affection. Read your newspaper, note the lives of those around
-you, count the sores which the four walls of every house conceal, and
-then you will know how rare she is.—Go, cynic; we will shut our eyes
-and dream the beautiful dream of all romance, that women are fair,
-self-sacrificing, and loyal in their love.
-
-Madge was insensible of any special heroism in taking the common-sense
-view of her duty to Philip and acting upon it. So now, the happy end
-being achieved, she turned calmly to think of what they had to do for
-others.
-
-As they walked back towards the cottage, she spoke about Caleb Kersey,
-and the perilous position in which he was placed by the accusation
-of Coutts, supported as it was by the servant’s unintentionally
-exaggerated account of the prisoner’s conduct at the door of the
-Manor a few hours before the fire was discovered. She learned with
-satisfaction that Philip had not forgotten his unlucky foreman.
-
-‘I have been to the court,’ he said, ‘and Caleb is remanded for a week,
-in order to collect further evidence as to his movements on that night,
-and to see how my father progresses.’
-
-‘How did he look? What did he say?’
-
-‘He looked as if he did not care what befell him; he said nothing more
-than that he was innocent, and I am sure of it. The poor fellow has
-been cruelly upset by Pansy’s conduct, and he has got into this scrape
-because he could not take warning in time that Coutts was too cautious
-a man to become his rival.’
-
-‘But will he be able to prove his innocence?’
-
-‘I hope so; and the next examination will enable us to form a clearer
-idea of his chances than we can at present. Coutts has had a slight
-disappointment in a business transaction, and is merciless towards
-Caleb. I suppose he is relieved to find some one to vent his spleen on.’
-
-Philip smiled faintly, and she was glad to see even the least sign of
-his returning to his natural good-humoured way of viewing life. He did
-not explain to her that the business transaction in which Coutts had
-failed was his attempt to secure a snug place in Mr Shield’s will by
-ousting his brother.
-
-‘Whatever we settle to do,’ Mr Shield had said with a shrewd twinkle in
-his eyes, and referring to Coutts, ‘don’t let that gentleman into our
-plans.’
-
-Mr Beecham, with a grave bow, had acquiesced in this counsel, the
-wisdom of which Philip could not dispute, although he was not at the
-moment acquainted with the details of his brother’s design.
-
-‘Don’t see the dodge?’ continued Shield brusquely. ‘It’s plain as
-daylight. He wanted to get you into a hole, reckoning that the rich
-uncle would give him your place. He expected that bill would do it; for
-if he didn’t know from the first that it was a forgery, he believed it
-was, and made sure of getting his own and more out of the rich relative
-somehow. But when he heard of things going wrong, and being sharp
-enough to see that other people had their eyes open as well as him,
-he got too anxious to hedge to be able to carry out his scheme as he
-intended. Didn’t quite miss his mark either, though’—this was uttered
-like a growl of disappointment—‘for, thanks to you, he has got his own;
-but he’ll get no more.’
-
-Philip remembered with what cynical frankness Coutts had explained the
-ethics of business which guided him; but, until now, he had always
-imagined there was more talk than practice in it. He certainly never
-suspected him of being capable of putting such theories into practice
-with a friend and relative. Pat upon this reflection, one of Coutts’s
-favourite apothegms recurred to him—‘There are no friendships in
-business.’ He owned with chagrin that the theories of Wrentham and
-Coutts were identical, although the former was not so careful in
-utilising them as to succeed.
-
-The brothers rarely met at this time, and then only exchanged a passing
-‘How do you do?’ After Mr Hadleigh’s removal to Willowmere, Coutts
-arranged with Dr Joy to send for him if there should be any marked
-change for the worse in the patient’s condition.
-
-‘He wants quiet, you say,’ was the observation of this smart young man
-of business; ‘and there is no use in my trotting out here when I can do
-nothing. You’ll let me know if anything is required.’
-
-He was punctual as ever in his attendance at the office; lunched
-and dined at his club, where he spent the evening playing billiards
-or cards, with an occasional diversion to one of those shady places
-to which ‘baccarat’ was the fatal lure. But Coutts did not lose;
-even here his usual caution protected him. He did not want to see
-Philip at present; for although his money was safe, he felt mortified
-by his inability to penetrate the mystery of the bill, and by the
-consciousness that he had failed most egregiously in the attempt to
-ingratiate himself with Mr Shield.
-
-Philip paid a brief visit daily to the farm, but it was very brief; and
-in that first week of anxiety, Madge and he spoke little of themselves
-or of their future. There was no need: everything was understood
-between them now, and they were too deeply engaged in earnest duties
-to allow themselves any relaxation until the immediate crisis in their
-affairs had been passed.
-
-At the works, Philip laboured with all his might to pull things
-straight, and he had frequent occasion to wish that he might have had
-the assistance of Caleb Kersey. Mr Beecham, however, was at his elbow,
-encouraging him with words of hope and sage advice. The accounts of
-various firms as represented in their invoices were largely reduced
-in consequence of Wrentham’s confessions. In most cases it turned out
-that two sets of invoices had been prepared: one set gave the real
-amounts which were to be paid to the dealers; the other set gave the
-sums which Philip had to pay. The explanation given was that Wrentham
-had represented himself as the buyer, and was therefore at liberty to
-charge whatever price he could get when he sold.
-
-Even in the first transaction which Philip had entered into, namely,
-the purchase of the land, a bold attempt had been made to mulct him in
-a sum equal to double its value. He had, however, absolutely refused to
-listen to the terms proposed; and Wrentham had been obliged to content
-himself with what most people would have considered a very satisfactory
-commission of twenty per cent.
-
-The details of these frauds—or should they be called merely ‘sharp
-practice?’—were forced from Wrentham as much by the terror of Bob
-Tuppit’s threat to give evidence in the matter of the forged bill as
-by gratitude for the generosity of Philip and his uncle. One by one
-the accounts were amended as far as they could be; and the amendment
-represented a considerable amount.
-
-Wrentham gave his information with the air of a man who has simply
-failed in what promised to be a good speculation. Two things distressed
-him—he had been found out, and he had lost the whole of the money he
-had schemed so elaborately to obtain, by mistakes on the turf and the
-Stock Exchange. One important item, however, was safe. Despite his
-gambling infatuation, he had invested the proceeds of the forged bill
-in sound securities, so that the whole amount was recoverable. Yet the
-man was so insensible to the criminality of his proceedings, that he
-was secretly regretting the loss of the pleasure and excitement he
-might have purchased with this money, if he had not been fool enough to
-desire to have a nest-egg.
-
- * * * * *
-
-In this week of hard work and anxiety to Philip and Madge, Caleb Kersey
-was again called on to answer the charge of malicious incendiarism.
-The doctors were able to give a satisfactory report of Mr Hadleigh’s
-progress; and that was so much in the prisoner’s favour. All the rest
-told heavily against him, especially his apparent indifference as to
-the result of the trial, which some honest country-folk regarded as
-signs of the hardened sinner, who had caused so much disturbance in
-the country by his demands for higher wages and better housing for the
-agricultural labourers.
-
-He admitted the general accuracy of the statement made by Coutts
-regarding their interview; whilst he refused to give any information
-as to the grounds of their quarrel. He affirmed, however, that after
-the door of the Manor had been closed against him, he had speech with
-Coutts’s father, who, on hearing his complaint, had directed him to be
-at the house early in the morning, and promised that justice should be
-done him. He further admitted that it was true that he had only reached
-his lodgings in the village a few minutes before the first alarm of
-fire was raised.
-
-On his own showing, there seemed to be no alternative for the
-magistrate but to commit him for trial.
-
-At this point, Mr Jackson, of Hawkins and Jackson, solicitors, who was
-acting for the prisoner by the instruction of some friends, called
-forward that astute detective, Sergeant Dier. He had been engaged
-for several days investigating into the origin of the fire; and he
-was now prepared with evidence which would not only establish the
-prisoner’s innocence, but would show that he had behaved heroically on
-the occasion, and was in fact the man who at the peril of his own, had
-saved the life of Mr Lloyd Hadleigh, the proprietor of Ringsford.
-
-The face of Sergeant Dier was a picture of good-humoured satisfaction;
-whilst preserving a proper degree of professional firmness and
-equanimity, as the case was developed in court. Mr Jackson’s sharp
-visage was aglow with self-complacency, as if he would say, ‘I alone
-have done it.’
-
-First there was the testimony of Mr Hadleigh, written down at his
-bedside by a duly qualified gentleman—to the effect that he had made an
-appointment to meet the prisoner as the latter had affirmed, and for
-the purpose mentioned by him. Next Philip gave the man an excellent
-character for intelligence, sobriety, and honesty. He was followed by
-half-a-dozen witnesses who had seen Caleb’s brave rescue of Mr Hadleigh
-when no one else would dare to attempt it.
-
-Last came a housemaid, who confessed what she had been too much
-frightened to confess before. She had been sitting up late writing
-a letter (to her sweetheart of course—these things occupy a great
-deal of time), and hearing voices downstairs, she had gone into the
-passage, curious to discover the cause of the disturbance. As she was
-retreating hastily, she upset a paraffine lamp; but in her eagerness to
-get back to her room, she did not observe any signs of fire, or think
-of any danger until she heard the alarm.
-
-The result of this evidence was a severe reprimand to the girl, and the
-instant discharge of Caleb Kersey without a stain on his character, and
-with a high compliment from the bench on the gallantry he had displayed
-in the rescue of Mr Hadleigh.
-
-Caleb thanked His Worship, and retired, but not before Mr Jackson
-had whispered that it was a question whether he had not grounds for
-an action against Coutts Hadleigh. Poor Caleb neither understood nor
-heeded this suggestion in his present state of mind. He wanted to get
-away from the place. He was stopped, however, by Philip, who grasped
-his hand warmly, and asked him to come back to the works.
-
-‘Thank you kindly, sir; but it may not be. I am bound to cross the
-water, and seek some place where I can forget the old land and—the old
-friends.’
-
-‘Hoots, man, what clavers,’ exclaimed the gardener, stepping forward.
-‘You should not be headstrong. There’s as good living in the auld
-country as in the new, if you would seek it in the right way.’
-
-A kindly hand pressed Caleb’s arm, and a soft voice said in a tone of
-intense relief:
-
-‘I am glad you are safe.’
-
-Caleb pressed Pansy’s hand in his own, and held it firmly for a few
-seconds.
-
-‘I’m obliged to you,’ he said quietly, although huskily. ‘I wish you
-well.’
-
-And with that he forced his way through the group of friends and
-disappeared.
-
-
-
-
-HOME-NURSING.
-
-BY A LADY.
-
-
-FOURTH ARTICLE.
-
-Having fully considered the choice and management of a sick-room, we
-now turn to those personal cares essential alike to the patient’s
-comfort and well-being.
-
-We have already spoken of the need of absolute cleanliness in the
-sick-room; and as regards the patient himself, it is hardly possible
-to overestimate the importance of scrupulous attention to every detail
-affecting the purity of his immediate surroundings. Not only should
-bed and body linen be kept fresh and clean, but everything that has
-become soiled in using must at once be removed from the room. It is
-a very common practice in home-nursing to make a collection of dirty
-things, to be carried downstairs when any one is going; in this way, I
-have known a room to be fouled for hours, the patient being considered
-whimsical for complaining of odours not perceptible to his nurse. Now,
-any such complaint should receive immediate attention, and a nurse
-should never rest satisfied till she has discovered and remedied the
-evil. It not seldom happens that the patient’s sensitive condition
-makes him extra quick to discern such warning of danger; and the nurse
-who really desires to do her duty, instead of taking offence, will
-gladly avail herself of the help thus given; for it must be borne in
-mind that as surely as smoke indicates fire, so surely does a bad
-smell indicate a foulness of air, which will never be remedied till the
-cause has been removed. Remembering this, it will be seen how foolish
-is the practice of drowning unpleasant odours by the indiscriminate use
-of disinfectants; these have their special value—their proper sphere
-we shall consider in dealing with infectious diseases; but in ordinary
-illness, they are apt to be used simply as a covering-up of evils which
-demand entire and immediate removal.
-
-As regards personal cleanliness, many people still retain the
-old-fashioned fear of washing, which used to condemn the patient to a
-state of dirt, equally uncomfortable and injurious. Of course, care and
-discrimination are needful, and if there is any doubt on the matter,
-it is better to ask the doctor’s opinion; but as a rule, daily washing
-of face, neck, and arms is possible in all cases fit for home-nursing;
-in addition, the legs and feet should be washed about every other day;
-and whenever practicable, a weekly bath should be given. For the daily
-wash, tepid water and a piece of flannel suit most patients best; but
-where cold sponging is a refreshment, it may be used, provided due care
-is taken to avoid a chill.
-
-In cases where there is great feebleness, much care must be exercised
-in washing the patient and changing his body-linen. Before beginning,
-the nurse should see that the room is properly warmed, and that _all_
-she is likely to need is ready to hand; she must be careful that no
-draught shall reach her patient, and that he does not get a chill
-through unnecessary dawdling; at the same time, she must not hurry him,
-so as to increase the fatigue.
-
-Any amount of washing is tiring to the very weak, and therefore toilet
-operations had better begin soon after breakfast. If possible, the
-body-linen should be changed at the same time. It is a good plan
-to keep two sets of under-linen going, so that the same may not be
-worn day and night. If the patient perspires much, the linen must be
-dried and warmed each time of changing; it is not enough that it has
-been once aired; every time it becomes damp the same process must be
-repeated. The same thing applies to towels, which are so often put away
-damp and used again without airing; no wonder that illness, resulting
-from cold, shivering or a fit of coughing, not seldom follows the
-washing process, whilst the simple precaution of using a towel well
-aired and warmed would do away with the discomfort.
-
-Sometimes lying in bed produces great irritability of the whole skin,
-and the patient shrinks from any attempts at washing. In such cases, a
-soft sponge should be used, in one direction only, and that downwards;
-and a nice way of drying a sensitive part is to lay the towel smoothly
-over the place and pass the hand over the towel three or four times,
-very much as though drying a wet page with blotting-paper.
-
-During the process of bit-by-bit washing, the bedclothes must be
-protected by a piece of mackintosh or thick towel; but should they
-become wetted, they must be changed at once, for even if not damp
-enough to do serious injury, there is sure to be some amount of
-discomfort; and everything, however small, that causes annoyance must
-be looked upon as a drawback to recovery, and treated accordingly.
-
-In addition to the regular washing, any portion of the patient’s body
-that becomes accidentally soiled must be at once cleansed; and whenever
-the confinement to bed becomes lengthy, the back and shoulders should
-be washed every day with warm water and soap, thoroughly dried, and
-lightly dusted over with finely powdered starch. The patient must also
-be prevented from remaining too long in one position; and if too weak
-to move himself, it will be part of the nurse’s care to turn him from
-side to side every three or four hours. Where this is impracticable,
-pressure must be relieved by the use of cushions, those with a hole
-in the middle being most useful for the purpose. If these precautions
-are not taken, the most prominent bones, exercising undue pressure on
-soft parts, will cause them to give way, the skin will become tender
-and inflamed, and if not stopped in time, a painful wound, difficult
-to relieve or cure, will be the result. I have known cases where these
-wounds have caused infinitely more distress and pain than the patient’s
-actual disease; and yet, with few exceptions, it is only a question
-of care and attention. So true is this, that a trained nurse looks
-upon such wounds as a disgrace, and is constantly on her guard against
-them; but the inexperienced nurse neglects this necessary watchfulness,
-simply through ignorance of the danger to be avoided. But forewarned
-should be forearmed; and by taking care to avoid dirt, pressure, and
-creases in the bedding, even the most inexperienced stand a good chance
-of success in this most troublesome part of nursing. At the same time,
-if, in spite of care, any portion of the skin reddens or becomes
-sensitive, the doctor should at once be informed of the fact, for this
-is one of the best examples of the old saying, ‘Prevention is better
-than cure,’ and it is too late to cry out when the mischief is done.
-
-If the patient is too weak to sit up and use a toothbrush, a piece of
-lint should be tied to the end of a small stick such as a penholder,
-and wetted with water to which a little Condy’s fluid has been added;
-with this, the nurse can easily clean the teeth and gums. Brushing the
-hair requires a certain amount of tact and gentleness; with female
-patients the hair is apt to get into a troublesome tangle, unless
-plaited up loosely and tied at the ends. Sometimes moistening the
-brush with toilet vinegar will be liked, and in not a few cases gentle
-brushing has a soothing effect. I remember one instance where, under
-this influence, and this alone, restlessness would subside into quiet,
-leading to refreshing sleep. The same effect may sometimes be produced
-by sponging the face and hands with tepid water, with or without the
-addition of a little vinegar or Eau de Cologne; and again, in other
-cases, letting the hands lie in a basin and gently pouring cold water
-on them will be found grateful. It is well worth a nurse’s while to
-study her particular patient’s taste, and to find out some such simple
-method of relieving the weariness and monotony of illness.
-
-To lift a helpless patient is by no means an easy task to inexperience,
-and should never be attempted without help. When the patient is utterly
-helpless, two long poles or broom-handles will be needed; these must
-be tightly rolled round in the under sheet and blanket, and the patient
-can then be moved, as in a stretcher, by four bearers.
-
-To move a patient from side to side, the draw-sheet alone is needed.
-Rolling one end close to the body, the nurse goes round to the other
-side of the bed, and by taking hold of the rolled-up part, will be able
-to turn the patient gently over with perfect ease. Where the draw-sheet
-is not being used, it is a good plan to let a heavy patient lie on a
-strong roller-towel, which can be used as above; and if two people
-grasp it firmly on each side, they will be able to move the patient
-up and down in bed without fatigue or injury. This plan is especially
-useful in dropsy, when the patient becomes a dead, heavy weight, and is
-often restless to a painful extent.
-
-In many cases, a patient, otherwise helpless, will be able to move at
-least his position by the use of a strong towel or cord tied to the
-foot of the bed. Hospital-beds are almost invariably provided with a
-cord and handle for the patient to grasp; but a better thing still
-is a netted hammock, a simple contrivance consisting of a piece of
-netting—of twine or coarsest knitting-cotton—four yards long by one
-and a half wide, the loops at each end being drawn up with tape; these
-tapes are tied to the foot of the bed; and the netting not only serves
-as a cord, but, thrown over the patient’s head and drawn out across
-his shoulders and back, forms a most easy, comfortable support. I
-have seen patients sitting up thus, who had mournfully declared it an
-impossibility, and whose delight at the change of position was a thing
-to be remembered.
-
-In grasping any part of a patient’s body, be very careful not to
-take hold with the finger-ends; the whole hand should be used, and
-the fingers slightly spread out; anything like a hesitating touch
-is exasperating, and indeed hesitation in any way must be carefully
-avoided in dealing with the sick. It is well to remember that a
-certain amount of work has to be done, and a certain amount of noise
-must follow; make up your mind how much, and go to work thoroughly,
-quickly, and quietly; quiet, though, must be natural, not laboured; the
-tiptoe, whispering style is torture to sensitive nerves; a firm, even
-tread and a distinct way of speaking should be cultivated; the latter,
-especially, will make all the difference to a patient’s comfort. To be
-constantly on the strain to hear is by no means soothing; and whispered
-conversation as to the patient’s condition must never be indulged in.
-Some people, realising this, will go out of the sick-room, to carry on
-low-toned consultations just outside the door and within hearing of
-the patient, who involuntarily strains every nerve in the endeavour to
-catch what is being said. Such treatment is even worse than unnecessary
-noise, and all discussion relating to the patient must be carried on
-where there is no possibility of his hearing it. It is a safe rule
-to avoid detailing the patient’s symptoms to relatives or friends;
-sensitive, delicate minds are often made to suffer unnecessarily, from
-the consciousness that sick-room details are being made the subject of
-curious inquiry and remark.
-
-It not seldom happens that in delirium, or extreme weakness, the
-patient will let out some cherished secret, and this should be as
-jealously sacred to the nurse as though the confidence had been
-voluntary, the only allowable violation being when the revelation
-made throws any light upon the patient’s illness; in such a case, the
-doctor must be told; and this brings us to a most important point—the
-relations between doctor and nurse, a point which is seldom understood
-by the inexperienced.
-
-The nurse’s responsibility is great; she has many duties to perform,
-some of them apparently slight, yet really of vital importance; but
-at the same time, she is only acting under orders, and when those
-orders have been faithfully carried out, her responsibility ends; it
-therefore follows, that whatever her private opinion, she must never
-alter the treatment without the doctor’s express permission, and
-whatever she may think, she should never, by word or deed, seek to
-lessen the patient’s confidence in the patient’s doctor. It sometimes
-happens that injudicious friends suggest remedies of their own, and
-insist upon their being used; any such interference should be at once
-reported to the doctor, for how else can he form a right opinion as
-to the patient’s condition? Yet so often is this overlooked, that, I
-believe, in many home-nursed cases the doctor’s treatment is never
-allowed fair-play; and I have even known a prescription, that had been
-torn up by the doctor as unsuitable, carefully pieced together after
-his departure, and used. Perhaps in no other point is there such a
-marked difference between the trained and untrained nurse. The former
-has been taught that her power lies in obedience; the latter, ignorant
-of her very ignorance, ventures to meddle in matters which, had she but
-a little more knowledge, she would understand to be beyond her.
