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diff --git a/old/66983-0.txt b/old/66983-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7624db2..0000000 --- a/old/66983-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2203 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Chambers's Journal of Popular -Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth Series, No. 106, Vol. III, January -9, 1886, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, Fifth - Series, No. 106, Vol. III, January 9, 1886 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: December 21, 2021 [eBook #66983] - -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. 106, VOL. III, JANUARY -9, 1886 *** - - - - - -[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. 106.—VOL. III. SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1886. PRICE 1½_d._] - - - - -TWO EVENINGS WITH BISMARCK. - - -IN TWO PARTS.—PART I. - -The surprises that await the deputies and representatives of the North -German League, when, after a hard day’s work and a late supper, they -return, wearied in body and mind, to their Berlin penates, are not, -as a rule, of a very cheering description. They generally consist of -large unwieldy packets of printed matter, which contain the orders -for the next day’s imperial Diet, and a mass of amendments on the -coming motions, &c. Letters also, especially home ones, form no small -portion of the evening’s recreation. One may judge, therefore, of the -general surprise, when, amongst the pile of evening correspondence, a -short note appears from Prince Bismarck to the effect that he would be -‘greatly obliged if Deputy or Privy-councillor So-and-so will give him -the pleasure of his company every Saturday evening at nine o’clock, -commencing from the 24th April, as long as the session of the imperial -Diet lasts.’ - -What more natural than that the Chancellor should wish to assemble at -his own familiar hearth, all those representatives of the nation who -for the most part gladly accompany and support him on the rough and -stony paths of German politics that he is treading, and to want to -spend a few hours with them in pleasant social intercourse, after the -many weary hours of heavy parliamentary work? - -This same need was equally felt by most of the deputies and councillors -and other members of the imperial Diet, who all equally looked forward -to the coming evening. - -As everything connected with the Diet is carried out with military -precision, so here, also, the hour of nine had hardly finished -striking, ere the guests began to arrive at the well-known modest -two-storied building in the Wilhelmstrasse, which the Prussian -government assigns to its Minister for Foreign Affairs as his official -residence, and which Prince Bismarck inhabited in his threefold -capacity of Minister for Lauenburg, Prussian President Minister, and -Chancellor of the North German League. Here, on the ground-floor -of the long unadorned building, are the workrooms of the Prussian -ministerial officials. On the first floor are the work and reception -rooms of Bismarck, as well as his private family apartments. At the -back of the house, where the noise and turmoil of the great busy -city never penetrate, lies one of those beautiful shady old timbered -parks, such as the royal crown of Prussia possesses, between the -Wilhelmstrasse and the Königstrasse, and also between the latter and -the Leipzigerstrasse—in all about a hundred acres. - -At the entrance are the inevitable constables, saluting the guests -as they arrive. Numerous lackeys in black and white livery hand the -visitor up the broad flight of stairs into an elegantly furnished -anteroom, where those who wait to see the Chancellor on business can, -while in the midst of the most harmonious surroundings of rich carpets, -silken hangings, and luxurious seats, speculate as to what possible -connection the stuffed hare, standing so prominently forward on the -sideboard, can have with the family of Bismarck. - -A more interesting sight, however, now greeted us. The Chancellor’s -wife, a tall aristocratic-looking woman, with decided but pleasing -features, and in an elegant though simple toilet, received each guest -as he arrived with gracious affability. Standing close beside the open -portières, past which the eye glanced into the family living-rooms, -she was a true type of the position she holds both in home and public -life. A noble wife and mother, she has faithfully stood by her -husband’s side from the very commencement of his political career. A -Chicago paper declares that Bismarck’s wife is her husband’s private -secretary! How far this statement is true, we do not pretend to say; -but an old friend of the family has repeatedly told us that during the -saddest time that Germany has witnessed for the last fifty years, when -Bismarck, disheartened and dispirited, retired to his small property of -Schönhausen, there to vegetate as a small Prussian landowner, while -brooding moodily over all his grand political schemes, his wife never -for a moment lost heart, but was able to inspire her husband with ever -fresh courage and hope. - -A number of old friends and acquaintances quickly surrounded the -noble hostess, while the remainder of the guests streamed on towards -the billiard-room to the right, the windows of which look out on the -street. In front of one of the sofas lies a handsome bearskin—the -animal was slain by Bismarck’s own hand; and on a bracket stands the -magnificent vase, with the king’s portrait and a view of his castle, -which King William presented to the Prince after the wars of 1866. -The crowd and the heat increased every moment. The Prince, we were -told, was in the big saloon. Hurrying thither, we saw our noble -host, standing just inside the door, in animated converse with some -earlier arrivals, yet, notwithstanding, quite ready to greet every -new-comer—sometimes even stretching out both hands to right and left -with hearty welcome. How well and bright he looked! That was always -the first thing that struck one on seeing this man. His face, from his -long country sojourn at Varzin, has regained its healthy colouring; the -eyes are no longer so deeply shadowed by the overhanging brows or the -furrowed forehead of last year; his hair is of that light Saxon hue -which defies both Time and impertinent curiosity; and the figure is as -firm and upright as the youngest man there present. On this evening he -also wore his favourite and most comfortable dress—that is, uniform, -but _not_ in strict accordance with Regulation. - -Moltke’s fine thin lips are curved with an amused smile, as he observes -the Prince’s unmilitary get-up. The short smart tunic is worn open, -innocent of either sword or sword-belt, displaying an ordinary black -cloth evening waistcoat underneath. Only the most necessary orders are -worn; among them, some of those of the smaller states peep coquettishly -forth. Are these meant to fascinate the hearts of the minor invited -deputies? - -Those who have only seen Bismarck in pictures or heard him speak in the -Diet, or even met him in his walks, only know him from his official -side, and as the great statesman and dignitary. But here, inside his -own four walls, with ample leisure, and surrounded by celebrated and -patriotic men, who all, more or less, have helped to advise, combat, or -further his work, one learns to know and recognise in the Prince the -real man and intelligent companion whose mighty intellect wields the -affairs of nations. We have often heard visitors who were present at -the sittings of the Diet declare that nothing surprised them so much -as the intonation and pathos of Bismarck’s voice when speaking. His -height, his brows, his forehead, his chest, his speeches, were all far -greater and more powerful than they had imagined; but his voice, either -when giving utterance to the driest details, or when startling his -audience by some passionate appeal, had something marvellously soft and -winning in it. And they are not far wrong. One can always tell from the -Prince’s words, by the sound of his voice, what his feelings are at the -time, no matter how moderate his speech may be; and never was this more -distinct and vivid than on these Saturday evenings. - -Now he approaches our circle. ‘I wished much to see you here, -gentlemen. It is so much easier to talk and understand one another -here, than in the Diet House!’—and he shook hands all round. ‘Besides, -now, if you want to interpellate me, or one of the deputies or -privy-councillors, you can do so quietly and at your ease in a corner, -and settle the whole affair in a few minutes.’ - -The Prince was right. Never before had the necessity of familiar and -friendly intercourse been more apparent than during this session. From -various untoward causes, the most crying discords had arisen between -the deputies and the Diet, chiefly owing to neither party thoroughly -understanding the other. - -From amid the rows of deputies and councillors, emerged the portly -form of the brave ‘Red Becker,’ red in hair as well as in opinion, a -living proof that even an inborn democrat and agitator can attain a -very comfortable rotundity. Becker had surpassed himself that morning -in the Diet. He, as the permanent reporter of the Chamber of Deputies -and the Diet, on all postal, telegraphic, and railway matters, had -drastically described the frightful misuse, on the part of the princely -houses of Germany, of their right to free carriage and telegraph. He -had shown how the whole of the royal bill of fare had been telegraphed -free of charge; how endless telegraphic milliners’ and dressmakers’ -orders had been sent free between the German courts and Paris; while -the citizen’s despatch, on which probably hangs both life and property, -must wait till the royal cook has ordered a dollar’s worth of parsley -by telegraph; how, after that, all these huge parcels have to be sent -carriage free to their destination; and finally, he had proved, to the -great amusement of the House, by the genealogical almanac, that in -Lippe alone, no fewer than sixty princes and princesses had this inborn -right to postal freedom. - -He now placed himself directly in front of the Chancellor, in his -favourite attitude, with his hands behind his back, and looked up at -him with an expression which seemed to say: ‘Now, had you any idea -that this royal prerogative of free post and telegraph had been so -shamefully abused?’ - -But Bismarck only laughed heartily, saying: ‘My dear Becker, believe -me, I know of far worse things.’ - -‘Indeed! Pray, then, tell us some, Your Excellency!’ said ‘Red Becker’ -with great animation. - -‘Nay; that I cannot do,’ replied Bismarck. ‘My information comes from -the Postmaster-general at Phillipsborn; and he knows far worse things -than _I_ do.’ - -A group of people had now come in between us and the speakers. - -A servant handed round tea; but, strange to say, there was no rum, so -little has Bismarck imbibed of Russian habits and tastes, in spite of -his long sojourn at St Petersburg. - -Here, again, in front of one of the couches, lay the head and skin of -a splendid elk, another trophy of Bismarck’s prowess as a sportsman. -The walls of this room were hung with yellow Gobelins of ‘Chinese -patterns,’ and furniture to correspond. By degrees, all the guests had -gradually congregated in this room—deputies, councillors, ministers, -admirals, secretaries, all mingled together. There was none of that -reserve and strict etiquette with which ministers usually love to -surround themselves, like a wall of division between them and the -people’s representatives, none of that exclusiveness and national -party spirit which, as a rule, is always present in the Diet. Very -few uniforms were visible among the guests. The nooks and corners, in -which, according to Bismarck’s own words, the great affairs of the -state could be settled and arranged in five minutes, were now all -filled with eager talkative groups of deputies and councillors, or the -leaders of the different parties. The conversation in our neighbourhood -was carried on in a pretty loud and easy tone and without any reserve; -for there did not lurk here, as there does behind every door and in -every retiring-room of the imperial parliament, some insidious reporter -for the press. - -‘Who is that stout gentleman yonder, with the very elaborate -shirt-front, blue coat with brass buttons, and a huge and perfectly new -order of the Eagle of the third class? He tries in vain to disguise his -eastern origin.’ - -‘Is it possible you do not know him?—this man, whom Bismarck’s son in -his last pamphlet described as the greatest man of his century!—this -father of millions of—railway shares! Do you really mean to say you -do not know him? Well, then, my dear sir, you see before you Dr -Strousberg, formerly Baruch Hirsch Strousberg, of the firm of Dr Ujest, -Strousberg & Company!—Shall I introduce you?’ - -But the subject of this discourse had already joined that -arch-satirist, Von Unruh Magdeburgh, the President of the -Constitutional Prussian National Assembly. Beside him appeared the -venerable head of Simson, the perpetual President of the German -parliament. - -‘Do you know the best way of enforcing respect into our noisy -neighbours, the French?’ asked my _vis-à-vis_.—I thought of our -millions of soldiers; but he continued: ‘You need only tell them that -our three Presidents, Simson, Ujest, and Benningson, have twenty-seven -children between them—nine each.’ - -Meanwhile, the servants again came round with refreshments for the -guests; this time it was _Maitrank_,[1] in long Venetian glasses, and -magnificent silver tankards filled with sparkling ale. - -But the heat still continued to increase, and became almost unbearable. -Lasker was the first to move an amendment, to dispense with kid gloves; -and like most of Lasker’s motions, this proposition found plenty of -support among the deputies, and in this instance, even among the -councillors. - -And now the intimate friends and relations of the Chancellor invite the -guests to adjourn to the dining saloon, which is the last of the long -row of apartments we had up till now passed through. This saloon, an -oblong square, joins the apartment last described, at the right-hand -corner; only its narrow side faces the street. The decorations and -fittings-up of this dining saloon differ entirely from all the rest -of the suite. It has been kept exactly the same as when Bismarck took -it over from his predecessor; in fact, for fifty years this apartment -has remained unchanged. There still hangs the same massive chandelier -with its forty-eight candles; the same white panels with golden borders -still cover the walls; the same shell-shaped mirrors, the same yellow -marble mantel-pieces that were there under Hardenberg, Mannteuffel, and -Schleichnitz, all remain unchanged. - -‘The last time I was here I was under Mannteuffel,’ says old Count -Schwerin, the head of the Liberal party, to me, standing in his -favourite position with both his hands in his trousers’ pockets. - -The first feeling of shyness having worn away, the various dainties, in -the shape of cold game, saddle of venison, mayonnaises, Italian salads, -&c., with which the long centre table was laden, were speedily done -justice to. Even the modest Saxon privy-councillor, who three minutes -before had retreated from the table and refused the invitation with a -polite wave of the hand and a, ‘No, no; thank you!’ now followed in the -war-path of the pioneers for food. There was no time or space to think -of sitting down; each one helped himself to a plate from the piles, -placed in readiness on the table, together with the necessary table -requisites, and hastened to partake of the delicacies that had been -prepared for his delectation. A party of Saxon and Rhenish gentlemen -had succeeded in getting possession of a side-table, and there, seated -at their ease, they intrenched themselves against the annexation -tendencies of the North German League appetites; getting all their -provisions through the proper constitutional channel of the Bismarckian -domestics. - -Meanwhile, as I have so often observed before, a saddle of venison is a -most fruitful source for starting hunting adventures, and so it proved -in this case. My old friend, worthy Dr Neubronner from Nassau, whom no -one would have accused of being a bloodthirsty huntsman by nature, was -no sooner presented to Bismarck, than he reminded the minister how, in -former days, when he, Bismarck, was representative at Frankfort, they -had hunted together in the neighbourhood of that town. - -‘Of course I remember it; and very pleasant days they were,’ replied -Bismarck; and he forthwith proceeded to describe, greatly to the -amusement of the _present_ deputies of the annexed province of Nassau, -the celebrities and oddities of the Nassau and Frankfort of _that_ -day, with so much life and humour, that the merriment of this South -German group attracted general attention. The