-
-Not a little of the nurse’s value depends on her ability to give the
-doctor a proper report of how matters have been going during his
-absence. A patient will often pull himself together and even feign
-convalescence for the doctor’s visit, which is necessarily brief;
-whilst the nurse, spending hours with him, sees every varying mood and
-symptom; at the same time, she must remember that the doctor does not
-want her opinion, but asks only _facts_, which will enable him to draw
-his own conclusions. From this it will be seen that the nurse needs to
-understand what to notice and how to report her observations.
-
-As to what to notice—each illness has its specific symptoms, about
-which the doctor will make special inquiries, and he will also expect
-to hear what effect has followed the use of remedies; but in addition
-to these, there are general symptoms to be taken account of in all
-illness. Amongst those most frequently overlooked by the inexperienced
-nurse, are: _The appetite_, whether good, failing, fanciful, or
-voracious. _The skin_, whether moist or dry, hot or cold; and whether
-sensitive to touch. _Sleep_, its character and duration; whether
-quiet, disturbed, broken, or uninterrupted, and whether the same by
-day and night. _Posture_, whether the patient lies very flat, or likes
-to be raised, or prefers to keep on one side; in going to sleep, the
-easiest attitude will be chosen, and any marked change in this respect
-should be noticed. _Temper and spirits_, whether equable or variable,
-moody, cheerful, excitable, calm, depressed, or inclined to tears.
-_Countenance_, whether liable to changes of complexion or expression.
-
-When visitors are allowed, the effect upon the patient should be noted;
-and at any cost, in serious cases, those whose influence is depressing
-or exciting must not be admitted.
-
-A nurse should also, without being fussy, keep an eye to any fresh
-symptoms that may appear, and duly report them; but nothing is more
-worrying than to be constantly teased with such questions as: ‘Are
-you in pain?’ ‘Do you feel better now?’ ‘Will you let me look at your
-tongue?’ Those who have endured the martyrdom, know what it means, and
-know, too, how little information can be gleaned by such methods. Let a
-nurse be sympathising by all means, but let her sympathy show itself in
-caring for her patient’s wants, and in efforts to save him from worry
-as well as from pain.
-
-I remember a trained nurse who was deeply hurt at being told that a
-bell would be placed within her patient’s reach, in case he wanted
-anything at night. ‘Thank you, ma’am,’ was her reply; ‘my patient will
-not need to ring.’ Nor did he, thanks to his nurse’s constant care to
-anticipate his wants. A nurse thus watchful, will be quick to notice
-any change in her patient; but it is quite one thing to notice, and
-another to give a faithful report of what has been observed; and I
-would urge every inexperienced nurse to be very particular in jotting
-down at once all that strikes her attention. The simplest way of doing
-this is to keep a sort of diary of all that happens. Take a piece of
-writing-paper, keep one side for day and one for night, write the date
-at the top, crease it down the middle, and note on one half, all the
-patient takes and does, and on the other, anything you think demands
-notice. The following is a specimen of the sort of chart I mean.
-
- October 4.
-
- A.M. | A.M.
- 8. Cup of tea and toast. |
- 10. Four ounces milk. | 10. Milk taken with difficulty
- | and dislike.
- 11. Medicine. |
- 11.15. Poultice to chest and |
- back. |
- |
- 11.30. Slept twenty minutes. | 11.30. Turned on right side
- | before going to
- | sleep.
- 12. Four ounces beef-tea. |
- 12.30. Mrs A. called, stayed |
- quarter of an hour. |
- | 12.45-1.30. Excited and
- | depressed by Mrs
- | A.’s call.
- Are visitors to be allowed?
-
- The reverse side might read thus:
-
- October 4.
-
- P.M. | P.M.
- 8. Four ounces milk. |
- 9. Jacket poultice. |
- 9.30. Dozed half-hour. | 9.30. Skin hot and dry,
- | face flushed; woke
- | excited and restless.
- 10. Opiate as directed. |
- 10.45. Slept two hours. |
- | 11.30. Began to perspire,
- | expression tranquil;
- | woke refreshed.
- 12.45. Four ounces milk. |
-
-To keep such a chart properly requires some practice, but it is the
-only way of insuring accuracy, and it will also save a good deal of
-questioning on the doctor’s part, a glance being enough to show him how
-matters stand.
-
-At the bottom of the first page, it will be noticed there is a
-question, which, unless so marked, would very likely be forgotten; and
-whenever the nurse is in any difficulty or uncertainty, she must never
-hesitate to ask for guidance. The doctor will not expect perfection
-from inexperience, and even if he does not volunteer information, will
-certainly not object to answering reasonable questions. Of course,
-there is a great deal of difference in this as in all things, and there
-are doctors who take for granted that everybody knows certain things,
-of which even the intelligent, who have not had their attention called
-to nursing, may be quite ignorant. But even when this is the case, the
-nurse’s object being her patient’s good and not the support of her own
-dignity, if she is not sure of her ground, it is her duty to ask for
-instruction.
-
-
-
-
-ONE WOMAN’S HISTORY.
-
-
-CHAPTER VII.
-
-A few minutes later, Madame De Vigne and her sister came slowly up the
-glen from that part of the valley where the wagonettes had been left
-behind. Presently Clarice paused and gazed around.
-
-‘It looks exactly as it did that day last summer when we were here,’
-she said. ‘We might have been away only a few hours.’
-
-‘And then, as now, you had no Archie to bear you company.’
-
-‘I did not know him then; and yet it seems now as if I must have known
-him all my life. I suppose that just about this time he will be engaged
-with Sir William and those dreadful lawyers. And he has to go through
-all this for the sake of me—of me, Mora!’
-
-‘He would go through a hundred times more than that for your sake,
-dear.’
-
-‘I often feel as if I don’t deserve to be loved so much. I hope there
-will be a telegram when we get back to the hotel. He promised to send
-one as soon as he had any news; but, suppose his news should be bad
-news!’
-
-‘At your age you ought always to look at the sunny side of your apple.’
-
-‘Thanks to you, dear, I have never had occasion to look at any other,’
-answered the girl with a caress in her voice. ‘And to-day I _will_ try
-not to be down-hearted. I will try to hope for the best.’ They went
-forward a few paces in silence, and then Clarice suddenly said: ‘What a
-selfish girl I am! Tell me, dear, is your headache any better?’
-
-‘A little. I will sit awhile under the shade of this tree. This seems
-as pretty a spot as any. Perhaps by-and-by I may try to do a little
-sketching.’
-
-She sat down on a rustic seat that had been placed on a jutting spur
-of rock nearly fronting the waterfall. The seat was partly hidden from
-chance passers-by by a screen of shrubs, ferns, and natural rockwork.
-
-‘There! What a head I’ve got!’ exclaimed Clarice with something of
-dismay in her voice.
-
-‘Mr Ridsdale thinks it a very pretty head. But what’s your trouble now?’
-
-‘I’ve left your sketch-book behind in the wagonette.’
-
-‘Is that all?’
-
-‘It will not take me more than ten minutes to fetch it.’
-
-‘It is of no consequence—not the slightest,’ answered Madame De Vigne a
-little wearily.
-
-‘I prefer to fetch it. Some one will be prying into it who has no
-business to. Besides, I recollect something that I want to say to Miss
-Penelope.’
-
-‘As you please, dear.’
-
-‘You don’t mind my leaving you?’
-
-‘Not in the least.’
-
-‘I shall not be long away,’ cried Clarice as she turned and took the
-road that led down the valley.
-
-The shadow on Mora De Vigne’s face deepened the moment she was left
-alone. She was very pale this morning, and she had that look about the
-eyes which tells of a sleepless night. Beyond her sister and Nanette,
-no one knew of her fainting-fit of the previous night. Miss Gaisford
-had not failed to notice the change in her looks, but had asked no
-questions: she was assured that when the proper time should arrive she
-would be told all that it was intended she should know.
-
-‘Alone at last! For a little while I can drop my mask,’ she said with
-the same weariness in her voice. ‘Is it not like the act of a crazy
-woman to come here to-day, among all these happy people?—I! Oh, the
-mockery of it! And yet to have stayed all day indoors under the same
-roof with _him_, not knowing from minute to minute what to expect,
-would have been worse than all. And then, Harold promised to meet me at
-this spot—the man whom I love—the man who loves me. Alas! alas! he can
-never more be “Harold” to me after to-day.’
-
-She rose and went forward to the edge of the rock, and stood gazing at
-the waterfall with eyes that knew not what they were looking at.
-
-‘What to do?—what to do?’ she sighed. ‘The same question that kept
-knocking at my heart all through the long, dreadful, sleepless night;
-and here, with the summer sunshine all about me, it seems no nearer an
-answer than it was then. Sometimes I think that what I saw and heard
-can have been no more than a hideous nightmare fancy of my own. But
-no—no! That voice—that face!’ She shuddered, and pressed her fingers to
-her eyes, as if to shut out some sight on which she could not bear to
-look.
-
-Presently, she moved slowly back to the rustic seat and sat down.
-
-‘Has he tracked me?’ she asked herself. ‘Does he know that I am here,
-or is his presence merely one of those strange coincidences such as one
-so often hears tell of? If I only knew! If he has tracked me, why did
-he not make it his business to see me last night or this morning? What
-if he does _not_ know or suspect? I must not go back to the hotel. I
-must not give him a chance of seeing me. I must make some excuse and go
-away—somewhere—straight from here. But first I must wait and see Harold
-and—and bid him farewell. What shall I say to him? What _can_ I say?’
-
-Her heart-stricken questionings were broken by the sound of voices
-a little distance away. She turned her head quickly. ‘Clarice and a
-stranger!’ she exclaimed. ‘And coming this way!’ A spasm of dread shot
-through her. What if this stranger were another messenger of evil come
-in search of her?
-
-And yet he looked harmless enough. He was a rather tall, thin,
-worn-looking man of sixty-five years or thereabouts. He was dressed
-in a high-collared swallow-tailed coat, pepper-and-salt trousers,
-and shoes. His carefully brushed hat, of a fashion of many years
-previously, had, like the rest of his attire, seen better days than
-it would ever see again. He had short white whiskers, and rather long
-white hair, which straggled over his coat collar behind. His thick,
-bushy brows were still streaked with black; and his eyes, which were
-very large and bright, seemed to require no assistance from spectacles
-or glasses of any kind.
-
-‘Here is your sketch-book, dear,’ said Clarice as she came up. ‘This
-gentleman is Mr Etheridge, Sir William Ridsdale’s secretary,’ she
-added.—‘Mr Etheridge, my sister, Madame De Vigne.—Mr Etheridge has
-travelled all the way from Spa, bringing with him an important letter
-from Sir William addressed to his son. The hotel people sent him on
-here after us.’
-
-‘But’—— began Mora, half rising from her seat.
-
-‘I have already explained to Mr Etheridge that Mr Archie was summoned
-by telegraph yesterday to meet his father in London this morning. It
-seems very strange.’
-
-Mr Etheridge smiled a little deprecatingly, and resumed his hat, which
-he had doffed on being introduced to Madame De Vigne.
-
-‘No doubt, ladies,’ he said, ‘it must appear strange to any one who
-is unacquainted with the peculiarities of Sir William. After writing
-the letter which I have in my pocket, and sending me off with it
-post-haste, he no doubt changed his mind (Sir William very often does
-change his mind), and set off for London with the intention of seeing
-Mr Archie in person, and never troubled himself more about me and the
-letter. Just like him—just like him.’
-
-‘And what do you propose to do now, sir?’ asked Madame De Vigne.
-
-‘My plan is a very simple one, madam. I shall telegraph to London that
-I am here, and here I shall stop till I receive further instructions.’
-
-‘You must be somewhat tired after your long journey, Mr Etheridge,’
-suggested Clarice.
-
-‘Well—well. So—so. But I’m an old traveller, and it don’t matter.’
-
-‘Luncheon won’t be ready for some time; but if you would like some
-refreshment at once, I’——
-
-‘Not at present, thank you—not at present.’ Then he added: ‘This seems
-a very pretty spot; and with your leave, I’ll just ramble about and
-look round me a bit.’
-
-‘Do so by all means, Mr Etheridge,’ said Madame De Vigne kindly, ‘only
-don’t forget to be in time for luncheon.’
-
-Clarice hesitated a moment, and then she said: ‘There’s a charming
-view of the lake a little farther on; if you would like to see it, I
-will show you the way.’
-
-‘Thank you. Nothing would please me better. Only, I don’t want to be a
-trouble.’
-
-‘O Mr Etheridge, it will be no trouble!’
-
-That gentleman made Madame De Vigne an old-fashioned bow, and moved a
-few steps away.
-
-‘You won’t mind my leaving you for a little while?’ said Clarice to her
-sister.
-
-‘Not in the least. Besides, I’m not in a talking mood this morning.’
-
-‘It would be unkind to leave Mr Etheridge all alone.’
-
-‘Of course it would. So now run off, and do your best to entertain him.’
-
-‘This way, Mr Etheridge, please,’ said Clarice. And with that the two
-went off together, crossing the bridge and taking the same path that
-had been taken a little while previously by Lady Renshaw and her two
-cavaliers.
-
-‘The transparent diplomacy of a girl in love!’ said Madame De Vigne
-as her eyes followed her sister’s retreating figure. ‘Not having her
-sweetheart with her to talk to, she must needs talk about him to some
-one else. Happy, happy days!’ She turned away with a sigh. ‘And now?
-Shall I sit here and wait for Harold, and try to think what I shall say
-to him? No; I cannot rest anywhere till the worst is over. He may be
-here at any moment. I will walk to the top of the hill and watch for
-him as he comes up the valley. O Harold, Harold, won only to be lost in
-one short hour!’
-
-She took a narrow footpath to the right, which wound upwards through
-the trees and undergrowth to a small plateau, from which the whole of
-the valley was visible.
-
- * * * * *
-
-‘I did not think that I should be so fortunate as to have you all to
-myself for so long a time this morning.’
-
-The speaker was Mr Richard Dulcimer, and it need scarcely be said
-to whom his words were addressed. They had been wandering about the
-glen at their own sweet will, penetrating into all sorts of odd nooks
-and corners, and now, emerging from the shade of the trees, found
-themselves on a small rocky table close to the shallow basin into which
-the stream fell and broke when it took its first leap from the summit
-of the cliff. It was a pretty spot, and just then the two young people
-had it all to themselves.
-
-‘You have my aunt to thank for that,’ answered Miss Wynter, as she
-seated herself daintily on a fragment of rock. ‘It was she who sent me
-to you.’
-
-‘Dear old damsel! I could almost find in my heart to kiss her,’
-answered Richard as he deposited himself at his sweetheart’s feet and
-drew the brim of his straw hat over his eyes to shade them from the sun.
-
-‘But of course she believes you to be a bishop’s son.’
-
-‘Which I am, so far as having a bishop for a godfather goes.
-Otherwise—woe is me!—I’m only a poor beggar of a quill-driver in the
-Sealing-wax Office. Why wasn’t Providence kind to me? Why wasn’t I born
-with a rich father, like Archie Ridsdale?’
-
-‘Why weren’t we all born with rich fathers?’
-
-‘That would have been much nicer, if it could have been so arranged.’
-
-‘I don’t at all see how you are going to extricate yourself from the
-awful scrape you have got into.’
-
-‘I am not aware that I’m in any awful scrape, so far.’
-
-‘But you will be, when my aunt finds out what a wicked impostor you
-are.’
-
-‘Her ladyship’s anger doesn’t matter two farthings to me. It’s her
-influence over you that I’m afraid of.’
-
-‘Her influence over me!’
-
-‘The lessons she is continually preaching—the maxims she is for ever
-dinning into your ears.’
-
-‘Yes; I know she looks upon it as a sacred duty which I owe to Society
-that I should marry myself to the highest bidder.’
-
-‘And you?’ asked the young man as he sat up, pushed back his hat, and
-gazed into the pretty face above him.
-
-She was drawing figures aimlessly with the point of her sunshade in the
-gravel. For a moment or two she did not answer; then she broke out with
-an emphasis that was full of bitterness: ‘What would you have? What can
-you expect? From the day I left school, and even earlier than that, the
-one lesson that has been instilled into my mind is, that I must marry
-money—money. Even my mother—— But she is dead, and I will not speak of
-her. And since then, my aunt. I am a chattel—a piece of bric-à-brac in
-the matrimonial market, to be appraised, and depreciated, and finally
-knocked down to the first bidder who is prepared to make a handsome
-settlement. I hate myself when I think of it! I hate everybody!’ Sudden
-passionate tears sprang to her eyes; she dashed them away impatiently.
-
-‘Not quite everybody, _ma belle_,’ said Mr Dulcimer as he possessed
-himself of one of her hands. ‘There is one way of escape that you wot
-of,’ he added in a lower voice.
-
-She turned on him with a flash: ‘By marrying you, I suppose?’
-
-‘Even so, _carissima_.’
-
-‘A government clerk on three hundred pounds a year.’
-
-‘With another hundred of private income in addition.’
-
-‘A truly munificent income on which to marry!’ she answered, not
-without a ring of scorn, real or assumed, in her voice as she withdrew
-her fingers from his grasp. ‘I think I know the kind of thing it
-implies. A stuffy little house in Camden Town or Peckham Rye—wherever
-those localities may be. Perhaps even furnished apartments. One
-small servant, not overclean. No opera, no brougham in the Park, no
-garden-parties, no carpet-dances, no more flirtations with nice young
-men. Locomotion by means of a twopenny ’bus or tram.; long, lonely days
-without a soul to talk to; now and then an order for the theatre; _au
-reste_, my husband’s buttons to sew on and his socks to keep in repair.
-Oh, I can guess it all!’
-
-A tinge of colour had flickered into Dick’s cheeks while she was
-speaking, but it now died out again. He was quite aware that nothing
-would delight her more than to tease him till he should lose his
-temper; therefore, he answered as equably as before: ‘Evidently Lady
-Renshaw’s lessons have not been quite thrown away on you.’
-
-One of her little feet began to tap the ground impatiently. ‘It seems
-to me, Mr Richard Dulcimer, that the best thing you can do is to take
-the next train back to town.’
-
-‘Shan’t do anything of the kind.’
-
-‘You are a very self-willed young man.’ To judge from her tone, she
-might have been twice his age. It is a way her sex sometimes have.
-
-‘Obstinate as a mule,’ answered the philosophic Richard.
-
-‘Suppose I tell you that I have had enough of your society? Suppose I
-order you to leave me here and at once?’
-
-‘Shan’t go.’
-
-‘Well, of all’—— She rose abruptly. ‘How much longer are you going
-to keep me here?’ she demanded in an injured tone, as though he were
-detaining her against her will.
-
-‘Not one minute longer than you wish,’ he answered as he sprang to his
-feet. ‘Suppose we cross the stream.’
-
-‘Cross the stream?’
-
-‘By means of these stepping-stones. They are here for that purpose.’
-
-‘Oh!’ With a slight accent of dismay. ‘Thank you very much, Mr
-Dulcimer, but I’d rather not.’
-
-‘Everybody crosses by them—except, perhaps, a few superfine young-lady
-tourists who think more of wetting their boots and frills than of’——
-
-‘Monster! Lead the way.’
-
-‘Lend me your hand.’
-
-‘Certainly not.’
-
-Without another word, Dick stepped lightly from stone to stone till he
-reached the middle of the stream. There he halted and turned. Bella,
-not to be outdone, stepped after him on to the first stone and from
-that to the second; then all in a moment her courage seemed to desert
-her. ‘Dick, Dick, I shall slip into the water,’ she cried. ‘I know I
-shall.’
-
-Dick grinned. He had been addressed as ‘Mr Dulcimer’ only a minute
-before. He went back and held out his hand, which Bella clutched
-without a moment’s demur. Having assisted her as far as the middle of
-the stream, he came to a stand.
-
-‘Why don’t you go on?’ she demanded.
-
-Dick ignored the question. ‘These stepping-stones, or others like
-them,’ he remarked didactically, ‘are said to have been here for
-hundreds of years. There is an old local rhyme in connection with them
-which is known to all the country-folk about. Listen while I recite to
-you that ancient rhyme.’
-
-‘I am getting dizzy; I shall fall,’ remarked Bella, who, however, still
-kept tight hold of his hand.
-
-Dick took no notice, but began:
-
- ‘Listen! listen! Every lass
- That o’er these stepping-stones doth pass,
- She shall clasp her sweetheart’s hand,
- On the midmost stone shall stand,
- And shall kiss him then and there’——
-
-‘Oh, indeed,’ remarked Miss Wynter with a scornful sniff.
-
-Dick continued:
-
- ‘But should she her lips deny,
- Then shall she unwedded die,
- And he wed another fair:
- Listen, maids—beware! beware!
-
-‘That is the midmost stone, _ma petite_, on which you are standing.’
-
-Miss Wynter tossed her head. ‘Perhaps, sir, if you have quite done
-attitudinising, you will allow me to cross.’
-
-‘_Avec plaisir_—when you have paid the customary toll.’
-
-‘The what?’ with a drawing together of her pretty eyebrows.
-
-‘The toll. When you have done that which every girl does who crosses
-the stepping-stones with her sweetheart.’
-
-‘You are not my sweetheart.’
-
-‘But you are mine, which comes to the same thing.’
-
-‘I will go back.’
-
-‘You dare not.’
-
-‘I will’——
-
-‘Go forward? You dare not.’ And with that he withdrew his hand.
-
-Bella, finding herself without support, gave vent to a little shriek,
-whereupon Dick put out his hand again, at which she clutched wildly.
-Richard was hard-hearted enough to laugh.
-
-‘This is mean—this is cowardly—this is contemptible!’ cried Bella with
-flaming eyes.
-
-‘It is—but it’s nice.’
-
-‘I hear voices. There’s some one coming!’
-
-‘Let them come.’
-
-‘And find me in this ridiculous predicament? Never!’
-
-‘Not for worlds,’ assented Mr Dulcimer in his sweetest tones.
-
-Bella gave vent to a little laugh: she could not help it. One of Dick’s
-arms found its way round her waist. The situation was embarrassing. If
-she were to push him away, she might slip into the water. Their faces
-were not far apart. Suddenly she protruded hers and touched his cheek
-lightly with her lips. ‘Wretch! There, then!’ she said. ‘And there,’
-quoth the unabashed suitor, as he returned the toll, twofold. ‘And
-_there_!’ she added a moment after, as, with her disengaged hand, she
-gave him a sounding box on the ear.
-
-Dick laughed and rubbed his ear. ‘For what we have just received’——
-he said, and then grasping both her hands, he helped her across the
-remaining stepping-stones to the opposite bank of the stream.
-
-
-
-
-ARTIFICIAL JEWELS.
-
-
-The trade in artificial jewels has become very extensive during the
-last half-century, and the chemical experiments in which various
-qualities of imitation diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds are
-produced have been recently carried on with an astonishing amount of
-success. It is becoming more and more difficult, even to the eye of the
-expert, to distinguish readily between the real and the false gem, when
-they do not shine in too close proximity.
-
-The most distinctive feature of the real stone is its hardness, though
-even this quality has been imitated with considerable success. The
-term ‘hardness’ is used by the lapidary and mineralogist to denote the
-power of one stone to scratch another; it must not be considered as the
-power of resisting a blow, for many crystalline stones which are very
-hard are also easily fractured. The diamond, which will scratch any
-other stone, can be more easily broken than many stones which are less
-hard. After the diamond come the ruby and sapphire, which are the next
-hardest stones; then emeralds, topazes, and quartz or rock-crystal; and
-finally, a number of other stones, and glass or artificial stones.
-
-The beautiful ‘French paste’ which imitates the diamond so well,
-is a kind of glass into which a certain quantity of oxide of lead
-is introduced. The more lead it contains the more brilliant is the
-artificial stone; but the lead gives softness—so much so, that we have
-known such artificial gems to become, by friction with other harder
-substances, quite dull on the surface after being worn for some time.
-
-But the latest chemical experiments on the production of artificial
-stones for use in jewellery point very clearly to the fact that further
-success in this direction is likely to be forthcoming before long. The
-imitation of the natural gems by means of various silicates and oxides
-has already attained to a great degree of perfection, and no doubt
-this ingenious branch of industry must interfere considerably with the
-trade of the dealer in real precious stones. We can already purchase a
-capital ‘diamond’ for about half-a-crown; and the imitation of the ruby
-and the emerald is far easier, and more successful, than that of the
-diamond.
-
-Careful choice in the substances to be melted together, good and
-effective cutting, and careful artistic setting, have gone a long way
-to reproduce, artificially, the brightness, brilliancy, and colour
-of the real stone. Chemical analysis shows the sapphire to be pure
-alumina, as it has shown the diamond to be pure carbon; but it does not
-account for its colour, which is partly due to an optical effect, and
-depends upon a peculiar molecular arrangement. This stone possesses
-the singular property known as _dichroism_—that is, it shines with
-two colours, blue and red. In a well-cut stone, a red cross often
-appears in the midst of the sapphire blue. The ruby is also pure
-alumina, and its vivid red colour, like the blue of the sapphire, is
-thought by some to be due to a peculiar optical effect. In fact, no
-chemical analysis has been able to account quite satisfactorily for the
-red colour of the ruby or the blue colour of the sapphire, for pure
-alumina is quite white, and the sapphire, as we have seen, shows two
-colours. This peculiar optical effect noticed in the ruby and sapphire
-has, strange to say, been accidentally reproduced not long since by
-a French chemist, M. Sidot, who has been making some experiments on
-artificial stones. He has produced a kind of glass by melting phosphate
-of lime at a great heat, and the product possesses the blue colour of
-the sapphire with the remarkable _dichroism_ before alluded to. The
-experiment is so curious, that a few lines may be devoted to it here.
-
-By the action of heat on what is termed ‘acid phosphate of lime,’ it
-is transformed into ‘crystallised pyrophosphate;’ and when heated to a
-still higher temperature, it passes into the vitreous or glassy state.
-It is supposed that in this condition it loses some of its phosphoric
-acid by volatilisation, and passes into the state of ‘tribasic
-phosphate.’ Such is the technical explanation of the changes which
-occur. The phosphate of lime glass is produced by taking this substance
-in a moist acid state, and heating it in an iron pot to a dark red
-heat. During this operation it is worked about with an iron rod, in
-order to prevent it swelling up and passing over the edge of the iron
-crucible. The dark red heat is continued until the whole mass has
-become glassy and transparent. At this moment it is run into another
-crucible, in which it is heated to a white heat that is kept up for
-about two hours, being stirred rapidly with a rod the whole time. At
-the end of this period the molten mass is allowed to remain perfectly
-quiet for about an hour, and is then run out of the crucible, either
-on to a metallic slab or into a metal mortar. It is necessary to avoid
-too rapid a cooling. The product may thus be run out into a sheet,
-like plate-glass. A small sheet of such a nature was obtained by M.
-Sidot in one of his experiments: it measured about three inches across,
-by a quarter of an inch thick, and was large enough to be cut into a
-considerable number of beautiful artificial sapphires.
-
-The ruby and sapphire have also been closely imitated in another way
-by Fremy and Feil, two French chemists; and the chief interest in this
-process is the fact that the artificial stones possess essentially the
-chemical composition of the real ones. To produce these, equal weights
-of alumina and red-lead are heated to a red-heat in an earthenware
-crucible. A vitreous substance is formed, which consists of silicate of
-lead, and crystals of white corundum. To convert this corundum into the
-artificial ruby, it is necessary to fuse it with about two per cent. of
-bichromate of potassium; whilst, to obtain the sapphire, a little oxide
-of cobalt, and a very small quantity of bichromate of potassium, must
-be employed. The stones so produced possess at least very nearly the
-hardness of the real stones, as they scratch both quartz and topaz.
-
-The French ‘paste’ which imitates the diamond so closely is a peculiar
-kind of glass, the manufacture of which was brought to a great degree
-of perfection some fifty years ago by Donault-Wieland of Paris.
-The finest quality of paste demands extreme care in the choice of
-materials and in melting, &c. The basis of it, in the hands of the
-expert manufacturer just named, was powdered rock-crystal or quartz.
-The proportions he took were—six ounces of rock-crystal; nine ounces
-two drams of red-lead; three ounces three drams of pure carbonate of
-potash; three drams of boracic acid; and six grains of white arsenic.
-The product thus manufactured was extremely beautiful, but rather
-expensive, compared with the prices now charged for artificial jewels.
-It has never been surpassed in brilliancy. But of late years the
-greater purity of the potash and lead oxide used, and the improvements
-in the furnaces and methods of heating them, have all tended to reduce
-the price of the ‘diamonds’ thus manufactured.
-
-
-
-
-THE MISSING CLUE.
-
-
-CHAPTER V.—THE COLONEL’S DAUGHTER.
-
-Meanwhile, the subject of the previous conversation is seated in a
-private room before a merry crackling fire, small reflections of which
-lurk here and there in the dark polished oak with which the walls are
-panelled. Everything in the apartment has an extremely comfortable
-appearance save its living occupant, and his features wear an
-expression totally at variance with his surroundings. He is twisting a
-crumpled note between his fingers; while, judging from the expression
-with which he regards it, his feelings can scarcely be of an agreeable
-nature. The offending epistle is written in a bold decided hand, which
-harmonises well with the short and haughty tenor of its contents. As a
-perusal of this may enable the reader more clearly to understand the
-ensuing narrative, a copy is here inserted:
-
- Colonel Thorpe presents his compliments to Lieutenant Ainslie,
- and in reply to that gentleman’s letter of this morning, begs
- to state that any overtures from him relating to Miss Thorpe
- will receive an absolute negative. It is also requested that
- Lieut. A. will discontinue his visits to Coombe Hall, as Col.
- T. wishes him distinctly to understand that this decision is
- final.
-
- _Dec. 22, 1760._
-
-The exasperated recipient of this ungracious piece of writing makes
-a movement as if to consign it to the hungry blaze which is roaring
-up the chimney; but checking himself ere the action is performed, he
-places the missive in a side-pocket, and falling back in his chair,
-resigns himself to a long train of unenviable reflections.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Next morning, the sun, first a dull crimson, and then yellow as a
-copper ball, slowly mounted above the horizon and pierced cloud and
-vapour with its struggling rays. Snow-clad roofs and chimneys, whose
-quaint outlines could scarcely be distinguished from the leaden sky
-a short time before, now became flooded with a rich golden light,
-contrasting strangely with the blue mist that lingered in the shadows.
-As yet, it was only the high gables and towers which had caught the
-cheering beams; the streets and lesser thoroughfares were gloomy, dark,
-and silent, while ruts and gutters were fast bound with King Frost. The
-good people of Fridswold had not the reputation of being early risers,
-and with a few exceptions, the streets were almost totally deserted;
-but our friend who figured last night as a guest at the _George_, at
-least appeared to be no sluggard, for he was out, and walking quickly
-along, the iron-tipped heels of his riding-boots bringing forth a smart
-click from the frost-hardened ground.
-
-Lieutenant Ainslie was not bent upon sight-seeing; he had other matters
-to attend to. The wintery beauties of the early morning seemed
-completely lost upon the young officer, and he passed the great west
-front of the minster—all flecked with ‘hoary flakes’—without bestowing
-so much as a glance upon it. His course was continued until the
-irregular outskirts of the town were left behind, when a large imposing
-red-brick mansion came within sight. The grounds which surrounded it
-were separated from the public highway by a substantial wall of rough
-masonry; while parallel with this wall extended a belt of fine trees,
-now leafless, and shivering as if with cold. Keeping to the road until
-a turn shut out the palatial residence from view, the young officer,
-after a hasty look around him, vaulted the wall, and then shaped his
-way across the white stretch of private ground.
-
-Slowly and uncertainly he proceeded, often stopping to look back, and
-more than once referring to his watch as well as to a dainty note, the
-writing of which was in a delicate female hand. At length, after many
-turnings and much doubtful wandering, he emerged from the underwood
-and entered upon a small cleared inclosure containing a rustic
-summer-house, now fretted with a glittering network of snow and ice.
-Into this the lieutenant stepped, frequently looking out in a furtive
-manner from the narrow doorway, as if in expectation of some one.
-
-After a long interval of anxious expectation, certain sounds were heard
-which seemed to indicate the approach of a human being. The soldier
-sprang eagerly forward, and then as quickly shrunk back again. A slight
-crackling of dry twigs was followed by a hoarse cough, and the cough
-was followed by the unwelcome appearance of a red-faced man with a gun
-upon his shoulder, but fortunately not passing in the direction of
-the arbour. The lieutenant knew him at once. It was the fiery-faced
-man whom he had seen at the inn the previous evening. ‘Ah,’ said he
-to himself, ‘I see it all. Colonel Thorpe’s gamekeeper—sent down last
-night to play the spy upon me. It is well he has not seen me now.’
-
-Not many minutes afterwards, a young lady burst into the arbour, with a
-little cry, half of fear and half of pleasure. It could be nothing more
-nor less than a lovers’ meeting after all.
-
-The lovers’ first tender greetings over, they seated themselves side
-by side in the little arbour, and talked to each other in a low voice.
-The state of alarm in which she evidently was, sent a brighter flush of
-colour to her lovely face, and enhanced in her lover’s eyes the graces
-of her person.
-
- * * * * *
-
-Some twelve months before the present meeting, Colonel Thorpe made a
-sudden resolve to spend the winter in London; and fearing to leave
-this his only daughter out of his sight for any length of time, he
-determined to take her with him also. The season was a tolerably gay
-one; but the colonel, an austere man, though much in request at the
-houses of titled and wealthy friends, cared little for society, and
-constantly refused invitations both on behalf of himself and his
-daughter. Such a high pressure of circumspection could not last for
-ever. Receiving an earnest request from Lady Hardy—a friend of many
-years’ standing—that they would honour a fashionable entertainment with
-their presence, Colonel Thorpe somewhat relented, and meeting Amy’s
-wistful gaze with a smile which he intended to be severely pleasant, he
-told her to prepare herself to accompany him on the following Thursday.
-At this intelligence the young lady was naturally delighted; and even
-her severe parent condescended to relax and bring himself to converse
-about the forthcoming ball. This agreeable demeanour he sustained until
-about the middle of the festive evening, when, as if by magic, his
-spirits suddenly lowered to freezing temperature. He had observed that
-a well-favoured, handsome young gallant had danced three times with
-his daughter in the course of the evening. Now, the crusty old colonel
-did by no means approve of this, and was not aware that his daughter
-had more than once met the same young gallant since coming to London.
-In answer to inquiries which he made as to the unknown partner of his
-daughter, he learned that his name was Ainslie, that he was a subaltern
-in the Guards, and the only son of a widow lady of title, once wealthy,
-but now reduced in circumstances. His informant added, that though the
-young officer was not rich, he was of prepossessing manners—a piece
-of information which scarcely appeared to afford gratification to
-the master of Coombe Hall. Immediately upon receipt of this news the
-angry colonel sought out Miss Thorpe from among the dancers, and after
-bidding a hasty adieu to his hostess, drove away with his daughter from
-the house.
-
-Colonel Thorpe’s temper was not improved when, on the day following
-the ball, he received a call from Ainslie; but in a short political
-conversation which ensued, the visitor—strangely enough—contrived to
-advance in his good graces considerably. Still, the colonel, who was
-habitually suspicious, did not encourage the young officer. He had only
-the doubtful satisfaction of knowing that the penniless son of Sir
-Henry Ainslie, deceased, was a suitor for his daughter’s hand.
-
-‘Amy,’ he said to himself, ‘must return to Coombe Hall. The wiles of
-this dangerous young man can be kept at a safe distance there.’
-
-But railways were as yet things of the future, and the weather became
-an unexpected ally in Ainslie’s favour, the colonel’s departure being
-thus delayed for fully a week. During this time Reginald contrived to
-see Miss Thorpe several times, as well as to ingratiate himself with
-her father, who listened to his visitor’s conversation and wit with a
-mingled feeling of approval and distrust. The time passed quickly; and
-when Reginald parted from Amy Thorpe it was with many protestations of
-eternal devotion, to which that young lady replied with equal warmth.
-Colonel Thorpe wished Ainslie a formal ‘Good-bye,’ and the lovers were
-separated from each other for a weary space of ten months.
-
-The interval was not unfraught with change. Reginald had the good
-fortune to be raised in rank, and now entered upon his full grade of
-lieutenant. Since the departure of Amy Thorpe he had endeavoured to
-keep up a correspondence with her; but the age in which they lived,
-though practically a fast one, was slow enough in some respects, and
-the means of communication were so unsatisfactory, that long intervals
-elapsed between an interchange of letters.
-
-At the close of October 1760, the tidings of King George II.’s death
-became known throughout the greater part of the kingdom; and following
-closely upon the spreading of this intelligence came a letter from Amy
-to Reginald, containing the joyful news that Colonel Thorpe was on his
-way to London to attend the opening of parliament by the new king, and
-that his daughter was coming with him. Ainslie, after the expiration of
-a few days, presented himself at Colonel Thorpe’s former apartments,
-where the first person he encountered was that worthy officer himself,
-stiff, irritable, and in a decidedly unpleasant temper. Their
-conversation commenced with a formal exchange of civilities, and
-Reginald seated himself on the chair which was pointed out to him, calm
-and unruffled in countenance, but with a heart which he had steeled and
-prepared for the worst.
-
-Colonel Thorpe was glad that Lieutenant Ainslie had called, as he
-wished to have some serious conversation with him. There had been a—in
-fact there had been a correspondence kept up with his daughter, an
-interchange of letter-writing and—and that sort of thing, which must be
-discontinued.
-
-‘Am I to understand, sir,’ said the young officer, with difficulty
-repressing his growing wrath—‘am I to understand that you wish me to
-resign all pretensions to Miss Thorpe’s hand?’
-
-The colonel did not exactly say that; he said the correspondence must
-be discontinued for—for a time. If at some future date Lieutenant
-Ainslie could show satisfactory proofs that he would be able to
-maintain his daughter in a position of comfort and dignity consistent
-with that in which she had been brought up, he (Colonel Thorpe) might
-feel disposed to listen to any advances Lieutenant Ainslie thought
-proper to make. Till then, all interchange of sentiment must cease.
-That was all; Colonel Thorpe had nothing further to say.
-
-Ere another week had passed, during which the lovers met but once,
-the colonel’s apartments were again vacant, and Reginald Ainslie was
-wondering at what remote period of his life he should again see Amy
-Thorpe. Poverty was the bane of the young soldier, and the monotonous
-round of barrack-life was by no means the royal road to wealth.
-Reginald, however, had for some time been meditating over a deep-laid
-purpose, the object of which was to recover an ancient property which
-his immediate ancestors, by their Jacobite proclivities, had forfeited.
-On obtaining leave of absence, therefore, shortly before Christmas, he
-set out for Fridswold, and made a series of excursions to Coombe Hall,
-to lay before his beloved Amy all his hopes and fears, and to receive
-from her encouragement in his momentous quest. But his proposed visit
-had been put a stop to by the colonel’s letter, and now this secret
-meeting in the arbour was the next expedient of the faithful pair.
-
-For a while, the joy of meeting was so great that all other things were
-forgotten; but Reginald could not long shut his eyes to the barrier
-which destiny and the will of Colonel Thorpe had placed between the
-lovers. He was still poor; he was not yet able to fulfil the colonel’s
-stipulation. But he had hopes, and these he could now breathe into
-Amy’s sympathetic ear.
-
-‘What would you say, Amy, if I were to tell you that I am the bearer of
-good tidings?’
-
-‘I should say the news might be too good to be true,’ replied Miss
-Thorpe. ‘O Reginald, it cannot be; you do not mean it?’
-
-‘I do, Amy,’ answered the lieutenant. ‘For what purpose do you suppose
-I undertook this journey?’ he added, after a pause, and turning so as
-to face his fair companion.
-
-The girl’s blue eyes opened to their fullest extent, and she answered
-in a slight tone of wonderment: ‘To see me. Was it not so, Reginald?’
-
-‘It was, dearest,’ said the lieutenant; ‘but if I were to say that I
-came in search of you alone, my words would be false.’
-
-‘Then pray, sir, may I not know your other reason?’ inquired Amy
-laughingly. ‘Have you an appointment to meet some other distressed
-damsel in these lonely parts?’
-
-‘Nothing of the kind,’ replied Ainslie, more earnestly than the
-question seemed to warrant. ‘You alone, Amy, I came to see, and it is
-principally on your account that I am about to journey farther.’
-
-‘On my account!’
-
-‘Yes, Amy, yours; this journey is all for your sake. I will explain
-myself. For some time past, I have been urged to take a singular step
-by one who believes that our lost wealth may be actually regained.
-The idea is a vague and most likely a visionary one, and had I never
-met you, Amy, it is probable that the task of unravelling this coil
-might not have been essayed. It was Colonel Thorpe who clenched my
-half-hearted resolution by informing me that I must not hope to call
-you mine until possessed of sufficient affluence to maintain you in a
-position equal to that in which you had been brought up. Those words
-struck home. I instantly formed a fixed determination, and am now
-about to follow it up, for which purpose I intend to start this very
-afternoon.’
-
-‘This afternoon!’ echoed Amy. ‘Why so soon, Reginald? You have been
-here no time at all. When did you arrive?’
-
-‘The day before yesterday,’ replied Ainslie. ‘But do not blame me,
-dearest, for not seeing you before. I repaired to Coombe Hall almost
-directly after I got here, hoping to see both you and your father, and
-having no thought that admittance would be refused.’
-
-‘O Reginald, I am so sorry!’ faltered the girl. ‘What could I do? Did
-they really refuse to admit you?’
-
-‘They did,’ answered the young officer. ‘But I am perfectly aware it
-was no fault of yours. I then wrote to your father, asking permission
-to see you, telling him that I had some expectation of recovering what
-my parent so unfortunately lost, when I hoped to be able to maintain
-you in a manner worthy of our ancient house. But two hours afterwards,
-my letter was returned!—yes, returned, Amy, and with it was inclosed
-a note from your father forbidding me to enter the house or seek an
-interview with his daughter. I disobeyed the latter part of his
-injunction, and have succeeded, darling, in meeting you once more.’
-
-As we intend to follow Reginald in his quest, it is needless to repeat
-here the story of his hopes as he hastily unfolded them in the ears
-of Amy Thorpe; enough that, after remaining together as long as, or
-perhaps longer than prudence enjoined, the two tore themselves asunder,
-with thrice-repeated vows of fidelity and affection. The remembrance of
-their tender parting was to Reginald in after-years like a strain of
-sweet, bygone music passing through his memory.