account of ‘_dicke_ -(portly) Daumer’s’ intense fear of death, or anything connected -therewith, specially amused the sons of the now Prussianised district -of Wiesbaden. Bismarck continued: ‘One fine autumn morning, I was out -hunting with “dicke Daumer” in the neighbourhood of Frankfort. After -a long and tiring climb among the mountains, we sat down to rest on -the edge of the forest, when, to my horror, I found I had brought no -luncheon with me. “Dicke Daumer,” however, drew forth a mighty sausage, -and, in the most noble and magnanimous manner, offered me half of it. -Now, gentlemen, I frankly confess to having a very good appetite, -which this morning excursion in the keen mountain air had by no means -lessened. The whole sausage would barely have sufficed to satisfy -my hunger. Our meal commenced; I saw the end of my piece of sausage -approaching; I was getting desperate! Then suddenly turning to “dicke -Daumer,” I ask in the most innocent manner possible: “Can you tell me, -Herr Daumer, what that white thing down there among the plum-trees is?” - -“Good gracious, Your Excellency, you quite take away one’s appetite!” -said Daumer, who so dreaded his latter end. “Why, that is the -churchyard!” - -“Is it really, now? Why, Herr Daumer, it looks so pretty! let us -go down and choose out some nice secluded shady nook! How calm and -peaceful it must be to rest in so sweet a spot!” - -“Oh, Your Excellency!—there—there,” and he put down the sausage: “I -cannot touch another mouthful!” - -‘And old Daumer remained firm in this. So you see, gentlemen, I had a -good luncheon after all.’ - -Universal laughter greeted this anecdote. - -‘How is it one never sees you now in the House?’ I ask a young -Thuringian who has made a name for himself both as a government lawyer -and a wit. - -‘Oh, I am busy all day now in the European “Lint Congress,”’ he replied. - -‘And pray, what may that be?’ I ask. - -‘Why, my dear sir, did you not know that is the name the Berliner wits -have given to the International Association for the care and nursing of -wounded soldiers?’ - -Two of the greatest lawyers in the world stand close beside me deep in -conversation. Every ten minutes, a fresh word is added to a paragraph -for the future North German penal code. Braun-Wiesbaden approaches and -joins the conclave, which is just discussing that much vexed question, -the abolition of capital punishment. - -‘You may make your minds easy, gentlemen, and settle to abolish capital -punishment,’ he said. - -‘Indeed! Have you, then, found a surrogate?’ - -‘I have.’ - -‘Well?’ ask the expectant lawyers with unbelieving curiosity. - -‘Why, you have only to send the delinquents to the “North German -Commission for the better Regulation of Trade”—that will settle them!’ - -But I hear Bismarck’s voice again close behind me. ‘Let us drink to -the welfare of the old blue red and gold colours of the Hannovera of -Göttingen!’ he called out to his old fellow-student, the Burgomaster -Fromme of Lüneburg. And the two ‘old collegians,’ while emptying their -glasses of sparkling Rhine wine, chat over the pleasant days of their -youth. - -Even as far back as that time, whenever Bismarck was asked what -he was studying, his answer invariably was: ‘Diplomacy.’ He was -then a very slight overgrown young student, with a fair sprouting -moustache—known everywhere by his magnificent Newfoundland dog, and -much feared on account of his skill with the sword, having, while still -an undergraduate, come off victor in several duels with members of -opposition corps; though the scar on his left cheek bears testimony to -the uncertainty attending the fate of even the most skilful of fencers. -The antagonist who inflicted this ‘quart’ now enjoys the confidence of -a great part of the North German population, so much so, that he was -elected representative for the Diet. - -When he was first presented to Bismarck, the latter, pointing to the -scar, asked: ‘Are you _the_ one?’ - -‘Yes, Your Excellency.’ - -‘Well, you certainly _did_ give it me rather hot.’ - -‘Yes, Your Excellency—that was what you said at the time; but the -“duel-book” did not concur in it, and decided you gave as good as you -got.’ - -But those diplomatic studies at Göttingen have borne visible fruits. It -is only a pity that the multifarious duties of his threefold office of -minister, Chancellor, and brandy-distiller—for he has been a distiller -for over twenty years—prevent the Prince from coming forward as the -advocate of practical diplomacy. Many a professor’s chair would be open -to him. - -The theme of the Prince’s diplomatic lecture this evening was ‘the -blue-books,’ a subject he had already ventilated the day before in the -Diet, urged thereto by Lasker. - -‘Well, gentlemen, if you absolutely wish to have a “blue-book,” I will -endeavour next year to provide one that will at least be harmless,’ he -had said amid the laughter of the House. - -Now he gave us an example of the doubtful value of these collective -despatches. ‘Say, for example, Lord Augustus Loftus comes to me and -asks me whether I am disposed to hear a private letter from his -minister, Lord Clarendon. He then reads me a short epistle in the noble -lord’s own handwriting, and we talk the matter over quietly for about -an hour. Five days after, he is again announced. This time he comes -armed with a huge official despatch from the English Foreign Office. He -commences to read. “I beg your pardon, Your Excellency!” I interrupt -him, “but you told me all that last Monday.” - -“Yes, so I did; but now the despatch has to go into the blue-book.” - -“Then I suppose I must now repeat my answer all over again, for the -benefit of your blue-book?” - -“Certainly, if Your Excellency sees no reason against it—that is what -is required.” - -“Well, I suppose I must let you have it;” and so I have to give up -another hour to him just for the sake of the blue-book, and have in -addition constantly to explain to the English ambassador: “_This_ -sentence is _not_ meant for your blue-book,” as, for instance, that -I look upon the blue-book as an essentially wordy and superfluous -institution.’ - -But it is past eleven. Gradually the numerous guests take their leave -of the Chancellor. He bids them all ‘Adieu, au revoir.’ Then passing -through the apartment where his wife and daughters were seated, -surrounded by a large circle of friends, we salute our noble hostess; -and a quarter of an hour later sees us back at the _Petersburger Hof_, -comfortably ensconced in the saloon of our hotel, and discussing the -events of the evening under the soothing influence of the peaceful pipe. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] A cool summer drink or cup, made of Rhine wine, in which the herb -_Waldmeister_ plays a prominent part. - - - - -IN ALL SHADES. - - -CHAPTER III. - -‘O Marian, do you know, I’ve met Mr Hawthorn; and what a delightful man -he is! I quite fell in love with him myself, I assure you! Wasn’t it -absurd? He came down the other morning to the boatrace; and he and a -friend of his positively jumped over the wall, without an invitation, -into old Colonel Boddington’s front garden.’ - -Marian took Nora’s hand warmly. ‘I’m so glad you like Edward,’ she -said, kissing her cheek and smoothing her forehead. ‘I was sure you’d -like him. I’ve been longing for you to come to town ever since we got -engaged, so that you might manage to see him.—Well, dear, and do you -think him handsome?’ - -‘Handsome! O Marian, awfully handsome; and so nice, too. Such a sweet -voice and manner, so grave and cultivated, somehow. I always do like -Oxford and Cambridge men—ever so much better than army men, Marian.’ - -‘Who had he with him at the boatrace?’ Marian asked. - -‘Oh, my dear, such a funny man—a Mr Noel, whom I met last week down -at the Buckleburies. Colonel Boddington says his father’s one of the -greatest swells in all Lincolnshire—a Sir Somebody Noel, or something. -And do you know, Marian, he simply jumped over the wall, without -knowing the Boddingtons one bit, just because he saw me there—wasn’t it -dreadful of him, after only meeting me once, too?—and then apologised -to the old colonel, who was looking daggers. But the moment Mr Noel -said something or other incidentally about his father Sir Somebody, -the colonel became as mild as a lamb, and asked him to lunch at once, -and tried to put him sitting right between Minnie and Adela. And Mr -Noel managed to shuffle out of it somehow, and got on one side of me, -with Mr Hawthorn on the other side; and he talked so that he kept me -laughing right through the whole of lunch-time.’ - -‘He’s awfully amusing,’ Marian said with a slight smile.—‘And I suppose -you rather liked Mr Noel, too, didn’t you, Nora?’ - -Nora shook her head energetically. ‘No, my dear; not my sort of man at -all, really. I certainly wasn’t in the least taken with him.’ - -‘Not a little bit even, Nora?’ - -‘Not even a little bit, dear,’ she answered decidedly. ‘He isn’t at -all the sort of man I should ever care for. Too dark for me, by several -shades, for one thing, Marian. You know, we West Indians never can -endure these very dark people.’ - -‘But I’m dark, Nora, and you like me, you know, don’t you?’ - -‘Oh, you. Yes; that’s quite another thing, Marian. That’s nothing, to -be dark as you are. Your hair and eyes and complexion are just perfect, -darling. But Mr Noel—well, he’s a shade or two too dark for me, anyhow; -and I don’t mind saying so to you candidly.—Mr Hawthorn’s a great deal -more my ideal of what a handsome man ought to be. I think his eyes, his -hair, and his moustache are just simply lovely, Marian.’ - -‘Why, of course, you and he ought to be friends,’ Marian said, a -natural thought flashing suddenly across her. ‘He comes from Trinidad, -just the same as you do. How funny that the two people I’ve liked best -in all the world should both come from the very same little bit of an -island. I daresay you used to know some of his people.’ - -‘That’s the very funniest part of it all, Marian. I can’t recollect -anything at all about his family; I don’t even remember ever to have -heard of them from any Trinidad people.’ - -Marian looked up quickly from the needlework on which she was employed, -and said simply: ‘I daresay they didn’t happen to know your family.’ - -‘Well, that’s just what’s odd about it, dear,’ Nora continued, pulling -out her crochet. ‘Everybody in Trinidad knows my family. And Mr -Hawthorn’s father’s in the Legislative Council, too, just like papa; -and Mr Hawthorn has been to Cambridge, you know, and is a barrister, -and knows Arabic, and is unusually clever, Mr Noel tells me. I can’t -imagine how on earth it is I’ve never even heard of him before.’ - -‘Well, at anyrate, I’m so awfully glad you really like him, now that -you’ve actually seen him, Nora. One’s always so afraid that all one’s -friends won’t like one’s future husband.’ - -‘Like him, dear; how on earth could one help liking him? Why, I -think he’s simply delightful And that’s so surprising, too, because -generally, you know, one’s friends _will_ go and marry such regular -horrid sticks of men. I think he’s the nicest man I’ve ever met -anywhere, almost.’ - -‘And the exception is——?’ - -‘Put in for propriety’s sake, dear, for fear you should think I was -quite too enthusiastic. And do you know, he tells me he’s going in -for a judgeship in Trinidad; and won’t it be splendid, Marian, if he -happens to get it, and you both go out there with me, darling? I shall -be just too delighted.’ - -Marian gave a little sigh. ‘I shall be very glad if he gets it in -one way,’ she said, ‘because then, of course, Edward and I will be -able to marry immediately; and papa’s so very much opposed to a long -engagement.’ - -‘Besides which,’ Nora put in frankly, ‘you’d naturally yourself, too, -be glad to get married as soon as possible.’ - -‘But then, on the other hand,’ Marian went on, smiling quietly, ‘it -would be a dreadful thing going so far away from all one’s friends and -relations and so forth. Though, of course, with Edward to take care of -me, I wouldn’t be afraid to go anywhere.’ - -‘Of course not,’ said Nora confidently. ‘And I shall be there, too, -Marian; and we shall have such lovely times together. People have -no end of fun in the West Indies, you know. Everybody says it’s the -most delightful place in the world in the cool season. The floors -are kept polished all the year round, without any carpets, just like -the continent, and so you can have a dance at any moment, whenever -people enough happen to drop in together accidentally of an evening. -Mamma used to say there was no end of gaiety; and that she never could -endure the stiffness and unsociability of English society, after the -hospitable habits of dear old Trinidad.’ - -‘I hope we shall like it,’ Marian said, ‘if Edward really succeeds in -getting this appointment. It’ll be a great alleviation to the pain of -parting with one’s friends here, if you’re going to be there too, Nora.’ - -‘Yes, my dear, you must get married at once, and we must arrange -somehow to go out to Trinidad together in the same steamer. I mean to -have no end of fun going out. And when you get there, of course papa’ll -be able to introduce you and Mr Hawthorn to all the society in the -island. I call it just delightful.’ - -At that moment, the servant entered and announced Mr Hawthorn. - -Marian rose from her seat and went forward to meet him. Edward had a -long official envelope in his hands, with a large broken seal in red -sealing-wax on the back, and the important words, ‘On Her Majesty’s -Service,’ printed in very big letters at the lower left-hand corner. -Marian trembled a little with excitement, not unmixed with fear, as -soon as she saw it. - -‘Well, my darling,’ cried Edward joyously, in spite of Nora’s presence, -‘it’s all right; I’ve got the judgeship. And now, Marian, we shall be -able to get married immediately.’ - -A woman always succeeds in doing the most incomprehensible and -unexpected thing under all circumstances; and Marian, hearing now for -the first time that their hearts’ desire was at last in a fair way -to be accomplished, did not exhibit those emotions Edward might have -imagined she would do, but fell back upon the sofa, half faint, and -burst out suddenly crying. - -Edward looked at her tenderly with a mingled look of surprise and -sorrow. ‘Why, Marian,’ he said, a little reproachfully, ‘I thought you -would be so delighted and rejoiced to hear the news, that I almost ran -the whole way to tell you.’ - -‘So I am, Edward,’ answered Marian, sobbing; ‘but it’s so sudden, so -very sudden.’ - -‘She’ll be all right in a minute or two, Mr Hawthorn,’ Nora said, -looking up at him with an arch smile as she held Marian’s hand in hers -and bent over her to kiss her forehead. ‘She’s only taken aback a -little at the suddenness of the surprise.—And now, Marian, we shall all -be able actually to go out to Trinidad together in the same steamer.’ - -Edward’s heart smote him rather at the strange way Marian had received -the news that so greatly delighted him. It was very natural, after all, -no doubt. Every girl feels the wrench of having to leave her father’s -house and her mother and her familiar surroundings. But still, he -somehow felt vaguely within himself that it seemed like an evil omen -for their future happiness in the Trinidad judgeship; and it dashed his -joy not a little at the moment when his dearest hopes appeared just -about to be so happily and successfully realised. - - - - -A WHALE-HUNT IN THE VARANGER FJORD. - -BY A NORWEGIAN. - - -There seems, indeed, to be no limit to the part science is destined to -play in the pursuits of man of late; but that it should lend a hand -in killing the leviathans of the sea, would hardly have been credited -a few years ago. This is, however, now a fact. Along the shores of -Arctic Norway, in latitudes seventy to seventy-one degrees north, -whale-hunting takes place annually by means of steamers and a cleverly -contrived piece of ordnance. The steamers are seventy or eighty feet -long, with very powerful engines, the number of vessels at present -engaged in this pursuit being about thirty, most of which belong to -the indefatigable hunter, Sven Foyn, of Tönsberg, the inventor of the -gun, and originator of this important industry. The gun, which plays -the leading part in the pursuit, is mounted on a platform in the prow -of the vessel, so as to have an all-round range. A shaft is passed -into the muzzle, leaving a small portion outside the nozzle, carrying -four movable hooks pointing to the gun, and placed crosswise, each of -the hooks being about eight inches long. In front of these, a large -iron ball, or shell, with a steel point, is affixed, filled with an -explosive substance. On the shaft runs an iron ring, to which a cable -is attached about the thickness of a man’s arm, which, when the shaft -is inserted in the gun, is run up to the nozzle, and secured by a -cord. When this terrible projectile is launched into the animal, the -jerk of the rope is diminished by the