-
-That very evening the young lieutenant quitted Fridswold. His way
-lay in a different direction from that leading to Coombe Hall, and
-the farewell glance he gave back only showed him the black bulk of
-the minster towering above a mass of smoky chimneys. The suburbs
-of the town were speedily left behind, and soon a prospect lay
-before Reginald’s eyes which for savage desolation he had never seen
-surpassed. Extending as far as the eye could reach, stretched a dreary
-waste of flooded fields, black peat, broken ice, and frozen sedge,
-dotted at remote intervals with a few scanty willows. The wind was
-rising again, bringing up with it heavy clouds, and its moaning voice
-rustled among the patches of alder and withered rushes like a low,
-dying murmur. Taking warning by these signs, Reginald urged his horse
-forward to a quicker pace than hitherto, riding swiftly and eagerly
-into the gathering darkness of the night.
-
-
-
-
-THE RING-TRICK.
-
-A CURIOUS COINCIDENCE.
-
-
-Some four years ago I was one of the many hundreds of somewhat
-aspiring youths who were seeking positions as Civil servants under
-our government. In order better to work up for the very difficult
-examinations which it is necessary to pass in order to gain these
-positions, I had joined the evening classes of a well-known London
-college. These classes were held twice in every week, and it was on
-my way to one of them from my home—I live in a northern suburb of the
-metropolis—that the events I am about to relate took place.
-
-I had alighted, at about five o’clock on an autumn evening, from a
-train at the King’s Cross terminus of the Great Northern Railway, and
-was proceeding along the Euston Road, when, having half an hour to
-spare, I turned off to the right to enter Euston Station. As I passed
-under the heavy stone portico just to the south of this immense depôt,
-I observed a man about two yards in front of me, who, just as I noticed
-him, came to an abrupt halt and stooped down. So suddenly, indeed, did
-he do this, that I stumbled over him, and tendered an apology for what
-was not my error. As he regained his vertical position, he spoke to me,
-and said in a confidential tone: ‘Did you see that?’
-
-I asked him what he meant.
-
-‘Why, this diamond ring. I nearly trod on it. Just look here.’ And he
-showed me what was apparently a gold diamond ring; and then went on
-to say, that if I had seen it, I should have my share of the find; or
-that, as he was a poor man, and as it might arouse suspicion for the
-ring to be found in his possession, and since, as he could not get rid
-of it, it would be useless to him, he would sell it to me for a trifle.
-
-I was not at that time—owing, I suppose, to my ignorance of London
-ways—so cautious as I am now; and thinking, from the various government
-stamps upon the ring, that it was indeed a valuable one, I told him I
-would think about it, if the diamond were a good one.
-
-‘Come up here,’ said he, pointing to some back street, ‘and let us see
-if it will cut glass.’
-
-I walked with him in the direction he indicated, and with much coolness
-he tested the stone upon a shop-window. Surely enough, it made a deep
-incision in the glass.
-
-‘Well,’ I said, feeling now tolerably convinced of the genuineness of
-the ring, ‘I would give you ten shillings for it, but I unfortunately
-have a few pence only in my pocket.’
-
-‘Ah, that’s a pity. Do you live far from here?’
-
-‘Yes,’ I replied; ‘some twelve miles at least.’
-
-‘Ah, well, there you are, you see; that’s a pity, because you are a
-gentleman, and the ring would be all right with you; but I am only a
-poor messenger—at this moment I am on one of my errands—earning a pound
-a week, and if I tried to sell it, people would suspect me. However,
-since you say you have not enough money, I will keep the ring and
-attempt to get rid of it. At anyrate, we’ll part friends. Come and have
-something to drink with me.’
-
-I refused, for the man was not of a very attractive appearance, being
-dreadfully pock-marked and squinting in his right eye. So we said
-good-evening and separated, he to carry out his errand, I to walk on
-into Euston terminus.
-
-On relating the adventure to my friends, we came to the conclusion
-that the man was an impostor, and had purposely dropped the ring and
-stooped to pick it up immediately in front and for the sole edification
-of myself, evidently hoping that I should purchase it—probably a sham
-one—from him.
-
-Two years after the above had occurred, my business—I had abandoned
-the idea of the Civil service—led me one evening along that wondrous
-thoroughfare the Strand. Proceeding westwards, about midway between the
-Temple Bar memorial and Charing Cross, I collided somewhat violently
-with a man immediately in front of me, who had stooped with the evident
-intention of picking up something off the ground. He turned round
-sharply and exclaimed: ‘Did you see that?’ at the same time showing me
-a gold diamond ring, which he stated he had found on the pavement, and
-on which he had nearly trodden.
-
-I will not weary the reader with a verbatim account of the conversation
-which then ensued. Suffice it for me to say that I had recognised in
-the man before me the pock-marked and squinting hero of the Euston Road
-of two years before. In order, however, further to convince myself that
-my impressions as to this were correct, I, apparently taking interest
-in what he had found, allowed him to do and say, act for act and
-word for word, all that he did and said on the first occasion of my
-meeting him. He tested the diamond by cutting glass; said he was a poor
-messenger earning a pound a week; was even then on one of his errands;
-thought that the discovery of such a ring in his possession would
-excite suspicion; and—— Well, I neither need, nor will I, rewrite the
-whole of the first portion of this narration, for what now took place
-was its precise counterpart.
-
-I taxed the swindler with having played the same rôle at Euston
-Station, two years previously.
-
-He replied, in the most naïve manner: ‘Ah, then I was in Liverpool.’
-But he was, I suspect, somewhat astonished to find out that I knew him.
-Again did he ask me to drink with him and to part friends.
-
-It is almost needless to add, that though I might have done the latter,
-I certainly did not do the former, he being evidently a swindler. And
-so we separated for the second time, he disappearing up one of the
-tributary streets of the Strand, I proceeding about my business.
-
-It struck me as being very wonderful that this man, whose profession
-it doubtless was to entrap people—young and unsuspecting—in the manner
-I have described, should have on two separate occasions, between
-which there was an interval of two years, singled out myself as an
-intended victim to his fraud, since I am but one of tens of thousands
-of the youth daily to be remarked walking in the London streets. The
-remarkable blunder of the impostor proves how correct is the well-known
-proverb, ‘A liar should have a good memory;’ and the facts here
-narrated may perhaps serve to put others on their guard against the
-wiles of London street swindlers.
-
-
-
-
-OCCASIONAL NOTES.
-
-
-INVESTIGATIONS ON LIGHTS AND LIGHTHOUSES.
-
-For some time past a series of observations and experiments have been
-carried on under the auspices of a Committee of the Elder Brethren
-of the Trinity House, at the South Foreland, chiefly relating to
-the measurement of lights by means of a photometer—the invention of
-Mr Vernon Harcourt—the standard light of which burns with wonderful
-regularity and uniformity. The Committee are now engaged on a still
-more interesting series of observations, which are made from the sea,
-and which will more nearly concern sailors. These experiments and
-observations for testing the capabilities of various lights will be
-peculiarly remarkable, as craft of almost all descriptions will be
-enlisted in this work: the mail-packets, the Peninsular and Oriental
-liners, pilot vessels of different nationalities, trading-ships, and
-French cruisers. The electric light, of course, is immensely superior
-to either gas or paraffine oil; but even this, from its whiteness and
-dazzling brilliancy, has not been found to be so very much better, in
-thick hazy weather, than either oil or gas, the reddish-yellow of the
-latter perhaps showing better through the haze of a sea-fog than the
-white glare of the former. All these points will, however, be carefully
-gone into, and every sort of test applied to discover the best and
-safest light to direct mariners to and by our coasts; and when all is
-completed, the Committee will record their useful labours in a full
-Report to the Board of Trade, a document which will possess peculiar
-interest for all who have at heart the welfare of ships and sailors.
-
-
-LEVEL-CROSSING GATES.
-
-Level crossings on railways have always been considered dangerous to
-the public, and are generally looked upon with disfavour; and yet, in
-certain places and positions, it is next to impossible to avoid them.
-Therefore, wherever a level crossing exists, gates must be provided to
-arrest the traffic on the road when a train approaches the crossing;
-and it is clear that the more perfect the arrangement for the opening
-and closing of the gates, the better for the safety of the public. An
-ingenious proposal has been made in France to call in the powerful
-aid of electricity for the purpose of opening and closing gates of
-this description. The gates are kept closed across the line by a catch
-governed by an electro-magnet. An approaching train, by a simple
-arrangement, is made to close the electric circuit at a stated distance
-from the gates, and the catch is therefore released and the gates
-are opened and kept open for the passage of the train. When the last
-carriage has passed, the circuit is broken and the gates are made to
-shut, when they are kept closed by the catch already referred to. The
-same current also rings a bell to give warning of the approach of the
-train.
-
-
-
-
-A HAWTHORN STORY.
-
-
- Pink and white in snowy shower,
- Shade and light and leaf and thorn,
- From the orchard gate the hawthorn bloom
- Through diamond lattices scented the room,
- When a child of the summer was born.
-
- Golden green and creaking swing—
- Boy and girl are playmates now.
- ‘Swing me higher—up to the sky!’
- ‘Nay; then I should lose you,’ he made reply,
- Under the hawthorn bough.
-
- Oh, perfume sweet!—_she_ pulled the branch;
- Flowers on her face fell tenderly;
- At the orchard gate, ‘Good-night, dear love!’
- Light in the lattice and stars above,
- And ‘Take this bloom from me.’
-
- Summer again, and a last good-bye,
- Fair head resting in sunset ray;
- Beyond the window and western glow
- Fancy flutters to long ago:
- ‘Bring me one hawthorn spray.’
-
- Childhood’s blossom and last good-bye—
- ‘Ah! think of the dawn in the Fatherland!’
- Earthly morning—by flower-strewn bed,
- Manhood’s tears from a drooping head
- Trickling on still cold hand.
-
- Oh! fragrance of the hawthorn tree,
- Where’er his lonely footsteps fly,
- Arise and waft her memory sweet;
- White blossoms whisper: ‘White souls meet
- Beyond the last good-bye!’
-
- * * * * *
-
-Printed and Published by W. & R. CHAMBERS, 47 Paternoster Row, LONDON,
-and 339 High Street, EDINBURGH.
-
- * * * * *
-
-_All Rights Reserved._
-
-*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR
-LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 46, VOL. I, NOVEMBER 15,
-1884 ***
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-<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 46, Vol. I, November 15, 1884, by Various </p>
-<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: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 46, Vol. I, November 15, 1884</p>
- <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Various </p>
-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: October 20, 2021 [eBook #66579]</p>
-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p>
- <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Susan Skinner, Eric Hutton and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</p>
-<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 46, VOL. I, NOVEMBER 15, 1884 ***</div>
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_721">{721}</span></p>
-
-<h1>CHAMBERS’S JOURNAL<br />
-OF<br />
-POPULAR<br />
-LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART</h1>
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2>
-</div>
-
-<p class='center'>
-
-
-<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. -->
-
-<a href="#SCOTTISH_DEER-FORESTS">SCOTTISH DEER-FORESTS.</a><br />
-<a href="#BY_MEAD_AND_STREAM">BY MEAD AND STREAM.</a><br />
-<a href="#HOME-NURSING">HOME-NURSING.</a><br />
-<a href="#ONE_WOMANS_HISTORY">ONE WOMAN’S HISTORY.</a><br />
-<a href="#ARTIFICIAL_JEWELS">ARTIFICIAL JEWELS.</a><br />
-<a href="#THE_MISSING_CLUE">THE MISSING CLUE.</a><br />
-<a href="#THE_RING-TRICK">THE RING-TRICK.</a><br />
-<a href="#OCCASIONAL_NOTES">OCCASIONAL NOTES.</a><br />
-<a href="#A_HAWTHORN_STORY">A HAWTHORN STORY.</a><br />
-
-<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. -->
-
-</p>
-
-<hr class="full" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<div class="figcenter w100" id="header" style="max-width: 43.75em;">
- <img class="w100" src="images/header.jpg" alt="Chambers’s Journal of Popular Literature, Science,
-and Art. Fifth Series. Established by William and Robert Chambers, 1832. Conducted by R. Chambers (Secundus)." />
-</div>
-
-
-<hr class="full" />
-<div class="center">
-<div class="header">
-<p class="floatl"><span class="smcap">No. 46.—Vol. I.</span></p>
-<p class="floatr"><span class="smcap">Price</span> 1½<em>d.</em></p>
-<p class="floatc">SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1884.</p>
-</div></div></div>
-
-<hr class="full" />
-
-
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="SCOTTISH_DEER-FORESTS">SCOTTISH DEER-FORESTS.</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<p><span class="smcap">Deer-stalking</span> has for many a long year been
-looked upon as the king of sports; and in
-Scotland, a large area of land has from an early
-period been occupied by the red-deer and the
-roebuck. At the present time, as far as has
-been ascertained by a recent inquiry under Royal
-Commission, the extent of all the deer-forests
-in Scotland amounts to about two millions of
-acres. It is only, however, right to say that
-the land devoted to these animals could not be
-more profitably employed. It has been affirmed
-by practical men that it is scarcely possible to
-feed even one hardy black-faced sheep on less
-than six acres of such land, so scant is the
-herbage. Indeed, some intelligent farmers maintain
-that it will take a hundred and sixty acres
-of forest-land to graze a score of these sheep.
-No person who is even tolerably familiar with
-the deer-districts of Scotland will gainsay this.
-The contour, altitude, and climate of a deer-forest
-quite unfit it for agricultural purposes—the range
-of ground occupied by these stately animals is
-of the most miscellaneous description: hill and
-dale, moor and morass, mountain and glen, with
-every here and there rocky precipices, and small
-groups of trees naturally planted, and chiefly
-of the hardy native birch. In the three chief
-deer-counties of Scotland, the cultivable area is
-singularly small in proportion to their total
-extent. Taking Argyll, Inverness, and Ross-shire
-as examples, only three hundred and
-eighty-seven thousand five hundred and ninety-eight
-acres are to be found under cultivation,
-out of an area which covers six million eight
-hundred and twenty-three thousand and two
-acres, leaving nearly six and a half millions of
-acres to be inhabited by sheep, deer, and grouse,
-and as the site of lochs, rivers, and mountains,
-and sterile places on which nothing grows and
-nothing can live.</p>
-
-<p>No authentic statistics are collected in Scotland
-of the deer which are annually slain in the way
-of sport; but we are enabled from records which
-appear from time to time in the public prints,
-to estimate the number of stags which are killed
-in the different forests. In the county of Inverness—which
-may be called the deer-county of
-Scotland <i>par excellence</i>, in the same way as
-Perthshire is looked upon as being the representative
-grouse-producing county of the kingdom—probably
-about sixteen hundred stags are annually
-killed. The figure which represents the
-number of deer in all Scotland, counting animals
-of all ages, must be very considerable, seeing
-that, as stated in evidence before the recent
-Royal Commission, it yields to the sportsman’s
-rifle four thousand six hundred and fifty stags
-per annum, and a nearly equal number of hinds.
-Scrope the deer-stalker, when writing his celebrated
-work some fifty years since, estimated
-that in the Forest of Athole, which at that
-date contained an area of over fifty-one thousand
-acres, there would be, young and old,
-between five and six thousand deer. Calculating
-on that data, there ought now to be found on
-the two million acres of land at present given
-over to stags and hinds and their calves, as
-many as two hundred and twenty-five thousand
-animals of the deer kind. Each stag which
-succumbs to the prowess of the stalker has
-been estimated to cost fifty pounds to the lessee
-or proprietor of a deer-forest. At that rate,
-the four thousand six hundred and fifty stags
-annually killed in Scotland represent a sum
-of two hundred and thirty-two thousand five
-hundred pounds paid in the form of rent and
-other items of expenditure which are yearly
-incurred. As to the rent paid for particular
-deer-forests, it varies considerably according to
-extent and amenities. Some forests contain a
-large area of ground; and although the rental
-per acre looks trifling enough—ranging as it
-probably does from ninepence to double, or in
-some instances to treble, that sum—the amount
-soon accumulates and becomes important. For
-an area of twelve thousand acres, a thousand
-pounds will frequently be paid. Many Scottish
-forests are, however, rented at double that sum;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_722">{722}</span>
-and not a few at an even larger rent. In the
-county of Inverness, for example, there are a
-dozen which yield a total amount of fully thirty-three
-thousand pounds, including five of three
-thousand pounds and upwards, and one of nearly
-six thousand pounds, of yearly rent. In the
-counties of Ross, Argyll, Aberdeen, and Perth
-there are also many forests which command a
-high price. In the first-named county, we could
-name twenty that fetch an aggregate annual rent
-of upwards of thirty-three thousand pounds, or an
-average of nearly seventeen hundred pounds;
-while it is no secret that an American gentleman
-pays a yearly rental for deer-ground in Inverness
-and Ross of nearly eleven thousand pounds.</p>
-
-<p>Deer-stalking has been denominated ‘the pastime
-of princes;’ and it is a sport that calls for
-pluck, patience, and endurance on the part of
-those who undertake it. From daybreak to
-sundown has been often spent in circumventing
-the monarch of the mountain; and often, after a
-hard day’s work, the noble hart has got the better
-of his pursuers, and found his way to a place of
-safety. The deer is difficult of access, being a
-most suspicious and wary animal, with a wonderfully
-acute power of scent and sense of hearing.
-The antlered stag has to be watched from afar
-with a powerful telescope, the anxious stalker
-and his gillies requiring to be circumspect in
-all their movements. As an intelligent forester
-told the writer: ‘You have to creep on your
-stomach like a serpent; you have to crouch
-as you go like a collier at work; while to
-make sure of your prey, you may have to
-make a tour of a couple of miles, even though
-you are just about within range. You must
-force your way through the morass, and must,
-if necessary, walk for a few hundred yards
-up to your middle in water—that is all in
-the way of business, sir, when you go deer-stalking.
-A slight rustle, the displacing of a
-stone on the mountain-side as you laboriously
-creep or climb to overlook your quarry, and
-your chance is gone; the deer being perhaps
-miles away before you can realise the fact that
-you have disturbed him.’</p>
-
-<p>These words contain an epitome of the work
-of deer-stalking. A stag will note a man a long
-way off, and will, when he does so, most probably
-at once take alarm and run for his life. The
-sense of smell which has been bestowed on these
-animals is wonderful; wind carries the scent to
-them unbroken, and whenever they have ‘got
-the wind,’ as it is called, of man, or any other
-source of disturbance, they are sure to move off
-to a place of safety. When once a herd of
-deer is disturbed, they will take themselves
-away to a distance; and it is generally a considerable
-time before they settle down again
-to rest or feed in quietness. The red-deer is
-excessively shy, and, as we have been trying
-to show, easily frightened. The melancholy
-note of a flying plover, the crowing of a cock-grouse,
-or the bustling past of a mountain
-hare, will sometimes cause him to gallop in
-a state of alarm for a mile or two before
-he pauses to see what has happened; and
-consequently, it is generally the policy of the
-devoted deer-stalker to discourage the rearing of
-grouse or hares in his deer-forest. The desire
-for possessing ‘fine heads’ causes some of the
-best specimens of the tribe to be shot at an
-early stage of the season, a stag-royal being a
-prize greatly coveted. It is a somewhat curious
-feature of the economy of a forest that so
-few horns are found. The deer sheds its horns
-every year; but what becomes of most of those
-that are shed is not very accurately known, the
-number found not being in anything like proper
-proportion to the number that must be shed.
-The horns, as a general rule, are given to the
-foresters who find them, as a perquisite; and
-therefore it may be taken for granted they are
-well looked after; or their scarcity may be
-partly due to the fact of their being eaten by
-the deer themselves after being shed! This, to
-a certain extent at least, seems certainly to be
-the case.</p>
-
-<p>It has been said of the Highland sports of
-deer-stalking and grouse-shooting, that as they
-never can be made to ‘pay’ in a commercial
-sense, so they never can be vulgarised. The
-deer-forests in particular are sure to remain
-select; it is only men who have an annual
-income of many thousands who can afford to
-indulge themselves in the ‘pastime of princes.’
-As regards the produce of these vast areas of
-ground—the venison—it can hardly be said to
-have a marketable value. To produce a haunch
-at table on the occasion of a dinner-party is
-with some persons a matter of ambition; but
-table venison, except in Highland shooting-lodges
-and hotels, is generally obtained from park-bred
-fallow-deer, especially fed for the purpose, and
-which in its season commands a very high
-price. Red-deer venison—that is, a haunch from
-a Highland hart or hind—can only be assigned
-a secondary place in the cuisine. Happily, some
-sportsmen have discovered that venison does not
-require to be kept till it has begun to decay
-before it can be brought to table, but can be
-used to the greatest advantage in the space of
-two or three days after being killed, when
-its flavour is excellent and the flesh presumably
-nutritious. The deer can also be cut into
-chops, such cuts being delicious. Among sportsmen
-who thus utilise their venison we may be
-allowed to name the father of them all—Horatio
-Ross. There is, however, some probability that
-the Scottish red-deer may yet cut a better figure
-at table than it has ever done, and pains are
-being taken, we understand, to fortify the various
-breeds. The deer is a rather local animal, and
-therefore there must be in the various herds a
-certain amount of in-breeding; and to counteract
-the deterioration which must result from such
-a circumstance, Sutherland stags were some time
-ago placed in the forests of Ross and Cromarty
-with gratifying results; the Queen, it was some
-time ago stated, had forwarded some red-deer
-from Windsor to be crossed with the deer of
-the Duke of Portland in the county of Caithness;
-and various gentlemen well known in the deer-forest
-world of the Highlands have recently followed
-these examples. It is to be hoped we
-may learn in time how these experiments have
-succeeded.</p>
-
-<p>In conclusion, we have only to remark, that
-it is a fortunate circumstance for the owners
-of Highland estates that they can be rented
-for deer-forests. In no other way could the
-proprietors obtain so good an income from their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_723">{723}</span>
-lands. Those engaged in the sport of deer-stalking
-year by year expend a large amount
-of money; they give remunerative employment
-to many hundred persons, and have done much
-in many instances to improve the moral as well
-as the material circumstances of the people by
-setting those employed by them a good example.
-As to the question whether it would be more
-profitable to feed sheep or deer, that must be
-left to settle itself by the inevitable operation
-of economic law. It is a question of rental;
-persons having moors and forests in their hands,
-naturally enough let them to those who offer
-most money for them. It has been accurately
-ascertained by the Royal Commission of Inquiry
-into the Crofting System, &amp;c., that all the deer-forests
-in Scotland—comprising about two million
-acres—are capable of throwing on the market
-only about four hundred thousand sheep per
-annum; and as there are in the United Kingdom
-nearly thirty million sheep, it is at once seen how
-comparatively meagre is the displacement of
-sheep by the Scottish deer-forests.</p>
-
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak x-ebookmaker-important" id="BY_MEAD_AND_STREAM">BY MEAD AND STREAM.</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<h3>CHAPTER LVI.—UPHILL.</h3>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">She</span> knew and he knew that they were something
-more to each other on that white winter day
-than they had ever been before. What the degree
-of the ‘something more’ might be, neither Madge
-nor Philip attempted to calculate. They were
-conscious of it, and that was enough: yet both
-wondered how there could be this sense of closer
-alliance, when, looking back, they remembered
-how often they had thought that nothing on
-earth could decrease or increase their affection.
-They were learning the priceless lesson that
-<i>Love</i> grows in suffering where mere passion
-quickly withers and dies, and frequently turns to
-hate.</p>
-
-<p>An honest, promptly spoken word had saved
-them from folly—cleared the mist from his eyes,
-and scoured the misery out of both hearts. And
-it was Madge who spoke this magical word, as
-it is the loving woman—God bless her—who
-always does. But then, says the cynic, ‘the
-loving woman’ is so rare that she may be freely
-allowed all possible praise: vanity and interest
-have generally much more to do in linking men
-and women than affection. Read your newspaper,
-note the lives of those around you, count the
-sores which the four walls of every house conceal,
-and then you will know how rare she is.—Go,
-cynic; we will shut our eyes and dream the
-beautiful dream of all romance, that women are
-fair, self-sacrificing, and loyal in their love.</p>
-
-<p>Madge was insensible of any special heroism
-in taking the common-sense view of her duty
-to Philip and acting upon it. So now, the happy
-end being achieved, she turned calmly to think
-of what they had to do for others.</p>
-
-<p>As they walked back towards the cottage, she
-spoke about Caleb Kersey, and the perilous position
-in which he was placed by the accusation of
-Coutts, supported as it was by the servant’s unintentionally
-exaggerated account of the prisoner’s
-conduct at the door of the Manor a few hours
-before the fire was discovered. She learned with
-satisfaction that Philip had not forgotten his
-unlucky foreman.</p>
-
-<p>‘I have been to the court,’ he said, ‘and Caleb
-is remanded for a week, in order to collect further
-evidence as to his movements on that night, and
-to see how my father progresses.’</p>
-
-<p>‘How did he look? What did he say?’</p>
-
-<p>‘He looked as if he did not care what befell
-him; he said nothing more than that he was
-innocent, and I am sure of it. The poor fellow
-has been cruelly upset by Pansy’s conduct, and
-he has got into this scrape because he could not
-take warning in time that Coutts was too cautious
-a man to become his rival.’</p>
-
-<p>‘But will he be able to prove his innocence?’</p>
-
-<p>‘I hope so; and the next examination will
-enable us to form a clearer idea of his chances
-than we can at present. Coutts has had a slight
-disappointment in a business transaction, and is
-merciless towards Caleb. I suppose he is relieved
-to find some one to vent his spleen on.’</p>
-
-<p>Philip smiled faintly, and she was glad to see
-even the least sign of his returning to his natural
-good-humoured way of viewing life. He did not
-explain to her that the business transaction in
-which Coutts had failed was his attempt to secure
-a snug place in Mr Shield’s will by ousting his
-brother.</p>
-
-<p>‘Whatever we settle to do,’ Mr Shield had
-said with a shrewd twinkle in his eyes, and
-referring to Coutts, ‘don’t let that gentleman into
-our plans.’</p>
-
-<p>Mr Beecham, with a grave bow, had acquiesced
-in this counsel, the wisdom of which Philip could
-not dispute, although he was not at the moment
-acquainted with the details of his brother’s
-design.</p>
-
-<p>‘Don’t see the dodge?’ continued Shield
-brusquely. ‘It’s plain as daylight. He wanted
-to get you into a hole, reckoning that the rich
-uncle would give him your place. He expected
-that bill would do it; for if he didn’t know from
-the first that it was a forgery, he believed it was,
-and made sure of getting his own and more out
-of the rich relative somehow. But when he
-heard of things going wrong, and being sharp
-enough to see that other people had their eyes
-open as well as him, he got too anxious to hedge
-to be able to carry out his scheme as he intended.
-Didn’t quite miss his mark either, though’—this
-was uttered like a growl of disappointment—‘for,
-thanks to you, he has got his own; but he’ll
-get no more.’</p>
-
-<p>Philip remembered with what cynical frankness
-Coutts had explained the ethics of business
-which guided him; but, until now, he had always
-imagined there was more talk than practice in
-it. He certainly never suspected him of being
-capable of putting such theories into practice
-with a friend and relative. Pat upon this
-reflection, one of Coutts’s favourite apothegms
-recurred to him—‘There are no friendships in
-business.’ He owned with chagrin that the
-theories of Wrentham and Coutts were identical,
-although the former was not so careful in utilising
-them as to succeed.</p>
-
-<p>The brothers rarely met at this time, and then
-only exchanged a passing ‘How do you do?’ After
-Mr Hadleigh’s removal to Willowmere, Coutts
-arranged with Dr Joy to send for him if there
-should be any marked change for the worse in
-the patient’s condition.</p>
-
-<p>‘He wants quiet, you say,’ was the observation<span class="pagenum" id="Page_724">{724}</span>
-of this smart young man of business; ‘and there
-is no use in my trotting out here when I can
-do nothing. You’ll let me know if anything
-is required.’</p>
-
-<p>He was punctual as ever in his attendance at
-the office; lunched and dined at his club, where
-he spent the evening playing billiards or cards,
-with an occasional diversion to one of those shady
-places to which ‘baccarat’ was the fatal lure.
-But Coutts did not lose; even here his usual
-caution protected him. He did not want to see
-Philip at present; for although his money was
-safe, he felt mortified by his inability to penetrate
-the mystery of the bill, and by the consciousness
-that he had failed most egregiously in the attempt
-to ingratiate himself with Mr Shield.</p>
-
-<p>Philip paid a brief visit daily to the farm,
-but it was very brief; and in that first week
-of anxiety, Madge and he spoke little of themselves
-or of their future. There was no need:
-everything was understood between them now,
-and they were too deeply engaged in earnest
-duties to allow themselves any relaxation until
-the immediate crisis in their affairs had been
-passed.</p>
-
-<p>At the works, Philip laboured with all his
-might to pull things straight, and he had frequent
-occasion to wish that he might have had the
-assistance of Caleb Kersey. Mr Beecham, however,
-was at his elbow, encouraging him with
-words of hope and sage advice. The accounts
-of various firms as represented in their invoices
-were largely reduced in consequence of Wrentham’s
-confessions. In most cases it turned out
-that two sets of invoices had been prepared: one
-set gave the real amounts which were to be paid
-to the dealers; the other set gave the sums
-which Philip had to pay. The explanation given
-was that Wrentham had represented himself as
-the buyer, and was therefore at liberty to
-charge whatever price he could get when he
-sold.</p>
-
-<p>Even in the first transaction which Philip had
-entered into, namely, the purchase of the land,
-a bold attempt had been made to mulct him
-in a sum equal to double its value. He had,
-however, absolutely refused to listen to the terms
-proposed; and Wrentham had been obliged to
-content himself with what most people would
-have considered a very satisfactory commission
-of twenty per cent.</p>
-
-<p>The details of these frauds—or should they
-be called merely ‘sharp practice?’—were forced
-from Wrentham as much by the terror of Bob
-Tuppit’s threat to give evidence in the matter
-of the forged bill as by gratitude for the generosity
-of Philip and his uncle. One by one the
-accounts were amended as far as they could be;
-and the amendment represented a considerable
-amount.</p>
-
-<p>Wrentham gave his information with the air
-of a man who has simply failed in what promised
-to be a good speculation. Two things distressed
-him—he had been found out, and he had lost
-the whole of the money he had schemed so
-elaborately to obtain, by mistakes on the turf
-and the Stock Exchange. One important item,
-however, was safe. Despite his gambling infatuation,
-he had invested the proceeds of the forged
-bill in sound securities, so that the whole amount
-was recoverable. Yet the man was so insensible
-to the criminality of his proceedings, that he was
-secretly regretting the loss of the pleasure and
-excitement he might have purchased with this
-money, if he had not been fool enough to desire
-to have a nest-egg.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>In this week of hard work and anxiety to
-Philip and Madge, Caleb Kersey was again called
-on to answer the charge of malicious incendiarism.
-The doctors were able to give a satisfactory report
-of Mr Hadleigh’s progress; and that was so
-much in the prisoner’s favour. All the rest told
-heavily against him, especially his apparent
-indifference as to the result of the trial, which
-some honest country-folk regarded as signs of
-the hardened sinner, who had caused so much
-disturbance in the country by his demands for
-higher wages and better housing for the agricultural
-labourers.</p>
-
-<p>He admitted the general accuracy of the statement
-made by Coutts regarding their interview;
-whilst he refused to give any information as to
-the grounds of their quarrel. He affirmed, however,
-that after the door of the Manor had been
-closed against him, he had speech with Coutts’s
-father, who, on hearing his complaint, had directed
-him to be at the house early in the morning,
-and promised that justice should be done him.
-He further admitted that it was true that he
-had only reached his lodgings in the village a
-few minutes before the first alarm of fire was
-raised.</p>
-
-<p>On his own showing, there seemed to be no
-alternative for the magistrate but to commit him
-for trial.</p>
-
-<p>At this point, Mr Jackson, of Hawkins and
-Jackson, solicitors, who was acting for the
-prisoner by the instruction of some friends,
-called forward that astute detective, Sergeant
-Dier. He had been engaged for several days
-investigating into the origin of the fire; and he
-was now prepared with evidence which would
-not only establish the prisoner’s innocence, but
-would show that he had behaved heroically on
-the occasion, and was in fact the man who at
-the peril of his own, had saved the life of
-Mr Lloyd Hadleigh, the proprietor of Ringsford.</p>
-
-<p>The face of Sergeant Dier was a picture of
-good-humoured satisfaction; whilst preserving a
-proper degree of professional firmness and equanimity,
-as the case was developed in court. Mr
-Jackson’s sharp visage was aglow with self-complacency,
-as if he would say, ‘I alone have done it.’</p>
-
-<p>First there was the testimony of Mr Hadleigh,
-written down at his bedside by a duly qualified
-gentleman—to the effect that he had made an
-appointment to meet the prisoner as the latter had
-affirmed, and for the purpose mentioned by him.
-Next Philip gave the man an excellent character
-for intelligence, sobriety, and honesty. He was
-followed by half-a-dozen witnesses who had seen
-Caleb’s brave rescue of Mr Hadleigh when no
-one else would dare to attempt it.</p>
-
-<p>Last came a housemaid, who confessed what she
-had been too much frightened to confess before.
-She had been sitting up late writing a letter (to
-her sweetheart of course—these things occupy a
-great deal of time), and hearing voices downstairs,
-she had gone into the passage, curious to
-discover the cause of the disturbance. As she<span class="pagenum" id="Page_725">{725}</span>
-was retreating hastily, she upset a paraffine lamp;
-but in her eagerness to get back to her room,
-she did not observe any signs of fire, or think
-of any danger until she heard the alarm.</p>
-
-<p>The result of this evidence was a severe
-reprimand to the girl, and the instant discharge
-of Caleb Kersey without a stain on his
-character, and with a high compliment from the
-bench on the gallantry he had displayed in the
-rescue of Mr Hadleigh.</p>
-
-<p>Caleb thanked His Worship, and retired, but
-not before Mr Jackson had whispered that it was
-a question whether he had not grounds for an
-action against Coutts Hadleigh. Poor Caleb
-neither understood nor heeded this suggestion in
-his present state of mind. He wanted to get
-away from the place. He was stopped, however,
-by Philip, who grasped his hand warmly, and
-asked him to come back to the works.</p>
-
-<p>‘Thank you kindly, sir; but it may not be.
-I am bound to cross the water, and seek some
-place where I can forget the old land and—the
-old friends.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Hoots, man, what clavers,’ exclaimed the
-gardener, stepping forward. ‘You should not
-be headstrong. There’s as good living in the
-auld country as in the new, if you would
-seek it in the right way.’</p>
-
-<p>A kindly hand pressed Caleb’s arm, and a soft
-voice said in a tone of intense relief:</p>
-
-<p>‘I am glad you are safe.’</p>
-
-<p>Caleb pressed Pansy’s hand in his own, and
-held it firmly for a few seconds.</p>
-
-<p>‘I’m obliged to you,’ he said quietly, although
-huskily. ‘I wish you well.’</p>
-
-<p>And with that he forced his way through the
-group of friends and disappeared.</p>
-
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="HOME-NURSING">HOME-NURSING.</h2>
-</div>
-<p class="ph3">BY A LADY.</p>
-
-
-<h3>FOURTH ARTICLE.</h3>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">Having</span> fully considered the choice and management
-of a sick-room, we now turn to those personal
-cares essential alike to the patient’s comfort
-and well-being.</p>
-
-<p>We have already spoken of the need of absolute
-cleanliness in the sick-room; and as regards the
-patient himself, it is hardly possible to overestimate
-the importance of scrupulous attention
-to every detail affecting the purity of his immediate
-surroundings. Not only should bed and
-body linen be kept fresh and clean, but everything
-that has become soiled in using must at
-once be removed from the room. It is a very
-common practice in home-nursing to make a
-collection of dirty things, to be carried downstairs
-when any one is going; in this way, I
-have known a room to be fouled for hours, the
-patient being considered whimsical for complaining
-of odours not perceptible to his nurse.
-Now, any such complaint should receive immediate
-attention, and a nurse should never rest
-satisfied till she has discovered and remedied the
-evil. It not seldom happens that the patient’s
-sensitive condition makes him extra quick to
-discern such warning of danger; and the nurse
-who really desires to do her duty, instead of
-taking offence, will gladly avail herself of the
-help thus given; for it must be borne in mind
-that as surely as smoke indicates fire, so surely
-does a bad smell indicate a foulness of air, which
-will never be remedied till the cause has been
-removed. Remembering this, it will be seen how
-foolish is the practice of drowning unpleasant
-odours by the indiscriminate use of disinfectants;
-these have their special value—their proper
-sphere we shall consider in dealing with infectious
-diseases; but in ordinary illness, they are apt to
-be used simply as a covering-up of evils which
-demand entire and immediate removal.</p>
-
-<p>As regards personal cleanliness, many people
-still retain the old-fashioned fear of washing,
-which used to condemn the patient to a state
-of dirt, equally uncomfortable and injurious.
-Of course, care and discrimination are needful,
-and if there is any doubt on the matter, it is
-better to ask the doctor’s opinion; but as a rule,
-daily washing of face, neck, and arms is possible
-in all cases fit for home-nursing; in addition,
-the legs and feet should be washed about every
-other day; and whenever practicable, a weekly
-bath should be given. For the daily wash, tepid
-water and a piece of flannel suit most patients
-best; but where cold sponging is a refreshment,
-it may be used, provided due care is taken to
-avoid a chill.</p>
-
-<p>In cases where there is great feebleness, much
-care must be exercised in washing the patient
-and changing his body-linen. Before beginning,
-the nurse should see that the room is properly
-warmed, and that <i>all</i> she is likely to need is
-ready to hand; she must be careful that no
-draught shall reach her patient, and that he does
-not get a chill through unnecessary dawdling;
-at the same time, she must not hurry him, so
-as to increase the fatigue.</p>
-
-<p>Any amount of washing is tiring to the very
-weak, and therefore toilet operations had better
-begin soon after breakfast. If possible, the body-linen
-should be changed at the same time. It is
-a good plan to keep two sets of under-linen going,
-so that the same may not be worn day and night.
-If the patient perspires much, the linen must
-be dried and warmed each time of changing; it
-is not enough that it has been once aired; every
-time it becomes damp the same process must be
-repeated. The same thing applies to towels,
-which are so often put away damp and used
-again without airing; no wonder that illness,
-resulting from cold, shivering or a fit of coughing,
-not seldom follows the washing process, whilst
-the simple precaution of using a towel well aired
-and warmed would do away with the discomfort.</p>
-
-<p>Sometimes lying in bed produces great irritability
-of the whole skin, and the patient shrinks
-from any attempts at washing. In such cases,
-a soft sponge should be used, in one direction
-only, and that downwards; and a nice way of
-drying a sensitive part is to lay the towel
-smoothly over the place and pass the hand over
-the towel three or four times, very much as
-though drying a wet page with blotting-paper.</p>
-
-<p>During the process of bit-by-bit washing, the
-bedclothes must be protected by a piece of mackintosh
-or thick towel; but should they become
-wetted, they must be changed at once, for even
-if not damp enough to do serious injury, there is
-sure to be some amount of discomfort; and everything,
-however small, that causes annoyance must<span class="pagenum" id="Page_726">{726}</span>
-be looked upon as a drawback to recovery, and
-treated accordingly.</p>
-
-<p>In addition to the regular washing, any portion
-of the patient’s body that becomes accidentally
-soiled must be at once cleansed; and whenever
-the confinement to bed becomes lengthy, the back
-and shoulders should be washed every day with
-warm water and soap, thoroughly dried, and
-lightly dusted over with finely powdered starch.
-The patient must also be prevented from remaining
-too long in one position; and if too weak to
-move himself, it will be part of the nurse’s care
-to turn him from side to side every three or four
-hours. Where this is impracticable, pressure
-must be relieved by the use of cushions, those
-with a hole in the middle being most useful for
-the purpose. If these precautions are not taken,
-the most prominent bones, exercising undue pressure
-on soft parts, will cause them to give way,
-the skin will become tender and inflamed, and
-if not stopped in time, a painful wound, difficult
-to relieve or cure, will be the result. I have
-known cases where these wounds have caused
-infinitely more distress and pain than the patient’s
-actual disease; and yet, with few exceptions,
-it is only a question of care and attention. So
-true is this, that a trained nurse looks upon such
-wounds as a disgrace, and is constantly on her
-guard against them; but the inexperienced
-nurse neglects this necessary watchfulness, simply
-through ignorance of the danger to be avoided.
-But forewarned should be forearmed; and by
-taking care to avoid dirt, pressure, and creases
-in the bedding, even the most inexperienced stand
-a good chance of success in this most troublesome
-part of nursing. At the same time, if, in
-spite of care, any portion of the skin reddens or
-becomes sensitive, the doctor should at once be
-informed of the fact, for this is one of the best
-examples of the old saying, ‘Prevention is better
-than cure,’ and it is too late to cry out when the
-mischief is done.</p>
-
-<p>If the patient is too weak to sit up and use a
-toothbrush, a piece of lint should be tied to the
-end of a small stick such as a penholder, and
-wetted with water to which a little Condy’s fluid
-has been added; with this, the nurse can easily
-clean the teeth and gums. Brushing the hair
-requires a certain amount of tact and gentleness;
-with female patients the hair is apt to get into a
-troublesome tangle, unless plaited up loosely and
-tied at the ends. Sometimes moistening the
-brush with toilet vinegar will be liked, and in
-not a few cases gentle brushing has a soothing
-effect. I remember one instance where, under
-this influence, and this alone, restlessness would
-subside into quiet, leading to refreshing sleep.
-The same effect may sometimes be produced by
-sponging the face and hands with tepid water,
-with or without the addition of a little vinegar
-or Eau de Cologne; and again, in other cases,
-letting the hands lie in a basin and gently
-pouring cold water on them will be found
-grateful. It is well worth a nurse’s while to
-study her particular patient’s taste, and to find
-out some such simple method of relieving the
-weariness and monotony of illness.</p>
-
-<p>To lift a helpless patient is by no means an
-easy task to inexperience, and should never be
-attempted without help. When the patient is
-utterly helpless, two long poles or broom-handles
-will be needed; these must be tightly rolled
-round in the under sheet and blanket, and the
-patient can then be moved, as in a stretcher, by
-four bearers.</p>
-
-<p>To move a patient from side to side, the draw-sheet
-alone is needed. Rolling one end close to
-the body, the nurse goes round to the other side
-of the bed, and by taking hold of the rolled-up
-part, will be able to turn the patient gently over
-with perfect ease. Where the draw-sheet is not
-being used, it is a good plan to let a heavy
-patient lie on a strong roller-towel, which can
-be used as above; and if two people grasp it
-firmly on each side, they will be able to move
-the patient up and down in bed without fatigue
-or injury. This plan is especially useful in
-dropsy, when the patient becomes a dead, heavy
-weight, and is often restless to a painful extent.</p>
-
-<p>In many cases, a patient, otherwise helpless,
-will be able to move at least his position by the
-use of a strong towel or cord tied to the foot of
-the bed. Hospital-beds are almost invariably
-provided with a cord and handle for the patient
-to grasp; but a better thing still is a netted
-hammock, a simple contrivance consisting of a
-piece of netting—of twine or coarsest knitting-cotton—four
-yards long by one and a half wide,
-the loops at each end being drawn up with tape;
-these tapes are tied to the foot of the bed; and
-the netting not only serves as a cord, but, thrown
-over the patient’s head and drawn out across
-his shoulders and back, forms a most easy, comfortable
-support. I have seen patients sitting
-up thus, who had mournfully declared it an
-impossibility, and whose delight at the change
-of position was a thing to be remembered.</p>
-
-<p>In grasping any part of a patient’s body, be
-very careful not to take hold with the finger-ends;
-the whole hand should be used, and the fingers
-slightly spread out; anything like a hesitating
-touch is exasperating, and indeed hesitation in
-any way must be carefully avoided in dealing
-with the sick. It is well to remember that a
-certain amount of work has to be done, and a
-certain amount of noise must follow; make up
-your mind how much, and go to work thoroughly,
-quickly, and quietly; quiet, though, must be
-natural, not laboured; the tiptoe, whispering
-style is torture to sensitive nerves; a firm, even
-tread and a distinct way of speaking should be
-cultivated; the latter, especially, will make all
-the difference to a patient’s comfort. To be
-constantly on the strain to hear is by no means
-soothing; and whispered conversation as to the
-patient’s condition must never be indulged in.
-Some people, realising this, will go out of the
-sick-room, to carry on low-toned consultations
-just outside the door and within hearing of the
-patient, who involuntarily strains every nerve
-in the endeavour to catch what is being said.
-Such treatment is even worse than unnecessary
-noise, and all discussion relating to the patient
-must be carried on where there is no possibility
-of his hearing it. It is a safe rule to avoid
-detailing the patient’s symptoms to relatives or
-friends; sensitive, delicate minds are often made
-to suffer unnecessarily, from the consciousness
-that sick-room details are being made the subject
-of curious inquiry and remark.</p>
-
-<p>It not seldom happens that in delirium, or
-extreme weakness, the patient will let out some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_727">{727}</span>
-cherished secret, and this should be as jealously
-sacred to the nurse as though the confidence
-had been voluntary, the only allowable violation
-being when the revelation made throws any
-light upon the patient’s illness; in such a case,
-the doctor must be told; and this brings us to
-a most important point—the relations between
-doctor and nurse, a point which is seldom understood
-by the inexperienced.</p>
-
-<p>The nurse’s responsibility is great; she has many
-duties to perform, some of them apparently slight,
-yet really of vital importance; but at the same
-time, she is only acting under orders, and when
-those orders have been faithfully carried out,
-her responsibility ends; it therefore follows, that
-whatever her private opinion, she must never
-alter the treatment without the doctor’s express
-permission, and whatever she may think, she
-should never, by word or deed, seek to lessen
-the patient’s confidence in the patient’s doctor. It
-sometimes happens that injudicious friends suggest
-remedies of their own, and insist upon their
-being used; any such interference should be at
-once reported to the doctor, for how else can he
-form a right opinion as to the patient’s condition?
-Yet so often is this overlooked, that, I believe,
-in many home-nursed cases the doctor’s treatment
-is never allowed fair-play; and I have even
-known a prescription, that had been torn up by
-the doctor as unsuitable, carefully pieced together
-after his departure, and used. Perhaps in no
-other point is there such a marked difference
-between the trained and untrained nurse. The
-former has been taught that her power lies in
-obedience; the latter, ignorant of her very ignorance,
-ventures to meddle in matters which, had
-she but a little more knowledge, she would understand
-to be beyond her.</p>
-
-<p>Not a little of the nurse’s value depends on her
-ability to give the doctor a proper report of how
-matters have been going during his absence. A
-patient will often pull himself together and even
-feign convalescence for the doctor’s visit, which
-is necessarily brief; whilst the nurse, spending
-hours with him, sees every varying mood and
-symptom; at the same time, she must remember
-that the doctor does not want her opinion, but
-asks only <i>facts</i>, which will enable him to draw
-his own conclusions. From this it will be seen
-that the nurse needs to understand what to notice
-and how to report her observations.</p>
-
-<p>As to what to notice—each illness has its
-specific symptoms, about which the doctor will
-make special inquiries, and he will also expect
-to hear what effect has followed the use of
-remedies; but in addition to these, there are
-general symptoms to be taken account of in all
-illness. Amongst those most frequently overlooked
-by the inexperienced nurse, are: <i>The
-appetite</i>, whether good, failing, fanciful, or voracious.
-<i>The skin</i>, whether moist or dry, hot or
-cold; and whether sensitive to touch. <i>Sleep</i>, its
-character and duration; whether quiet, disturbed,
-broken, or uninterrupted, and whether the same
-by day and night. <i>Posture</i>, whether the patient
-lies very flat, or likes to be raised, or prefers to
-keep on one side; in going to sleep, the easiest
-attitude will be chosen, and any marked change
-in this respect should be noticed. <i>Temper and
-spirits</i>, whether equable or variable, moody, cheerful,
-excitable, calm, depressed, or inclined to tears.
-<i>Countenance</i>, whether liable to changes of complexion
-or expression.</p>
-
-<p>When visitors are allowed, the effect upon the
-patient should be noted; and at any cost, in
-serious cases, those whose influence is depressing
-or exciting must not be admitted.</p>
-
-<p>A nurse should also, without being fussy, keep
-an eye to any fresh symptoms that may appear,
-and duly report them; but nothing is more
-worrying than to be constantly teased with such
-questions as: ‘Are you in pain?’ ‘Do you feel
-better now?’ ‘Will you let me look at your
-tongue?’ Those who have endured the martyrdom,
-know what it means, and know, too, how
-little information can be gleaned by such methods.
-Let a nurse be sympathising by all means, but let
-her sympathy show itself in caring for her patient’s
-wants, and in efforts to save him from worry as
-well as from pain.</p>
-
-<p>I remember a trained nurse who was deeply
-hurt at being told that a bell would be placed
-within her patient’s reach, in case he wanted
-anything at night. ‘Thank you, ma’am,’ was
-her reply; ‘my patient will not need to ring.’
-Nor did he, thanks to his nurse’s constant care
-to anticipate his wants. A nurse thus watchful,
-will be quick to notice any change in her patient;
-but it is quite one thing to notice, and another
-to give a faithful report of what has been observed;
-and I would urge every inexperienced
-nurse to be very particular in jotting down at
-once all that strikes her attention. The simplest
-way of doing this is to keep a sort of diary of
-all that happens. Take a piece of writing-paper,
-keep one side for day and one for night, write
-the date at the top, crease it down the middle,
-and note on one half, all the patient takes and
-does, and on the other, anything you think
-demands notice. The following is a specimen
-of the sort of chart I mean.</p>
-
-<table class="autotable" summary="">
-<tr>
-<td class="tdc" colspan="4"> October 4.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl br" colspan="2">A.M.</td>
-<td class="tdl" colspan="2"> A.M.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl w15">8.</td>
-<td class="tdl br w25">Cup of tea and toast.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">10.</td>
-<td class="tdl">Four ounces milk.</td>
-<td class="tdl bl w15"> 10.</td>
-<td class="tdl w25">Milk taken with difficulty
-and dislike.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">11.</td>
-<td class="tdl br">Medicine.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">11.15.</td>
-<td class="tdl br">Poultice to chest and
-back.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">11.30.</td>
-<td class="tdl">Slept twenty minutes.</td>
-<td class="tdl bl"> 11.30.</td>
-<td class="tdl">Turned on right side
-before going to sleep.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">12.</td>
-<td class="tdl br">Four ounces beef-tea.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">12.30.</td>
-<td class="tdl br">Mrs A. called, stayed
-quarter of an hour.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl" colspan="2"></td>
-<td class="tdl bl"> 12.45-1.30.</td>
-<td class="tdl">Excited and
-depressed by Mrs A.’s call.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdc" colspan="4"> Are visitors to be allowed?</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-
-<p>The reverse side might read thus:</p>
-
-<table class="autotable" summary="">
-<tr>
-<td class="tdc" colspan="4">October 4.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl br" colspan="2">P.M.</td>
-<td class="tdl"> P.M.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl w15">8.</td>
-<td class="tdl br w25">Four ounces milk.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">9.</td>
-<td class="tdl br">Jacket poultice.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">9.30.</td>
-<td class="tdl br">Dozed half-hour.</td>
-<td class="tdl w15"> 9.30.</td>
-<td class="tdl w25">Skin hot and dry,
-face flushed; woke excited and restless.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">10.</td>
-<td class="tdl br">Opiate as directed.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">10.45.</td>
-<td class="tdl br">Slept two hours.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl br" colspan="2"></td>
-<td class="tdl"> 11.30.</td>
-<td class="tdl">Began to perspire,
-expression tranquil; woke refreshed.</td>
-</tr>
-<tr>
-<td class="tdl">12.45.</td>
-<td class="tdl br">Four ounces milk.</td>
-</tr>
-</table>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_728">{728}</span></p>
-
-<p>To keep such a chart properly requires some
-practice, but it is the only way of insuring
-accuracy, and it will also save a good deal of
-questioning on the doctor’s part, a glance being
-enough to show him how matters stand.</p>
-
-<p>At the bottom of the first page, it will be
-noticed there is a question, which, unless so
-marked, would very likely be forgotten; and
-whenever the nurse is in any difficulty or uncertainty,
-she must never hesitate to ask for guidance.
-The doctor will not expect perfection from inexperience,
-and even if he does not volunteer information,
-will certainly not object to answering
-reasonable questions. Of course, there is a great
-deal of difference in this as in all things, and
-there are doctors who take for granted that everybody
-knows certain things, of which even the
-intelligent, who have not had their attention
-called to nursing, may be quite ignorant. But
-even when this is the case, the nurse’s object
-being her patient’s good and not the support
-of her own dignity, if she is not sure of her
-ground, it is her duty to ask for instruction.</p>
-
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="ONE_WOMANS_HISTORY">ONE WOMAN’S HISTORY.</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<h3>CHAPTER VII.</h3>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">A few</span> minutes later, Madame De Vigne and her
-sister came slowly up the glen from that part
-of the valley where the wagonettes had been left
-behind. Presently Clarice paused and gazed
-around.</p>
-
-<p>‘It looks exactly as it did that day last summer
-when we were here,’ she said. ‘We might have
-been away only a few hours.’</p>
-
-<p>‘And then, as now, you had no Archie to bear
-you company.’</p>
-
-<p>‘I did not know him then; and yet it seems
-now as if I must have known him all my life.
-I suppose that just about this time he will be
-engaged with Sir William and those dreadful
-lawyers. And he has to go through all this for
-the sake of me—of me, Mora!’</p>
-
-<p>‘He would go through a hundred times more
-than that for your sake, dear.’</p>
-
-<p>‘I often feel as if I don’t deserve to be loved
-so much. I hope there will be a telegram when
-we get back to the hotel. He promised to send
-one as soon as he had any news; but, suppose
-his news should be bad news!’</p>
-
-<p>‘At your age you ought always to look at the
-sunny side of your apple.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Thanks to you, dear, I have never had
-occasion to look at any other,’ answered the girl
-with a caress in her voice. ‘And to-day I <i>will</i>
-try not to be down-hearted. I will try to hope
-for the best.’ They went forward a few paces
-in silence, and then Clarice suddenly said:
-‘What a selfish girl I am! Tell me, dear, is
-your headache any better?’</p>
-
-<p>‘A little. I will sit awhile under the shade
-of this tree. This seems as pretty a spot as any.
-Perhaps by-and-by I may try to do a little
-sketching.’</p>
-
-<p>She sat down on a rustic seat that had been
-placed on a jutting spur of rock nearly fronting
-the waterfall. The seat was partly hidden from
-chance passers-by by a screen of shrubs, ferns,
-and natural rockwork.</p>
-
-<p>‘There! What a head I’ve got!’ exclaimed
-Clarice with something of dismay in her voice.</p>
-
-<p>‘Mr Ridsdale thinks it a very pretty head.
-But what’s your trouble now?’</p>
-
-<p>‘I’ve left your sketch-book behind in the
-wagonette.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Is that all?’</p>
-
-<p>‘It will not take me more than ten minutes
-to fetch it.’</p>
-
-<p>‘It is of no consequence—not the slightest,’
-answered Madame De Vigne a little wearily.</p>
-
-<p>‘I prefer to fetch it. Some one will be prying
-into it who has no business to. Besides, I
-recollect something that I want to say to Miss
-Penelope.’</p>
-
-<p>‘As you please, dear.’</p>
-
-<p>‘You don’t mind my leaving you?’</p>
-
-<p>‘Not in the least.’</p>
-
-<p>‘I shall not be long away,’ cried Clarice as
-she turned and took the road that led down the
-valley.</p>
-
-<p>The shadow on Mora De Vigne’s face deepened
-the moment she was left alone. She was very
-pale this morning, and she had that look about
-the eyes which tells of a sleepless night. Beyond
-her sister and Nanette, no one knew of her
-fainting-fit of the previous night. Miss Gaisford
-had not failed to notice the change in her looks,
-but had asked no questions: she was assured
-that when the proper time should arrive she
-would be told all that it was intended she should
-know.</p>
-
-<p>‘Alone at last! For a little while I can drop
-my mask,’ she said with the same weariness in
-her voice. ‘Is it not like the act of a crazy
-woman to come here to-day, among all these
-happy people?—I! Oh, the mockery of it! And
-yet to have stayed all day indoors under the same
-roof with <i>him</i>, not knowing from minute to
-minute what to expect, would have been worse
-than all. And then, Harold promised to meet
-me at this spot—the man whom I love—the man
-who loves me. Alas! alas! he can never more
-be “Harold” to me after to-day.’</p>
-
-<p>She rose and went forward to the edge of the
-rock, and stood gazing at the waterfall with eyes
-that knew not what they were looking at.</p>
-
-<p>‘What to do?—what to do?’ she sighed. ‘The
-same question that kept knocking at my heart
-all through the long, dreadful, sleepless night;
-and here, with the summer sunshine all about
-me, it seems no nearer an answer than it was
-then. Sometimes I think that what I saw and
-heard can have been no more than a hideous
-nightmare fancy of my own. But no—no! That
-voice—that face!’ She shuddered, and pressed
-her fingers to her eyes, as if to shut out some
-sight on which she could not bear to look.</p>
-
-<p>Presently, she moved slowly back to the rustic
-seat and sat down.</p>
-
-<p>‘Has he tracked me?’ she asked herself. ‘Does
-he know that I am here, or is his presence merely
-one of those strange coincidences such as one so
-often hears tell of? If I only knew! If he
-has tracked me, why did he not make it his
-business to see me last night or this morning?
-What if he does <i>not</i> know or suspect? I must
-not go back to the hotel. I must not give him
-a chance of seeing me. I must make some excuse
-and go away—somewhere—straight from here.
-But first I must wait and see Harold and—and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_729">{729}</span>
-bid him farewell. What shall I say to him?
-What <i>can</i> I say?’</p>
-
-<p>Her heart-stricken questionings were broken
-by the sound of voices a little distance away.
-She turned her head quickly. ‘Clarice and a
-stranger!’ she exclaimed. ‘And coming this
-way!’ A spasm of dread shot through her.
-What if this stranger were another messenger
-of evil come in search of her?</p>
-
-<p>And yet he looked harmless enough. He was
-a rather tall, thin, worn-looking man of sixty-five
-years or thereabouts. He was dressed in a
-high-collared swallow-tailed coat, pepper-and-salt
-trousers, and shoes. His carefully brushed hat,
-of a fashion of many years previously, had, like
-the rest of his attire, seen better days than it
-would ever see again. He had short white
-whiskers, and rather long white hair, which
-straggled over his coat collar behind. His thick,
-bushy brows were still streaked with black; and
-his eyes, which were very large and bright,
-seemed to require no assistance from spectacles
-or glasses of any kind.</p>
-
-<p>‘Here is your sketch-book, dear,’ said Clarice
-as she came up. ‘This gentleman is Mr Etheridge,
-Sir William Ridsdale’s secretary,’ she
-added.—‘Mr Etheridge, my sister, Madame De
-Vigne.—Mr Etheridge has travelled all the way
-from Spa, bringing with him an important letter
-from Sir William addressed to his son. The
-hotel people sent him on here after us.’</p>
-
-<p>‘But’—— began Mora, half rising from her
-seat.</p>
-
-<p>‘I have already explained to Mr Etheridge
-that Mr Archie was summoned by telegraph
-yesterday to meet his father in London this
-morning. It seems very strange.’</p>
-
-<p>Mr Etheridge smiled a little deprecatingly, and
-resumed his hat, which he had doffed on being
-introduced to Madame De Vigne.</p>
-
-<p>‘No doubt, ladies,’ he said, ‘it must appear
-strange to any one who is unacquainted with
-the peculiarities of Sir William. After writing
-the letter which I have in my pocket, and sending
-me off with it post-haste, he no doubt changed
-his mind (Sir William very often does change his
-mind), and set off for London with the intention
-of seeing Mr Archie in person, and never troubled
-himself more about me and the letter. Just like
-him—just like him.’</p>
-
-<p>‘And what do you propose to do now, sir?’
-asked Madame De Vigne.</p>
-
-<p>‘My plan is a very simple one, madam. I
-shall telegraph to London that I am here, and
-here I shall stop till I receive further instructions.’</p>
-
-<p>‘You must be somewhat tired after your long
-journey, Mr Etheridge,’ suggested Clarice.</p>
-
-<p>‘Well—well. So—so. But I’m an old traveller,
-and it don’t matter.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Luncheon won’t be ready for some time; but
-if you would like some refreshment at once,
-I’——</p>
-
-<p>‘Not at present, thank you—not at present.’
-Then he added: ‘This seems a very pretty spot;
-and with your leave, I’ll just ramble about and
-look round me a bit.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Do so by all means, Mr Etheridge,’ said
-Madame De Vigne kindly, ‘only don’t forget to
-be in time for luncheon.’</p>
-
-<p>Clarice hesitated a moment, and then she said:
-‘There’s a charming view of the lake a little
-farther on; if you would like to see it, I will
-show you the way.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Thank you. Nothing would please me better.
-Only, I don’t want to be a trouble.’</p>
-
-<p>‘O Mr Etheridge, it will be no trouble!’</p>
-
-<p>That gentleman made Madame De Vigne an
-old-fashioned bow, and moved a few steps away.</p>
-
-<p>‘You won’t mind my leaving you for a little
-while?’ said Clarice to her sister.</p>
-
-<p>‘Not in the least. Besides, I’m not in a talking
-mood this morning.’</p>
-
-<p>‘It would be unkind to leave Mr Etheridge
-all alone.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Of course it would. So now run off, and do
-your best to entertain him.’</p>
-
-<p>‘This way, Mr Etheridge, please,’ said Clarice.
-And with that the two went off together, crossing
-the bridge and taking the same path that had
-been taken a little while previously by Lady
-Renshaw and her two cavaliers.</p>
-
-<p>‘The transparent diplomacy of a girl in love!’
-said Madame De Vigne as her eyes followed her
-sister’s retreating figure. ‘Not having her sweetheart
-with her to talk to, she must needs talk
-about him to some one else. Happy, happy
-days!’ She turned away with a sigh. ‘And
-now? Shall I sit here and wait for Harold, and try
-to think what I shall say to him? No; I cannot
-rest anywhere till the worst is over. He may
-be here at any moment. I will walk to the top
-of the hill and watch for him as he comes up the
-valley. O Harold, Harold, won only to be lost
-in one short hour!’</p>
-
-<p>She took a narrow footpath to the right, which
-wound upwards through the trees and undergrowth
-to a small plateau, from which the whole
-of the valley was visible.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>‘I did not think that I should be so fortunate
-as to have you all to myself for so long a time
-this morning.’</p>
-
-<p>The speaker was Mr Richard Dulcimer, and
-it need scarcely be said to whom his words were
-addressed. They had been wandering about the
-glen at their own sweet will, penetrating into
-all sorts of odd nooks and corners, and now,
-emerging from the shade of the trees, found themselves
-on a small rocky table close to the shallow
-basin into which the stream fell and broke when
-it took its first leap from the summit of the cliff.
-It was a pretty spot, and just then the two young
-people had it all to themselves.</p>
-
-<p>‘You have my aunt to thank for that,’ answered
-Miss Wynter, as she seated herself daintily on
-a fragment of rock. ‘It was she who sent me
-to you.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Dear old damsel! I could almost find in
-my heart to kiss her,’ answered Richard as he
-deposited himself at his sweetheart’s feet and
-drew the brim of his straw hat over his eyes
-to shade them from the sun.</p>
-
-<p>‘But of course she believes you to be a bishop’s
-son.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Which I am, so far as having a bishop for a
-godfather goes. Otherwise—woe is me!—I’m
-only a poor beggar of a quill-driver in the Sealing-wax
-Office. Why wasn’t Providence kind to
-me? Why wasn’t I born with a rich father,
-like Archie Ridsdale?’</p>
-
-<p>‘Why weren’t we all born with rich fathers?’</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_730">{730}</span></p>
-
-<p>‘That would have been much nicer, if it could
-have been so arranged.’</p>
-
-<p>‘I don’t at all see how you are going to extricate
-yourself from the awful scrape you have
-got into.’</p>
-
-<p>‘I am not aware that I’m in any awful scrape,
-so far.’</p>
-
-<p>‘But you will be, when my aunt finds out what
-a wicked impostor you are.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Her ladyship’s anger doesn’t matter two
-farthings to me. It’s her influence over you
-that I’m afraid of.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Her influence over me!’</p>
-
-<p>‘The lessons she is continually preaching—the
-maxims she is for ever dinning into your
-ears.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Yes; I know she looks upon it as a sacred
-duty which I owe to Society that I should
-marry myself to the highest bidder.’</p>
-
-<p>‘And you?’ asked the young man as he sat
-up, pushed back his hat, and gazed into the
-pretty face above him.</p>
-
-<p>She was drawing figures aimlessly with the
-point of her sunshade in the gravel. For a
-moment or two she did not answer; then she
-broke out with an emphasis that was full of
-bitterness: ‘What would you have? What can
-you expect? From the day I left school, and
-even earlier than that, the one lesson that has
-been instilled into my mind is, that I must
-marry money—money. Even my mother—— But
-she is dead, and I will not speak of her. And
-since then, my aunt. I am a chattel—a piece of
-bric-à-brac in the matrimonial market, to be
-appraised, and depreciated, and finally knocked
-down to the first bidder who is prepared to
-make a handsome settlement. I hate myself
-when I think of it! I hate everybody!’ Sudden
-passionate tears sprang to her eyes; she dashed
-them away impatiently.</p>
-
-<p>‘Not quite everybody, <i>ma belle</i>,’ said Mr Dulcimer
-as he possessed himself of one of her
-hands. ‘There is one way of escape that you
-wot of,’ he added in a lower voice.</p>
-
-<p>She turned on him with a flash: ‘By marrying
-you, I suppose?’</p>
-
-<p>‘Even so, <i>carissima</i>.’</p>
-
-<p>‘A government clerk on three hundred pounds
-a year.’</p>
-
-<p>‘With another hundred of private income in
-addition.’</p>
-
-<p>‘A truly munificent income on which to
-marry!’ she answered, not without a ring of
-scorn, real or assumed, in her voice as she withdrew
-her fingers from his grasp. ‘I think I
-know the kind of thing it implies. A stuffy
-little house in Camden Town or Peckham Rye—wherever
-those localities may be. Perhaps even
-furnished apartments. One small servant, not
-overclean. No opera, no brougham in the Park,
-no garden-parties, no carpet-dances, no more
-flirtations with nice young men. Locomotion
-by means of a twopenny ’bus or tram.; long,
-lonely days without a soul to talk to; now and
-then an order for the theatre; <i>au reste</i>, my
-husband’s buttons to sew on and his socks to keep
-in repair. Oh, I can guess it all!’</p>
-
-<p>A tinge of colour had flickered into Dick’s
-cheeks while she was speaking, but it now died
-out again. He was quite aware that nothing
-would delight her more than to tease him till he
-should lose his temper; therefore, he answered
-as equably as before: ‘Evidently Lady Renshaw’s
-lessons have not been quite thrown away on
-you.’</p>
-
-<p>One of her little feet began to tap the ground
-impatiently. ‘It seems to me, Mr Richard Dulcimer,
-that the best thing you can do is to take
-the next train back to town.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Shan’t do anything of the kind.’</p>
-
-<p>‘You are a very self-willed young man.’ To
-judge from her tone, she might have been twice
-his age. It is a way her sex sometimes have.</p>
-
-<p>‘Obstinate as a mule,’ answered the philosophic
-Richard.</p>
-
-<p>‘Suppose I tell you that I have had enough
-of your society? Suppose I order you to leave
-me here and at once?’</p>
-
-<p>‘Shan’t go.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Well, of all’—— She rose abruptly. ‘How
-much longer are you going to keep me here?’
-she demanded in an injured tone, as though he
-were detaining her against her will.</p>
-
-<p>‘Not one minute longer than you wish,’ he
-answered as he sprang to his feet. ‘Suppose we
-cross the stream.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Cross the stream?’</p>
-
-<p>‘By means of these stepping-stones. They are
-here for that purpose.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Oh!’ With a slight accent of dismay. ‘Thank
-you very much, Mr Dulcimer, but I’d rather
-not.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Everybody crosses by them—except, perhaps,
-a few superfine young-lady tourists who think
-more of wetting their boots and frills than
-of’——</p>
-
-<p>‘Monster! Lead the way.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Lend me your hand.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Certainly not.’</p>
-
-<p>Without another word, Dick stepped lightly
-from stone to stone till he reached the middle
-of the stream. There he halted and turned.
-Bella, not to be outdone, stepped after him on
-to the first stone and from that to the second;
-then all in a moment her courage seemed to
-desert her. ‘Dick, Dick, I shall slip into the
-water,’ she cried. ‘I know I shall.’</p>
-
-<p>Dick grinned. He had been addressed as
-‘Mr Dulcimer’ only a minute before. He went
-back and held out his hand, which Bella
-clutched without a moment’s demur. Having
-assisted her as far as the middle of the stream,
-he came to a stand.</p>
-
-<p>‘Why don’t you go on?’ she demanded.</p>
-
-<p>Dick ignored the question. ‘These stepping-stones,
-or others like them,’ he remarked didactically,
-‘are said to have been here for hundreds
-of years. There is an old local rhyme in connection
-with them which is known to all the
-country-folk about. Listen while I recite to
-you that ancient rhyme.’</p>
-
-<p>‘I am getting dizzy; I shall fall,’ remarked
-Bella, who, however, still kept tight hold of
-his hand.</p>
-
-<p>Dick took no notice, but began:</p>
-
-<div class="poetry-container">
-<div class="poetry">
- <div class="stanza">
- <div class="verse indent0">‘Listen! listen! Every lass</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">That o’er these stepping-stones doth pass,</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">She shall clasp her sweetheart’s hand,</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">On the midmost stone shall stand,</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">And shall kiss him then and there’——</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p>‘Oh, indeed,’ remarked Miss Wynter with a
-scornful sniff.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_731">{731}</span></p>
-
-<p>Dick continued:</p>
-
-<div class="poetry-container">
-<div class="poetry">
- <div class="stanza">
- <div class="verse indent0">‘But should she her lips deny,</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">Then shall she unwedded die,</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">And he wed another fair:</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">Listen, maids—beware! beware!</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<p>‘That is the midmost stone, <i>ma petite</i>, on
-which you are standing.’</p>
-
-<p>Miss Wynter tossed her head. ‘Perhaps, sir,
-if you have quite done attitudinising, you will
-allow me to cross.’</p>
-
-<p>‘<i>Avec plaisir</i>—when you have paid the
-customary toll.’</p>
-
-<p>‘The what?’ with a drawing together of her
-pretty eyebrows.</p>
-
-<p>‘The toll. When you have done that which
-every girl does who crosses the stepping-stones
-with her sweetheart.’</p>
-
-<p>‘You are not my sweetheart.’</p>
-
-<p>‘But you are mine, which comes to the same
-thing.’</p>
-
-<p>‘I will go back.’</p>
-
-<p>‘You dare not.’</p>
-
-<p>‘I will’——</p>
-
-<p>‘Go forward? You dare not.’ And with that
-he withdrew his hand.</p>
-
-<p>Bella, finding herself without support, gave
-vent to a little shriek, whereupon Dick put
-out his hand again, at which she clutched
-wildly. Richard was hard-hearted enough to
-laugh.</p>
-
-<p>‘This is mean—this is cowardly—this is contemptible!’
-cried Bella with flaming eyes.</p>
-
-<p>‘It is—but it’s nice.’</p>
-
-<p>‘I hear voices. There’s some one coming!’</p>
-
-<p>‘Let them come.’</p>
-
-<p>‘And find me in this ridiculous predicament?
-Never!’</p>
-
-<p>‘Not for worlds,’ assented Mr Dulcimer in his
-sweetest tones.</p>
-
-<p>Bella gave vent to a little laugh: she could
-not help it. One of Dick’s arms found its way
-round her waist. The situation was embarrassing.
-If she were to push him away, she might slip
-into the water. Their faces were not far apart.
-Suddenly she protruded hers and touched his
-cheek lightly with her lips. ‘Wretch! There,
-then!’ she said. ‘And there,’ quoth the unabashed
-suitor, as he returned the toll, twofold.
-‘And <i>there</i>!’ she added a moment after, as, with
-her disengaged hand, she gave him a sounding
-box on the ear.</p>
-
-<p>Dick laughed and rubbed his ear. ‘For what
-we have just received’—— he said, and then
-grasping both her hands, he helped her across
-the remaining stepping-stones to the opposite
-bank of the stream.</p>
-
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="ARTIFICIAL_JEWELS">ARTIFICIAL JEWELS.</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<p><span class="smcap">The</span> trade in artificial jewels has become very
-extensive during the last half-century, and the
-chemical experiments in which various qualities
-of imitation diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and
-emeralds are produced have been recently carried
-on with an astonishing amount of success. It is
-becoming more and more difficult, even to the
-eye of the expert, to distinguish readily between
-the real and the false gem, when they do not shine
-in too close proximity.</p>
-
-<p>The most distinctive feature of the real stone
-is its hardness, though even this quality has been
-imitated with considerable success. The term
-‘hardness’ is used by the lapidary and mineralogist
-to denote the power of one stone to scratch
-another; it must not be considered as the power
-of resisting a blow, for many crystalline stones
-which are very hard are also easily fractured.
-The diamond, which will scratch any other stone,
-can be more easily broken than many stones
-which are less hard. After the diamond come
-the ruby and sapphire, which are the next
-hardest stones; then emeralds, topazes, and quartz
-or rock-crystal; and finally, a number of other
-stones, and glass or artificial stones.</p>
-
-<p>The beautiful ‘French paste’ which imitates
-the diamond so well, is a kind of glass into which
-a certain quantity of oxide of lead is introduced.
-The more lead it contains the more brilliant is
-the artificial stone; but the lead gives softness—so
-much so, that we have known such artificial
-gems to become, by friction with other harder
-substances, quite dull on the surface after being
-worn for some time.</p>
-
-<p>But the latest chemical experiments on the
-production of artificial stones for use in jewellery
-point very clearly to the fact that further success
-in this direction is likely to be forthcoming before
-long. The imitation of the natural gems by
-means of various silicates and oxides has already
-attained to a great degree of perfection, and no
-doubt this ingenious branch of industry must
-interfere considerably with the trade of the dealer
-in real precious stones. We can already purchase
-a capital ‘diamond’ for about half-a-crown;
-and the imitation of the ruby and the emerald
-is far easier, and more successful, than that of the
-diamond.</p>
-
-<p>Careful choice in the substances to be melted
-together, good and effective cutting, and careful
-artistic setting, have gone a long way to reproduce,
-artificially, the brightness, brilliancy, and
-colour of the real stone. Chemical analysis
-shows the sapphire to be pure alumina, as it
-has shown the diamond to be pure carbon; but
-it does not account for its colour, which is partly
-due to an optical effect, and depends upon a peculiar
-molecular arrangement. This stone possesses
-the singular property known as <i>dichroism</i>—that
-is, it shines with two colours, blue and red. In
-a well-cut stone, a red cross often appears in
-the midst of the sapphire blue. The ruby is also
-pure alumina, and its vivid red colour, like the
-blue of the sapphire, is thought by some to be
-due to a peculiar optical effect. In fact, no
-chemical analysis has been able to account quite
-satisfactorily for the red colour of the ruby or
-the blue colour of the sapphire, for pure alumina
-is quite white, and the sapphire, as we have seen,
-shows two colours. This peculiar optical effect
-noticed in the ruby and sapphire has, strange
-to say, been accidentally reproduced not long
-since by a French chemist, M. Sidot, who has
-been making some experiments on artificial stones.
-He has produced a kind of glass by melting
-phosphate of lime at a great heat, and the product
-possesses the blue colour of the sapphire<span class="pagenum" id="Page_732">{732}</span>
-with the remarkable <i>dichroism</i> before alluded to.
-The experiment is so curious, that a few lines
-may be devoted to it here.</p>
-
-<p>By the action of heat on what is termed
-‘acid phosphate of lime,’ it is transformed into
-‘crystallised pyrophosphate;’ and when heated
-to a still higher temperature, it passes into the
-vitreous or glassy state. It is supposed that in this
-condition it loses some of its phosphoric acid by
-volatilisation, and passes into the state of ‘tribasic
-phosphate.’ Such is the technical explanation
-of the changes which occur. The phosphate of
-lime glass is produced by taking this substance
-in a moist acid state, and heating it in an iron
-pot to a dark red heat. During this operation
-it is worked about with an iron rod, in order
-to prevent it swelling up and passing over the
-edge of the iron crucible. The dark red heat
-is continued until the whole mass has become
-glassy and transparent. At this moment it is
-run into another crucible, in which it is heated
-to a white heat that is kept up for about
-two hours, being stirred rapidly with a rod the
-whole time. At the end of this period the molten
-mass is allowed to remain perfectly quiet for about
-an hour, and is then run out of the crucible,
-either on to a metallic slab or into a metal mortar.
-It is necessary to avoid too rapid a cooling. The
-product may thus be run out into a sheet,
-like plate-glass. A small sheet of such a nature
-was obtained by M. Sidot in one of his experiments:
-it measured about three inches across,
-by a quarter of an inch thick, and was large
-enough to be cut into a considerable number of
-beautiful artificial sapphires.</p>
-
-<p>The ruby and sapphire have also been closely
-imitated in another way by Fremy and Feil,
-two French chemists; and the chief interest in
-this process is the fact that the artificial stones
-possess essentially the chemical composition of
-the real ones. To produce these, equal weights
-of alumina and red-lead are heated to a red-heat
-in an earthenware crucible. A vitreous
-substance is formed, which consists of silicate of
-lead, and crystals of white corundum. To convert
-this corundum into the artificial ruby, it is
-necessary to fuse it with about two per cent. of
-bichromate of potassium; whilst, to obtain the
-sapphire, a little oxide of cobalt, and a very
-small quantity of bichromate of potassium, must
-be employed. The stones so produced possess at
-least very nearly the hardness of the real stones,
-as they scratch both quartz and topaz.</p>
-
-<p>The French ‘paste’ which imitates the diamond
-so closely is a peculiar kind of glass, the manufacture
-of which was brought to a great degree
-of perfection some fifty years ago by Donault-Wieland
-of Paris. The finest quality of paste
-demands extreme care in the choice of materials
-and in melting, &amp;c. The basis of it, in the hands
-of the expert manufacturer just named, was
-powdered rock-crystal or quartz. The proportions
-he took were—six ounces of rock-crystal;
-nine ounces two drams of red-lead; three ounces
-three drams of pure carbonate of potash; three
-drams of boracic acid; and six grains of white
-arsenic. The product thus manufactured was
-extremely beautiful, but rather expensive, compared
-with the prices now charged for artificial
-jewels. It has never been surpassed in brilliancy.
-But of late years the greater purity of the potash
-and lead oxide used, and the improvements in
-the furnaces and methods of heating them, have
-all tended to reduce the price of the ‘diamonds’
-thus manufactured.</p>
-
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_MISSING_CLUE">THE MISSING CLUE.</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<h3>CHAPTER V.—THE COLONEL’S DAUGHTER.</h3>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">Meanwhile</span>, the subject of the previous conversation
-is seated in a private room before
-a merry crackling fire, small reflections of
-which lurk here and there in the dark polished
-oak with which the walls are panelled. Everything
-in the apartment has an extremely comfortable
-appearance save its living occupant, and
-his features wear an expression totally at variance
-with his surroundings. He is twisting a
-crumpled note between his fingers; while, judging
-from the expression with which he regards it,
-his feelings can scarcely be of an agreeable
-nature. The offending epistle is written in a
-bold decided hand, which harmonises well with
-the short and haughty tenor of its contents.
-As a perusal of this may enable the reader
-more clearly to understand the ensuing narrative,
-a copy is here inserted:</p>
-
-<div class="blockquot">
-
-<p>Colonel Thorpe presents his compliments to
-Lieutenant Ainslie, and in reply to that gentleman’s
-letter of this morning, begs to state that
-any overtures from him relating to Miss Thorpe
-will receive an absolute negative. It is also
-requested that Lieut. A. will discontinue his
-visits to Coombe Hall, as Col. T. wishes him
-distinctly to understand that this decision is
-final.</p>
-
-<p><i>Dec. 22, 1760.</i></p>
-</div>
-
-<p>The exasperated recipient of this ungracious
-piece of writing makes a movement as if to
-consign it to the hungry blaze which is roaring
-up the chimney; but checking himself ere the
-action is performed, he places the missive in a
-side-pocket, and falling back in his chair, resigns
-himself to a long train of unenviable reflections.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>Next morning, the sun, first a dull crimson,
-and then yellow as a copper ball, slowly mounted
-above the horizon and pierced cloud and vapour
-with its struggling rays. Snow-clad roofs and
-chimneys, whose quaint outlines could scarcely
-be distinguished from the leaden sky a short
-time before, now became flooded with a rich
-golden light, contrasting strangely with the
-blue mist that lingered in the shadows. As yet,
-it was only the high gables and towers which
-had caught the cheering beams; the streets
-and lesser thoroughfares were gloomy, dark,
-and silent, while ruts and gutters were fast
-bound with King Frost. The good people of
-Fridswold had not the reputation of being
-early risers, and with a few exceptions, the
-streets were almost totally deserted; but our
-friend who figured last night as a guest at the
-<i>George</i>, at least appeared to be no sluggard, for
-he was out, and walking quickly along, the
-iron-tipped heels of his riding-boots bringing
-forth a smart click from the frost-hardened
-ground.</p>
-
-<p>Lieutenant Ainslie was not bent upon sight-seeing;
-he had other matters to attend to.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_733">{733}</span>
-The wintery beauties of the early morning
-seemed completely lost upon the young officer,
-and he passed the great west front of the
-minster—all flecked with ‘hoary flakes’—without
-bestowing so much as a glance upon it.
-His course was continued until the irregular
-outskirts of the town were left behind, when
-a large imposing red-brick mansion came within
-sight. The grounds which surrounded it were
-separated from the public highway by a substantial
-wall of rough masonry; while parallel
-with this wall extended a belt of fine trees, now
-leafless, and shivering as if with cold. Keeping
-to the road until a turn shut out the palatial
-residence from view, the young officer, after a
-hasty look around him, vaulted the wall, and
-then shaped his way across the white stretch
-of private ground.</p>
-
-<p>Slowly and uncertainly he proceeded, often
-stopping to look back, and more than once
-referring to his watch as well as to a dainty note,
-the writing of which was in a delicate female
-hand. At length, after many turnings and much
-doubtful wandering, he emerged from the underwood
-and entered upon a small cleared inclosure
-containing a rustic summer-house, now fretted
-with a glittering network of snow and ice. Into
-this the lieutenant stepped, frequently looking out
-in a furtive manner from the narrow doorway,
-as if in expectation of some one.</p>
-
-<p>After a long interval of anxious expectation,
-certain sounds were heard which seemed to
-indicate the approach of a human being. The
-soldier sprang eagerly forward, and then as
-quickly shrunk back again. A slight crackling
-of dry twigs was followed by a hoarse cough,
-and the cough was followed by the unwelcome
-appearance of a red-faced man with a gun upon
-his shoulder, but fortunately not passing in the
-direction of the arbour. The lieutenant knew
-him at once. It was the fiery-faced man whom
-he had seen at the inn the previous evening.
-‘Ah,’ said he to himself, ‘I see it all. Colonel
-Thorpe’s gamekeeper—sent down last night to
-play the spy upon me. It is well he has not
-seen me now.’</p>
-
-<p>Not many minutes afterwards, a young lady
-burst into the arbour, with a little cry, half of
-fear and half of pleasure. It could be nothing
-more nor less than a lovers’ meeting after all.</p>
-
-<p>The lovers’ first tender greetings over, they
-seated themselves side by side in the little arbour,
-and talked to each other in a low voice. The
-state of alarm in which she evidently was, sent
-a brighter flush of colour to her lovely face, and
-enhanced in her lover’s eyes the graces of her
-person.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<p>Some twelve months before the present meeting,
-Colonel Thorpe made a sudden resolve to spend
-the winter in London; and fearing to leave
-this his only daughter out of his sight for any
-length of time, he determined to take her
-with him also. The season was a tolerably
-gay one; but the colonel, an austere man, though
-much in request at the houses of titled and
-wealthy friends, cared little for society, and
-constantly refused invitations both on behalf of
-himself and his daughter. Such a high pressure
-of circumspection could not last for ever.
-Receiving an earnest request from Lady Hardy—a
-friend of many years’ standing—that they
-would honour a fashionable entertainment with
-their presence, Colonel Thorpe somewhat relented,
-and meeting Amy’s wistful gaze with a smile
-which he intended to be severely pleasant,
-he told her to prepare herself to accompany
-him on the following Thursday. At this intelligence
-the young lady was naturally delighted;
-and even her severe parent condescended to
-relax and bring himself to converse about the
-forthcoming ball. This agreeable demeanour he
-sustained until about the middle of the festive
-evening, when, as if by magic, his spirits
-suddenly lowered to freezing temperature. He
-had observed that a well-favoured, handsome
-young gallant had danced three times with his
-daughter in the course of the evening. Now,
-the crusty old colonel did by no means approve
-of this, and was not aware that his daughter had
-more than once met the same young gallant since
-coming to London. In answer to inquiries
-which he made as to the unknown partner of
-his daughter, he learned that his name was
-Ainslie, that he was a subaltern in the Guards,
-and the only son of a widow lady of title,
-once wealthy, but now reduced in circumstances.
-His informant added, that though the young
-officer was not rich, he was of prepossessing
-manners—a piece of information which scarcely
-appeared to afford gratification to the master of
-Coombe Hall. Immediately upon receipt of this
-news the angry colonel sought out Miss Thorpe
-from among the dancers, and after bidding a
-hasty adieu to his hostess, drove away with his
-daughter from the house.</p>
-
-<p>Colonel Thorpe’s temper was not improved
-when, on the day following the ball, he received
-a call from Ainslie; but in a short political
-conversation which ensued, the visitor—strangely
-enough—contrived to advance in his good graces
-considerably. Still, the colonel, who was habitually
-suspicious, did not encourage the young
-officer. He had only the doubtful satisfaction of
-knowing that the penniless son of Sir Henry
-Ainslie, deceased, was a suitor for his daughter’s
-hand.</p>
-
-<p>‘Amy,’ he said to himself, ‘must return to
-Coombe Hall. The wiles of this dangerous young
-man can be kept at a safe distance there.’</p>
-
-<p>But railways were as yet things of the future,
-and the weather became an unexpected ally
-in Ainslie’s favour, the colonel’s departure being
-thus delayed for fully a week. During this
-time Reginald contrived to see Miss Thorpe
-several times, as well as to ingratiate himself
-with her father, who listened to his visitor’s
-conversation and wit with a mingled feeling
-of approval and distrust. The time passed
-quickly; and when Reginald parted from Amy
-Thorpe it was with many protestations of
-eternal devotion, to which that young lady
-replied with equal warmth. Colonel Thorpe
-wished Ainslie a formal ‘Good-bye,’ and the
-lovers were separated from each other for a
-weary space of ten months.</p>
-
-<p>The interval was not unfraught with change.
-Reginald had the good fortune to be raised in
-rank, and now entered upon his full grade
-of lieutenant. Since the departure of Amy
-Thorpe he had endeavoured to keep up a correspondence
-with her; but the age in which they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_734">{734}</span>
-lived, though practically a fast one, was slow
-enough in some respects, and the means of communication
-were so unsatisfactory, that long
-intervals elapsed between an interchange of
-letters.</p>
-
-<p>At the close of October 1760, the tidings of
-King George II.’s death became known throughout
-the greater part of the kingdom; and
-following closely upon the spreading of this
-intelligence came a letter from Amy to Reginald,
-containing the joyful news that Colonel Thorpe
-was on his way to London to attend the opening
-of parliament by the new king, and that
-his daughter was coming with him. Ainslie,
-after the expiration of a few days, presented
-himself at Colonel Thorpe’s former apartments,
-where the first person he encountered was that
-worthy officer himself, stiff, irritable, and in a
-decidedly unpleasant temper. Their conversation
-commenced with a formal exchange of civilities,
-and Reginald seated himself on the chair which
-was pointed out to him, calm and unruffled in
-countenance, but with a heart which he had
-steeled and prepared for the worst.</p>
-
-<p>Colonel Thorpe was glad that Lieutenant
-Ainslie had called, as he wished to have some
-serious conversation with him. There had been
-a—in fact there had been a correspondence kept
-up with his daughter, an interchange of letter-writing
-and—and that sort of thing, which must
-be discontinued.</p>
-
-<p>‘Am I to understand, sir,’ said the young
-officer, with difficulty repressing his growing
-wrath—‘am I to understand that you wish me
-to resign all pretensions to Miss Thorpe’s hand?’</p>
-
-<p>The colonel did not exactly say that; he said
-the correspondence must be discontinued for—for
-a time. If at some future date Lieutenant
-Ainslie could show satisfactory proofs that he
-would be able to maintain his daughter in a
-position of comfort and dignity consistent with
-that in which she had been brought up, he
-(Colonel Thorpe) might feel disposed to listen to
-any advances Lieutenant Ainslie thought proper
-to make. Till then, all interchange of sentiment
-must cease. That was all; Colonel Thorpe had
-nothing further to say.</p>
-
-<p>Ere another week had passed, during which
-the lovers met but once, the colonel’s apartments
-were again vacant, and Reginald Ainslie was
-wondering at what remote period of his life
-he should again see Amy Thorpe. Poverty was
-the bane of the young soldier, and the monotonous
-round of barrack-life was by no means
-the royal road to wealth. Reginald, however,
-had for some time been meditating over a deep-laid
-purpose, the object of which was to recover
-an ancient property which his immediate ancestors,
-by their Jacobite proclivities, had forfeited.
-On obtaining leave of absence, therefore, shortly
-before Christmas, he set out for Fridswold, and
-made a series of excursions to Coombe Hall, to
-lay before his beloved Amy all his hopes and
-fears, and to receive from her encouragement in
-his momentous quest. But his proposed visit
-had been put a stop to by the colonel’s letter,
-and now this secret meeting in the arbour was
-the next expedient of the faithful pair.</p>
-
-<p>For a while, the joy of meeting was so great
-that all other things were forgotten; but Reginald
-could not long shut his eyes to the barrier
-which destiny and the will of Colonel Thorpe
-had placed between the lovers. He was still
-poor; he was not yet able to fulfil the colonel’s
-stipulation. But he had hopes, and these he
-could now breathe into Amy’s sympathetic ear.</p>
-
-<p>‘What would you say, Amy, if I were to
-tell you that I am the bearer of good tidings?’</p>
-
-<p>‘I should say the news might be too good
-to be true,’ replied Miss Thorpe. ‘O Reginald,
-it cannot be; you do not mean it?’</p>
-
-<p>‘I do, Amy,’ answered the lieutenant. ‘For
-what purpose do you suppose I undertook this
-journey?’ he added, after a pause, and turning
-so as to face his fair companion.</p>
-
-<p>The girl’s blue eyes opened to their fullest
-extent, and she answered in a slight tone of
-wonderment: ‘To see me. Was it not so, Reginald?’</p>
-
-<p>‘It was, dearest,’ said the lieutenant; ‘but if
-I were to say that I came in search of you alone,
-my words would be false.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Then pray, sir, may I not know your other
-reason?’ inquired Amy laughingly. ‘Have you
-an appointment to meet some other distressed
-damsel in these lonely parts?’</p>
-
-<p>‘Nothing of the kind,’ replied Ainslie, more
-earnestly than the question seemed to warrant.
-‘You alone, Amy, I came to see, and it is
-principally on your account that I am about
-to journey farther.’</p>
-
-<p>‘On my account!’</p>
-
-<p>‘Yes, Amy, yours; this journey is all for your
-sake. I will explain myself. For some time past,
-I have been urged to take a singular step by one
-who believes that our lost wealth may be actually
-regained. The idea is a vague and most likely
-a visionary one, and had I never met you, Amy,
-it is probable that the task of unravelling this
-coil might not have been essayed. It was Colonel
-Thorpe who clenched my half-hearted resolution
-by informing me that I must not hope to call
-you mine until possessed of sufficient affluence
-to maintain you in a position equal to that in
-which you had been brought up. Those words
-struck home. I instantly formed a fixed determination,
-and am now about to follow it up,
-for which purpose I intend to start this very
-afternoon.’</p>
-
-<p>‘This afternoon!’ echoed Amy. ‘Why so soon,
-Reginald? You have been here no time at all.
-When did you arrive?’</p>
-
-<p>‘The day before yesterday,’ replied Ainslie.
-‘But do not blame me, dearest, for not seeing
-you before. I repaired to Coombe Hall almost
-directly after I got here, hoping to see both you
-and your father, and having no thought that
-admittance would be refused.’</p>
-
-<p>‘O Reginald, I am so sorry!’ faltered the
-girl. ‘What could I do? Did they really
-refuse to admit you?’</p>
-
-<p>‘They did,’ answered the young officer. ‘But
-I am perfectly aware it was no fault of yours.
-I then wrote to your father, asking permission
-to see you, telling him that I had some expectation
-of recovering what my parent so unfortunately
-lost, when I hoped to be able to maintain
-you in a manner worthy of our ancient house.
-But two hours afterwards, my letter was returned!—yes,
-returned, Amy, and with it was inclosed
-a note from your father forbidding me to enter
-the house or seek an interview with his daughter.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_735">{735}</span>
-I disobeyed the latter part of his injunction,
-and have succeeded, darling, in meeting you once
-more.’</p>
-
-<p>As we intend to follow Reginald in his
-quest, it is needless to repeat here the story
-of his hopes as he hastily unfolded them in
-the ears of Amy Thorpe; enough that, after
-remaining together as long as, or perhaps longer
-than prudence enjoined, the two tore themselves
-asunder, with thrice-repeated vows of fidelity
-and affection. The remembrance of their
-tender parting was to Reginald in after-years
-like a strain of sweet, bygone music passing
-through his memory.</p>
-
-<p>That very evening the young lieutenant
-quitted Fridswold. His way lay in a different
-direction from that leading to Coombe Hall,
-and the farewell glance he gave back only
-showed him the black bulk of the minster
-towering above a mass of smoky chimneys. The
-suburbs of the town were speedily left behind,
-and soon a prospect lay before Reginald’s eyes
-which for savage desolation he had never seen
-surpassed. Extending as far as the eye could
-reach, stretched a dreary waste of flooded fields,
-black peat, broken ice, and frozen sedge, dotted
-at remote intervals with a few scanty willows.
-The wind was rising again, bringing up with it
-heavy clouds, and its moaning voice rustled
-among the patches of alder and withered rushes
-like a low, dying murmur. Taking warning by
-these signs, Reginald urged his horse forward
-to a quicker pace than hitherto, riding swiftly
-and eagerly into the gathering darkness of the
-night.</p>
-
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_RING-TRICK">THE RING-TRICK.</h2>
-</div>
-<p class="ph3">A CURIOUS COINCIDENCE.</p>
-
-
-<p><span class="smcap">Some</span> four years ago I was one of the many
-hundreds of somewhat aspiring youths who
-were seeking positions as Civil servants under
-our government. In order better to work up
-for the very difficult examinations which it is
-necessary to pass in order to gain these positions,
-I had joined the evening classes of a well-known
-London college. These classes were held twice
-in every week, and it was on my way to one of
-them from my home—I live in a northern suburb
-of the metropolis—that the events I am about
-to relate took place.</p>
-
-<p>I had alighted, at about five o’clock on an
-autumn evening, from a train at the King’s Cross
-terminus of the Great Northern Railway, and
-was proceeding along the Euston Road, when,
-having half an hour to spare, I turned off to the
-right to enter Euston Station. As I passed under
-the heavy stone portico just to the south of this
-immense depôt, I observed a man about two
-yards in front of me, who, just as I noticed
-him, came to an abrupt halt and stooped down.
-So suddenly, indeed, did he do this, that I
-stumbled over him, and tendered an apology for
-what was not my error. As he regained his
-vertical position, he spoke to me, and said in
-a confidential tone: ‘Did you see that?’</p>
-
-<p>I asked him what he meant.</p>
-
-<p>‘Why, this diamond ring. I nearly trod on
-it. Just look here.’ And he showed me what
-was apparently a gold diamond ring; and then
-went on to say, that if I had seen it, I should
-have my share of the find; or that, as he was
-a poor man, and as it might arouse suspicion
-for the ring to be found in his possession, and
-since, as he could not get rid of it, it would
-be useless to him, he would sell it to me for
-a trifle.</p>
-
-<p>I was not at that time—owing, I suppose, to
-my ignorance of London ways—so cautious as I
-am now; and thinking, from the various government
-stamps upon the ring, that it was indeed
-a valuable one, I told him I would think about
-it, if the diamond were a good one.</p>
-
-<p>‘Come up here,’ said he, pointing to some back
-street, ‘and let us see if it will cut glass.’</p>
-
-<p>I walked with him in the direction he indicated,
-and with much coolness he tested the stone
-upon a shop-window. Surely enough, it made
-a deep incision in the glass.</p>
-
-<p>‘Well,’ I said, feeling now tolerably convinced
-of the genuineness of the ring, ‘I would give you
-ten shillings for it, but I unfortunately have a
-few pence only in my pocket.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Ah, that’s a pity. Do you live far from
-here?’</p>
-
-<p>‘Yes,’ I replied; ‘some twelve miles at least.’</p>
-
-<p>‘Ah, well, there you are, you see; that’s a
-pity, because you are a gentleman, and the ring
-would be all right with you; but I am only a
-poor messenger—at this moment I am on one
-of my errands—earning a pound a week, and if
-I tried to sell it, people would suspect me. However,
-since you say you have not enough money,
-I will keep the ring and attempt to get rid of it.
-At anyrate, we’ll part friends. Come and have
-something to drink with me.’</p>
-
-<p>I refused, for the man was not of a very attractive
-appearance, being dreadfully pock-marked
-and squinting in his right eye. So we said
-good-evening and separated, he to carry out his
-errand, I to walk on into Euston terminus.</p>
-
-<p>On relating the adventure to my friends, we
-came to the conclusion that the man was an
-impostor, and had purposely dropped the ring
-and stooped to pick it up immediately in front
-and for the sole edification of myself, evidently
-hoping that I should purchase it—probably a
-sham one—from him.</p>
-
-<p>Two years after the above had occurred, my
-business—I had abandoned the idea of the Civil
-service—led me one evening along that wondrous
-thoroughfare the Strand. Proceeding westwards,
-about midway between the Temple Bar memorial
-and Charing Cross, I collided somewhat violently
-with a man immediately in front of me, who
-had stooped with the evident intention of picking
-up something off the ground. He turned
-round sharply and exclaimed: ‘Did you see
-that?’ at the same time showing me a gold
-diamond ring, which he stated he had found on
-the pavement, and on which he had nearly
-trodden.</p>
-
-<p>I will not weary the reader with a verbatim
-account of the conversation which then ensued.
-Suffice it for me to say that I had recognised in
-the man before me the pock-marked and squinting
-hero of the Euston Road of two years before.
-In order, however, further to convince myself
-that my impressions as to this were correct, I,
-apparently taking interest in what he had found,
-allowed him to do and say, act for act and word<span class="pagenum" id="Page_736">{736}</span>
-for word, all that he did and said on the first
-occasion of my meeting him. He tested the
-diamond by cutting glass; said he was a poor
-messenger earning a pound a week; was even
-then on one of his errands; thought that the
-discovery of such a ring in his possession would
-excite suspicion; and—— Well, I neither need,
-nor will I, rewrite the whole of the first portion
-of this narration, for what now took place was
-its precise counterpart.</p>
-
-<p>I taxed the swindler with having played the
-same rôle at Euston Station, two years previously.</p>
-
-<p>He replied, in the most naïve manner: ‘Ah,
-then I was in Liverpool.’ But he was, I suspect,
-somewhat astonished to find out that I knew
-him. Again did he ask me to drink with him
-and to part friends.</p>
-
-<p>It is almost needless to add, that though I
-might have done the latter, I certainly did not
-do the former, he being evidently a swindler.
-And so we separated for the second time, he
-disappearing up one of the tributary streets of the
-Strand, I proceeding about my business.</p>
-
-<p>It struck me as being very wonderful that this
-man, whose profession it doubtless was to entrap
-people—young and unsuspecting—in the manner
-I have described, should have on two separate
-occasions, between which there was an interval
-of two years, singled out myself as an intended
-victim to his fraud, since I am but one of tens
-of thousands of the youth daily to be remarked
-walking in the London streets. The remarkable
-blunder of the impostor proves how correct is
-the well-known proverb, ‘A liar should have a
-good memory;’ and the facts here narrated may
-perhaps serve to put others on their guard against
-the wiles of London street swindlers.</p>
-
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="OCCASIONAL_NOTES">OCCASIONAL NOTES.</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<h3>INVESTIGATIONS ON LIGHTS AND LIGHTHOUSES.</h3>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">For</span> some time past a series of observations
-and experiments have been carried on under the
-auspices of a Committee of the Elder Brethren
-of the Trinity House, at the South Foreland,
-chiefly relating to the measurement of lights by
-means of a photometer—the invention of Mr
-Vernon Harcourt—the standard light of which
-burns with wonderful regularity and uniformity.
-The Committee are now engaged on a still more
-interesting series of observations, which are made
-from the sea, and which will more nearly concern
-sailors. These experiments and observations for
-testing the capabilities of various lights will be
-peculiarly remarkable, as craft of almost all
-descriptions will be enlisted in this work: the
-mail-packets, the Peninsular and Oriental liners,
-pilot vessels of different nationalities, trading-ships,
-and French cruisers. The electric light, of
-course, is immensely superior to either gas or
-paraffine oil; but even this, from its whiteness
-and dazzling brilliancy, has not been found to
-be so very much better, in thick hazy weather,
-than either oil or gas, the reddish-yellow of the
-latter perhaps showing better through the haze
-of a sea-fog than the white glare of the former.
-All these points will, however, be carefully gone
-into, and every sort of test applied to discover
-the best and safest light to direct mariners to
-and by our coasts; and when all is completed,
-the Committee will record their useful labours
-in a full Report to the Board of Trade, a document
-which will possess peculiar interest for all
-who have at heart the welfare of ships and
-sailors.</p>
-
-
-<h3>LEVEL-CROSSING GATES.</h3>
-
-<p>Level crossings on railways have always been
-considered dangerous to the public, and are
-generally looked upon with disfavour; and yet,
-in certain places and positions, it is next to
-impossible to avoid them. Therefore, wherever
-a level crossing exists, gates must be provided
-to arrest the traffic on the road when a train
-approaches the crossing; and it is clear that the
-more perfect the arrangement for the opening
-and closing of the gates, the better for the safety
-of the public. An ingenious proposal has been
-made in France to call in the powerful aid of
-electricity for the purpose of opening and closing
-gates of this description. The gates are kept
-closed across the line by a catch governed by
-an electro-magnet. An approaching train, by a
-simple arrangement, is made to close the electric
-circuit at a stated distance from the gates, and
-the catch is therefore released and the gates are
-opened and kept open for the passage of the
-train. When the last carriage has passed, the
-circuit is broken and the gates are made to shut,
-when they are kept closed by the catch already
-referred to. The same current also rings a bell
-to give warning of the approach of the train.</p>
-
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="A_HAWTHORN_STORY">A HAWTHORN STORY.</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<div class="poetry-container">
-<div class="poetry">
- <div class="stanza">
- <div class="verse indent0"><span class="smcap">Pink</span> and white in snowy shower,</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">Shade and light and leaf and thorn,</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">From the orchard gate the hawthorn bloom</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">Through diamond lattices scented the room,</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">When a child of the summer was born.</div>
- </div>
- <div class="stanza">
- <div class="verse indent0">Golden green and creaking swing—</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">Boy and girl are playmates now.</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">‘Swing me higher—up to the sky!’</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">‘Nay; then I should lose you,’ he made reply,</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">Under the hawthorn bough.</div>
- </div>
- <div class="stanza">
- <div class="verse indent0">Oh, perfume sweet!—<i>she</i> pulled the branch;</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">Flowers on her face fell tenderly;</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">At the orchard gate, ‘Good-night, dear love!’</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">Light in the lattice and stars above,</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">And ‘Take this bloom from me.’</div>
- </div>
- <div class="stanza">
- <div class="verse indent0">Summer again, and a last good-bye,</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">Fair head resting in sunset ray;</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">Beyond the window and western glow</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">Fancy flutters to long ago:</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">‘Bring me one hawthorn spray.’</div>
- </div>
- <div class="stanza">
- <div class="verse indent0">Childhood’s blossom and last good-bye—</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">‘Ah! think of the dawn in the Fatherland!’</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">Earthly morning—by flower-strewn bed,</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">Manhood’s tears from a drooping head</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">Trickling on still cold hand.</div>
- </div>
- <div class="stanza">
- <div class="verse indent0">Oh! fragrance of the hawthorn tree,</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">Where’er his lonely footsteps fly,</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">Arise and waft her memory sweet;</div>
- <div class="verse indent0">White blossoms whisper: ‘White souls meet</div>
- <div class="verse indent2">Beyond the last good-bye!’</div>
- </div>
-</div>
-</div>
-
-<hr class="full" />
-
-<p class="center">Printed and Published by <span class="smcap">W. &amp; R. Chambers</span>, 47 Paternoster
-Row, <span class="smcap">London</span>, and 339 High Street, <span class="smcap">Edinburgh</span>.</p>
-
-<hr class="full" />
-
-<p class="center"><i>All rights reserved.</i></p>
-
-<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL OF POPULAR LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART, FIFTH SERIES, NO. 46, VOL. I, NOVEMBER 15, 1884 ***</div>
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