cord holding the ring breaking, -which latter thereby runs up to the top of the shaft. As soon as the -animal feels the wound, it makes a sudden bound, whereby the hooks on -the shaft spring into a horizontal position; by which action, again, -through an ingenious piece of mechanism, the explosive in the shell is -fired, and the latter bursts with such a force that death is almost -instantaneous. This is Foyn’s invention, on which he has spent large -sums of money and many years of his life. It need hardly be said that -the gun was, when first invented, not so perfect as at present; but -Sven Foyn has gradually improved it. - -The kinds of whales hunted in Finmarken belong to the family of -‘fin’-whales, the largest of them all being the ‘blue’-whale. The -colour is bluish gray, lighter on the under side, with long white -furrows or folds, the use of which to the animal, zoologists have not -yet discovered. This whale lives, as far as we know, solely on ‘krill,’ -a tiny crustacean, which also serves as food for the cod. It comes -inshore in Finmarken towards the end of May, and again goes to sea in -the latter half of August, whence it is also called ‘summer’-whale. -It is generally this kind of whale which is seen by travellers to the -North Cape. The next variety is the common fin-whale, which attains -a length of sixty to seventy feet, is more slender in build than the -other, black on the back, and light below. It moves very swiftly, and -is probably found off the Norwegian coast all the year round. Its food -is tiny fish and ‘krill.’ There are, besides these, two other varieties -in the same seas, of which the largest is caught. Finally, there is -the ‘trold’-whale or ‘humpback,’ forty to fifty feet in length. It is -exceedingly lively, and, when hotly pursued, _shrieks_ and lashes the -sea to froth with its tail. It is, however, not very common on the -Norwegian coast. - -It is generally believed that the whale, in spite of its enormous size, -is timid and easily put to flight; but that this is not always the -case, will be seen from some stories I was told of its stupidity or -viciousness by the fishermen last summer. Several boats, they stated, -have been struck or run down by whales, sometimes resulting in loss -of life, in consequence of which they are not loved by these toilers -of the deep. On one occasion, in May last, a whale was shot from one -of the steamers, which, by taking refuge right under the stern of the -vessel, succeeded in breaking the rope, as the captain was afraid of -losing his screw, if moving. The whale, feeling free, took a few turns -round the vessel, and then ran full tilt at the stern, with such a -force, that the keel was bent for several yards, and screw and rudder -carried away. Having thus satisfied its revenge, it made leisurely for -the ocean. - -With these preliminary observations, I will proceed to describe a -whale-hunt on the shores of the Land of the Midnight Sun, according to -my own experiences of this summer. - -It is a lovely sunlit evening at the end of July, when we steam out -from one of the pretty little fjords in the South Varanger. The air -is clear and balmy, and the sea lies before us transparent as a -mirror, dark green in colour. The mountains in the south stand out as -though carved on the dark background, while their shapely cones are -reflected in the mirror at their foot. Not a patch of snow or ice is -seen anywhere. By degrees, the copse-covered hills and birch groves -at the bottom of the fjord are lost in the distance, and through -its mouth we behold the broad mighty Varanger fjord, the greatest -in Northern Norway. To the north, the view is arrested by lofty -mountains, enveloped in an azure veil; the sun is still high in the -sky, though it is past eight o’clock; and to the west we look down -into the Varanger fjord, where giant chains of sombre cones stand out -in picturesque contrast to the view before us. To the east, there is -but one view—sky and sea. We are on the confines of the great Arctic -Ocean. Under these promising auspices, we anticipated a good and quick -catch, as the whale has that feeling in common with man, that he loves -sunshine and a calm sea. In such weather he comes inshore, gamboling -in the sun’s rays, whilst from time to time leisurely disposing of a -few bushels of ‘krill’ for supper, before proceeding to sea for the -night. (By-the-bye, when travelling for pleasure in Arctic Norway, the -period July-August should be chosen. True, one runs the risk of not -seeing the midnight sun, which disappears in the latter half of July; -but by way of recompense, there is no time of the year when nature in -these regions stands forth in such colours as just then.) However, -just now the Varanger seems rather out of temper; the weather thickens -a little, and it begins to blow. No whale is in sight. A little while -ago, there were a few ‘puffs’ down in the eastern horizon; but they are -gone now; perhaps the supper has not been dainty or plentiful enough -about us; there is neither whale nor bait to be seen. From time to -time, a solitary seabird flits rapidly by, towards shore; he has been -fetching his supper. Night slowly casts her veil over the ocean. We are -soon far enough out; so the engines are ordered ‘slow,’ and everybody -turns in who is not on the watch. We (officers and the writer) go aft -to the captain’s cabin, where we make ourselves as comfortable as -circumstances will permit, in order to snatch a few moments of rest, in -which we soon succeed, lulled to sleep by the gentle rippling of the -icy arctic waves as they lick the sides of the vessel. - -At first streak of dawn in the east we are called. There are whales -about. The boilers are fired under; we turn out, and see at a great -distance some ‘puffs;’ but the captain remarks that they are only -a few making for the fjord. They are soon out of sight; it is no -use attempting to follow them. We again lie down to rest, but in -vain—sleep has fled. We dress, and breakfast is served. The steward -appears with a steaming pot of coffee and fresh bread—a true luxury. -On this occasion, there being a guest on board, we are also treated -to real cream; but otherwise a substitute of preserved milk and -sugar, of home manufacture, is served. The demands of the body being -satisfied, the mind also craves sustenance, and a pipe soon makes it -contented. The captain offers, indeed, a cigar; but a pipe is far -preferable, and looks more ‘ship-shape’ too. Towards noon we are off -Rybatschi-Polostrow (the fisherman’s peninsula). The peninsula is -very low and sandy; inland, we see a ridge of mountains; around us, -thousands of seabirds whirl with plaintive cries; but no whale is seen. -They are, however, generally plentiful here; at times, there are even -enormous shoals of them, particularly when the fishing draws eastwards, -as the bait is then found here, which is what the whale likes. But -now, during the summer months, they are more scattered. It is already -past the mid-day meal, and still we have seen nothing. We go below a -little disappointed, whilst the steamer’s course is shaped for Vardö. -Since last night there has been blowing a stiff breeze, and the sea is -in foam in some places. The waves increase in size, and the steamer -begins to roll. The smoke and the rest below are of short duration, -so we go again on deck to look for ‘puffs.’ Now and then, the ship -heels over; a hogshead or two of water comes swishing over the port -bow, but does no harm, as we are dressed in sailor’s boots, a thick -coat, and sou’-wester. I stare till I am tired at the green sea and -the foam-crested waves, as they come rolling towards the vessel. My -face becomes coated with a layer of salt, which settles there, when -the foam of the waves is swept on board, as the ship plunges into the -trough of the sea. If not accustomed to the arctic sea-air, one soon -gets frightfully tired, and is obliged to rest, so, after being on the -watch for a while, I went below and lay down. Soon sleep irresistibly -overpowers me, thoughts become dreams, while the rolling of the ship -feels like the gentle swing in a hammock; in fact, I am fast asleep, -when a voice thunders down the companion: ‘Turn out—whales in sight!’ I -jump up with a start, unable at first to remember where I am; but soon -the consciousness of being on a whale-hunt becomes clear, and I rush on -deck, fearing to lose any part of the grand spectacle. - -What a change! Now, every wave has a snow-white cap; they tower high on -all sides, and the vessel is tossed to and fro like a toy. Gulls and -teistes sweep rapidly along the furrows between the waves, rise nearly -perpendicularly as the wave breaks, and, just clearing the comb, dive -into the next watery valley. ‘Look, look, what a tremendous puff!’ -‘That’s a big one.’ ‘Look, look—puff, puff!’ ‘There are a good many -here.’ - -We are in the middle of a flock of the giants of the sea. The enormous -brown and blue bodies rise out of the sea; the back is bent upwards—it -looks like the bottom of a capsized ship; it disappears; but the sea -becomes almost calm where the whale went down, and several minutes -elapse before the waves are able to conquer the calm. From time to -time, deep dull snorts are heard, thundering and trembling, as if -the deepest strings of a dozen double-basses were being played down -below; and at others, a sharp swishing sound like an enormous fountain -suddenly set to play, and a column of crystal spray ascends some -thirty feet into the air. The gigantic, glistening body appears on the -surface; the back is bent upwards a second, and it again disappears. -It looks as if the whale was warm and comfortable enough; the -sea-water, to us looking so cold, plays pleasantly around it; hot steam -issues from its dilated nostrils, and it seems like a man enjoying a -refreshing morning dip. - -During the last quarter of an hour we have seen some forty whales; -but none has come within range. The gun has no certainty much beyond -thirty yards, so that the whale must be nearly under the ship’s bow -when firing. As we stand looking at this magnificent spectacle, the -water close round the ship suddenly becomes light green in colour and -somewhat calm. Then a deep heavy thunder; the ship trembles from stem -to stern; a great column of dampness is shot into the air, drenching us -all, a dull snort, and an enormous blue-whale rises out of the sea a -few yards on our starboard side. Now the captain will fire, we think, -involuntarily holding on to the wire-rigging; but Foyn stands by his -gun without making the least movement, and the next second the whale -again descends into its watery home. The range was probably not a good -one. A few minutes after, the same thunder, the same sensation, the -same column, and the same snort—another whale appears close on the port -side. The captain turns the gun, whilst we watch with beating hearts -the movements of the animal as well as his own. Every second seems -an eternity. He raises the gun, aims. Alas! a heavy sea strikes the -vessel, heels her over; the gun is lowered, but the whale is gone. They -seem all to have disappeared now, not a puff to be seen. We stand and -talk about the incident, and somebody suggests to go aft and ‘have a -smoke;’ when suddenly two whales are seen some distance off, now going -side by side, now behind each other. The helm is turned, and we follow -them in hot haste through wind and waves. A complete silence reigns on -board during the pursuit, only now and then broken by the captain’s -short words of command, who stands calmly watching the animals. Now the -vessel heels over—the whales are within range. ‘Stop,’ sounds in the -engine-room. But the speed was too great, and we shoot past them. ‘Full -speed ahead,’ sounds again. ‘Two men at the helm!’ The vessel turns -swiftly, and we separate the couple. The whales disappear. We follow -the direction they are taking, and look!—a little before us the sea -becomes emerald green. ‘Slow,’ again. The vessel moves slowly forward, -and the whale reappears twenty yards off. ‘Stop,’ shouts the captain. -The gun is turned, raised, and again lowered—not a sound is heard on -board—the whale has puffed—the back is bending; the captain aims—and a -thundering report rends the air, and makes the vessel tremble in every -section. We have watched all this with every nerve strained, and hardly -feel the icy foam of the sea which bedews the cheek and benumbs the -hands. - -‘Did you hit him?’ we shout to the captain. - -‘Don’t know,’ is the laconic answer. ‘Almost absurd to attempt it in -such a sea; one risks losing the gear and frightening the whale.’ - -In the meantime all the crew are busy clearing the line of the harpoon, -and we are still in doubt whether we have hit him; but the suspense -does not last long, as immediately a ‘Look out!’ is shouted by the -captain, and the line runs out with terrific speed and a great noise. -‘Full speed ahead,’ is shouted below; but the ship is running double -her highest speed, such is the strength of the whale which has her in -tow. The animal is fleeing at the top of its speed, and we follow right -through the breaking seas. Ten minutes pass by—they seem ten hours—when -suddenly a blood-streaked column of water is seen on the horizon. -It is our whale! Another moment, and a clear one is seen. It is his -companion, which follows her wounded mate. Both go down; the line does -not run out so fast; the wounded whale appears once or twice more, when -he sinks. The whale is dead. After a while, the hauling-in begins very -carefully, and finally the great body rises to the surface, the ship -heeling over. After a few hours’ hard work in securing the monster to -the vessel with chains and ropes, the course is shaped for home. - -‘What do you think of it, captain?’ I ask. - -‘Not bad,’ he answers simply.—‘Steward, give the crew a drink all -round! And let us have something to eat.’ - -The whale measured more than eighty feet in length. - -Once more his widowed mate takes a turn round the ship, when she -stands out to sea; whilst we, with our noble spoil in tow, slowly make -for the whale-station in South Varanger. - - - - -A GOLDEN ARGOSY. - -_A NOVELETTE._ - - -CHAPTER III. - -Mr Carver of Bedford Row, in the county of Middlesex, was exercised -in his mind; and the most annoying part of it was that he was so -exercised at his own trouble and expense; that is to say, he was not -elucidating some knotty legal point at the charge of a client, but he -was speculating over one of the most extraordinary events that had -ever happened to him in the whole course of his long and honourable -career. The matter stood briefly thus: His client, Charles Morton, of -Eastwood, Somersetshire, died on the 9th of April in the year of grace -1882. On the 1st of May 1880, Mr Carver had made the gentleman’s will, -which left all his possessions, to the amount of some forty thousand -pounds, to his niece, Eleanor Attewood. Six months later, Mr Morton’s -half-sister, Miss Wakefield, took up her residence at Eastwood, and -from that time everything had changed. Eleanor had married the son -of a clergyman in the neighbourhood, and at the instigation of his -half-sister, Mr Morton had disinherited his niece; and one year before -he died, had made a fresh will, leaving everything to Miss Wakefield. -Mr Carver, be it remarked, strongly objected to this injustice, seeing -the baleful influence which had brought it about; and had he been able -to find Eleanor, he hoped to alter the unjust state of things. But she -disappeared with her husband, and left no trace behind her; so the -obnoxious will was proved. - -Then came the most extraordinary part of the affair. With the exception -of a few hundreds in the bank at Eastwood, for household purposes, not -a single penny of Mr Morton’s money could be found. All his property -was mortgaged to a high amount; all his securities were disposed of, -and not one penny could be traced. The mortgages on the property were -properly drawn up by a highly respectable solicitor at Eastwood, -the money advanced by a man of undoubted probity; and further, the -money had been paid over to Mr Morton one day early in the year 1883. -Advertisements were inserted in the papers, in fact everything was done -to trace the missing money, but in vain. All Miss Wakefield had for -her pains and trouble was a poor sum of about eleven hundred pounds, -so she had to retire again to her genteel poverty in a cheap London -boarding-house. - -This melancholy fact did not give Mr Carver any particular sorrow; -he disliked that lady, and was especially glad that her deep cunning -and underhand ways had frustrated themselves. In all probability, he -thought, Mr Morton had in a fit of suspicion got hold of all his ready -cash and securities, for the purpose of balking the fair lady whom he -had made his heiress; but nevertheless the affair was puzzling, and Mr -Carver hated to be puzzled. - -Mr Carver stood in his office in Bedford Row, drumming his fingers on -the grimy window-panes and softly whistling. Nothing was heard in the -office but the scratch of the confidential clerk’s quill pen as he -scribbled out a draft for his employer’s inspection. - -‘This is a very queer case, Bates, very queer,’ said Mr Carver, -addressing his clerk. - -‘Yes, sir,’ replied Mr Bates, continuing the scratching. That gentleman -possessed the instinct of always being able to divine what his chief -was thinking of. Therefore, when Mr Bates said ‘Yes, sir,’ he knew that -the Eastwood mystery had been alluded to. - -‘I’d most cheerfully give—let me see, what would I give? Well, I -wouldn’t mind paying down my cheque for’—— - -‘One thousand pounds, sir. No, sir; I don’t think you would.’ - -‘You’re a wonderful fellow, Bates,’ said his admiring master. ‘’Pon my -honour, Bates, that’s the exact sum I was going to mention.’ - -‘It _is_ strange, sir,’ said the imperturbable Bates, ‘that you and I -always think the same things. I suppose it is being with you so long. -Now, if I was to _think_ you would give me a partnership, perhaps you -would think the same thing too.’ - -‘Bates,’ said Mr Carver earnestly, never smiling, as was his wont, at -his clerk’s quiet badinage, ‘if we unravel this mystery, as I hope we -may, I’ll tell you what, Bates, don’t be surprised if I give you a -partnership.’ - -‘Ah, sir, if we unravel it. Now, if we could only find’—— - -‘Miss Eleanor. Just what I was thinking.’ - -At this moment a grimy clerk put his head in at the door. - -‘Please, sir, a young person of the name of Seaton.’ - -‘It is Miss Eleanor, by Jove!’ said Bates, actually excited. - -‘Wonderful!’ said Mr Carver. - -In a few seconds the lady was ushered into the presence of Mr Carver. -She was tall and fair, with a style of beauty uncommon to the people -of to-day. Clad from head to foot in plain black, hat, jacket, and -dress cut with a simplicity almost severe, and relieved only by a -white collar at the throat, there was something in her air and bearing -which spoke of a culture and breeding not easily defined in words, but -nevertheless unmistakable. It was a face and figure that men would look -at and turn again to watch, even in the busy street. Her complexion -was almost painfully perfect in its clear pallid whiteness, and the -large dark lustrous eyes shone out from the marble face with dazzling -brightness. She had a perfect abundance of real golden hair, looped up -in a great knot behind; but the rebellious straying tresses fell over -her broad low forehead like an aureole round the head of a saint. - -For a few moments she regarded Mr Carver with a faint, wavering, -unsteady smile. That gentleman tried to speak, and then blew his nose -with unnecessary and ostentatious violence. - -‘Don’t you know me, Mr Carver?’ she said at length. - -‘My dear Eleanor, my dear Eleanor, do sit down!’ This was the person -whom he had been longing for two years to see, and Mr Carver, cool as -he was, was rather knocked off his balance for a moment. - -‘Poor child! Why, why didn’t you come and see me before?’ - -‘Pride, Mr Carver—pride,’ she replied, with a painful air of assumed -playfulness. - -‘But surely pride did not prevent your coming to see your old friend?’ - -‘Indeed, it did, Mr Carver. You would not have me part with one of my -few possessions?’ - -‘Nonsense, nonsense!’ said the lawyer, with assumed severity. ‘Now, -sit down there, and tell me everything you have done for the last two -years.’ - -‘It is soon told. When my uncle—poor deluded man—turned me, as he -did, out of his house on account of my marriage, something had to be -done; so we came to London. For two years my husband has been trying -to earn a living by literature. Far better had he stayed in the -country and taken to breaking stones or working in the fields. It is -a bitter life, Mr Carver. The man who wants to achieve fortune that -way must have a stout heart; he must be devoid of pride and callous to -failure. If I had all the eloquence of a Dickens at my tongue’s end, I -could not sum up two years’ degradation and bitter miserable poverty -and disappointment better than in the few words, “Trying to live by -literature.”—However, it is useless to struggle against it any longer. -Mr Carver, sorely against my inclination, I have come to you to help -us.’ - -‘My dear child, you hurt me,’ said Mr Carver huskily, ‘you hurt me; you -do indeed. For two years I have been searching for you everywhere. You -have only to ask me, and you know anything I can I will do.’ - -‘God bless you,’ replied Eleanor, with the gathering tears thick in her -eyes. ‘I know you will. I knew that when I came here. How can I thank -you?’ - -‘Don’t do anything of the sort; I don’t want any thanks. But before you -go, I will do something for you. Now, listen to me. Before your uncle -died’—— - -‘Died! Is he dead?’ - -‘How stupid of me. I didn’t know’—— - -Mr Carver stopped abruptly, and paused till the natural emotions called -forth in the young lady’s mind had had time to expend themselves. She -then asked when the event had happened. - -‘Two years ago,’ said Mr Carver. ‘And now, tell me—since you last saw -him, had you any word or communication from him in any shape or form? -Any letter or message?’ - -Eleanor shook her head, half sadly, half scornfully. - -‘You don’t seem to know Miss Wakefield,’ she said. ‘No message was -likely to reach me, while _she_ remained at Eastwood.’ - -‘No; I suppose not. So you have heard nothing? Very good. Now, a most -wonderful thing has happened. When your uncle died and his will came to -be read, he had left everything to Miss Wakefield. No reason to tell -you that, I suppose? Now comes the strangest part of the story. With -the exception of a few hundreds in the local bank, not a penny can be -found. All the property has been mortgaged to the uttermost farthing; -all the stock is sold out; and, in fact, nothing is left but Eastwood, -which, as you know, is a small place, and not worth much. We have been -searching for two years, and not a trace can we find.’ - -‘Perhaps Miss Wakefield is hiding the plunder away,’ Eleanor suggested -with some indifference. - -‘Impossible,’ eagerly exclaimed Mr Carver—‘impossible. What object -could she have in doing so? The money was clearly left to her; and it -is not likely that a woman so fond of show would deliberately choose to -spend her life in a dingy lodging-house.’ - -‘And Eastwood?’ - -‘Is empty. It will not let, neither can we sell it.’ - -‘So Miss Wakefield is no better off than she was four years ago!’ -Eleanor said calmly. ‘Come, Mr Carver, that is good news, at anyrate. -It almost reconciles me to my position.’ - -‘Nelly, I wish you would not speak so,’ said Mr Carver seriously. ‘It -hurts me. You were not so hard at one time.’ - -‘Forgive me, my dear old friend,’ she replied simply. ‘Only consider -what a life we have been leading for the past two years, and you will -understand.’ - -‘And your husband?’ - -‘Killing himself,’ she said; ‘wearing out body and soul in one long -struggle for existence. It hurts me to see him. Always hoping, and -always working, always smiling and cheerful before me; and ever the -best of men and husbands. Dear friend, if you knew what he is to me, -and saw him as I do day after day, literally wearing out, you would -consider my seeming hardness pardonable. I am rebellious, you know.’ - -‘No, no,’ said Mr Carver, a suspicious gleam behind his spectacles; -‘I can understand it. The only thing I blame you for is that you did -not come to me before. You know what a lonely old bachelor I am, and -how—how rich I am. It would have been a positive kindness of you to -come and see me.—Now, listen. On Sunday, you and your husband must come -and dine with me. You know the old Russell Square address?’ - -‘God bless you for a true friend!’ said Eleanor, her tears flowing -freely now. ‘We will come; and I may bring my little girl with me?’ - -‘Eh, what?’ replied the lawyer—‘little girl? Of course, of course! Then -we will talk over old times, and see what can be done to make those -cheeks look a little like they used to do.—So you have got a little -girl, have you? Dear, dear, how the time goes!—Now, tell me candidly, -do you want any assistance—any, ah—that is—a little—in short, money?’ - -Eleanor coloured to the roots of her hair, and was about to reply -hastily, but said nothing. - -‘Yes, yes,’ said Mr Carver rapidly.—‘I think, Bates’—— - -But Mr Bates already had his hand on the cheque-book, and commenced to -fill in the date. Mr Carver gave him a look of approbation, and flashed -him a sign with his fingers signifying the amount. - -‘I suppose you have some friends?’ he continued hastily, to cover -Eleanor’s confusion. ‘It’s a poor world that won’t stand one good -friend.’ - -‘Yes, we have one,’ replied Eleanor, her face lighting up with a tender -glow—‘a good friend. You have heard of Jasper Felix the author? He is -far the best friend we have.’ - -‘Heard of Felix! I should think I have. Read every one of his books. I -am glad to hear of his befriending you. I knew the man who writes as he -does must have a noble heart.’ - -‘He has. What we should have done without his assistance, I shudder to -contemplate. I honestly believe that not one of my husband’s literary -efforts would have been accepted, had it not been for him.’ - -‘I can’t help thinking, Nelly, that there is a providence in these -things, and I feel that better days are in store for you. Anyway, it -won’t be my fault if it is not so. I have a presentiment that things -will come out all right in the end, and I fancy that your uncle’s -fortune is hidden away somewhere; and if it is hidden away, it must be, -I cannot help thinking, for your benefit.’ - -‘Don’t count upon it, Mr Carver,’ said Eleanor calmly. ‘I look upon the -money as gone.’ - -‘Nonsense!’ said that gentleman cheerfully; ‘while there is life -there is hope. I begin to feel that I am playing a leading character -in a romance; I do, indeed! Firstly, your uncle dies, and his -fortune is lost; secondly, you disappear; and at the very moment -I am longing—literally longing—to see you, you turn up. Now, all -that remains is to find the hidden treasure, and to be happy ever -afterwards, like the people in a fairy tale.’ - -‘Always enthusiastic,’ laughed Eleanor. ‘All we have to do is to -discover a mystic clue to a buried chest of diamonds, only we lack the -clue.’ - -‘’Pon my word, my dear, do you know I really think you have hit it?’ -replied Mr Carver with great solemnity. ‘Now, at the time you left -Eastwood, your companion Margaret was in the house; and after your -uncle’s death, she disappeared. From a little hint Miss Wakefield -dropped to me, your old friend was in the sickroom alone with your -uncle the day he died.’ - -‘Alone? and then disappeared,’ said Eleanor, all trace of apathy gone, -and her eyes shining with interest. - -‘Alone. Now, if we could only find Margaret Boulton’—— - -Eleanor rose from her seat, and approached Mr Carver slowly. Then she -said calmly: ‘There is no difficulty about that; she is at my house -now. I found her only last night on Waterloo Bridge—in fact, I saved -her.’ - -‘Saved her? Didn’t I say there was a providence in it? Saved her?’ - -‘From suicide!’ - - * * * * * - -A quarter of an hour later, Eleanor was standing outside Mr Carver’s -office, evidently seeking a companion. From the bright flush on her -face and the sparkle in her eyes, hope—and a strong hope—had revived. -She stood there, quite unconscious of the admiration of passers-by, -sweeping the street in search of her quest. Presently the object -she was seeking came in view. He was a tall man, of slight figure, -with blue eyes deeply sunk in a face far from handsome, but full of -intellectual power and great character; a heavy, carelessly trimmed -moustache hid a sensitive mouth, but did not disguise a bright smile. -That face and figure was a famous one in London, and people there -turned in the busy street to watch Jasper Felix, and admire his rugged -powerful face and gaunt figure. He came swinging down the street now -with firm elastic step, and treated Eleanor to one of his brightest -smiles. - -‘Did you think I had forgotten you?’ he said. ‘I have been prowling -about Gray’s Inn Road, for, sooth to say, the air of Bedford Row does -not agree with me.’ - -‘I hope I have not detained you,’ said Eleanor timidly; ‘I know how -valuable your time is to you.’ - -‘My dear child, don’t mention it,’ replied the great novelist lightly; -‘my time has been well occupied. First, I have been watching a fight -between two paviors. Do you know it is quite extraordinary how those -powerful men can knock each other about without doing much harm. Then -I have been having a long chat with an intellectual chimney-sweep—a -clever man, but a great Radical. I have spent quite an enjoyable -half-hour.’ - -‘A half-hour! Have I been so long? Mr Felix, I am quite horrified at -having taken up so much of your time.’ - -‘Awful, isn’t it,’ he laughed lightly. ‘Well, you won’t detain me much -longer, for here you are close at home.—Now, I will just run into Fleet -Street on my own business, and try and sell this little paper of your -husband’s at the same time. I’ll call in this afternoon; only, mind, -you must look as happy as you do now.’ - -Jasper Felix made his way through a court into Holborn, and along -that busy thoroughfare till he turned down Chancery Lane. Crossing -the street by the famous _Griffin_, he disappeared in one of the -interminable courts leading out of Samuel Johnson’s favourite -promenade, Fleet Street. The object of his journey was here. On the -door-plate was the inscription, ‘The _Midas Magazine_,’ and beneath the -legend, ‘First Floor.’ Ascending the dingy stair, he stopped opposite -a door on which, in white letters, was written the word ‘Editor.’ At -this door he knocked. It was not the timid rap of a literary aspirant, -but the important tap of a man who knew that he was welcome. Without -pausing for a reply, he pushed open the door. - -‘How de do, Simpson?’ said Mr Felix, with a look of amusement in his -blue eyes. - -‘Glad to see you, Felix,’ said the editor of the _Midas_ cordially. ‘I -thought you had forgotten us. I hope you have something for our journal -in your pocket.’ - -‘I _have_ something in my pocket to show you,’ answered Felix, ‘and I -think you will appreciate it.’ - -‘Is it something of your own?’ queried the man of letters. - -‘No, it is not; and, what is more, I doubt if I could write anything so -good myself. I know when you have seen it, you will accept it.’ - -‘Um! I don’t know,’ replied the editor dubiously. ‘You see, I am simply -inundated with amateur efforts. Of course, sometimes I get something -good; but usually—— Now, if the matter in discussion was a manuscript -of your own’—— - -‘Now, seriously, Simpson, what do you care for me or anything of mine? -It is the name you want, not the work. You know well enough what sells -magazines of the _Midas_ type. It is not so much the literary matter as -the name. The announcement that the next month’s _Midas_ will contain -the opening chapters of a new serial by some one with a name, is quite -sufficient to increase your circulation by hundreds.’ - -‘’Pon my honour, you’re very candid,’ rejoined Mr Simpson. ‘But what is -this wonderful production you have?’ - -‘Well, I’ll leave it with you. You need not trouble to read it, -because, if you don’t take it, I know who will.’ - -‘What do you want for this triumph of genius?’ - -‘Well, in a word, ten pounds. Take it or leave it.’ - -‘If you say it is worth it, I suppose I must oblige you.’ - -‘That is a good way of putting it; and it will oblige me. But mark -me—this man will some day confer favours by writing for you, instead -of, as you regard it at present, favouring him.’ - -The proprietor of the _Midas_ sighed gently. The idea of paying over -ten pounds to an unknown contributor was not nice, but the fact of -offending Felix was worse. - -‘If,’ said he, harping on the old string, and shaking his head with a -gentle deprecating motion—‘if it was one of yours now’—— - -‘What confounded nonsense you talk!’ exclaimed Felix impatiently. - -‘Don’t get wild, Felix,’ replied Mr Simpson soothingly. ‘I will take -your protégé’s offering, to oblige you.’ - -‘But I don’t want you to oblige me. I want you to accept—and pay for—an -article good enough for anything. It is a fair transaction; and if -there is any favour about it, then it certainly is not on your side.’ - -Mr Simpson showed his white teeth in a dazzling smile. ‘Well, Felix, I -do admire your assurance,’ he said loftily. ‘I never heard the matter -put in that light before. My contributors, as a rule, don’t point their -manuscript at my head metaphorically, and demand speedy insertion and -prompt pay.—Do you want a cheque for this manuscript now?’ - -‘Yes, you may as well give me the cash now.’ - -Mr Simpson drew a cheque for the desired amount, and passed it over to -Felix, who folded the pink slip and placed it in his pocket; whereupon -the conversation drifted into other channels. - - - - -REVOLUTION BELOW-STAIRS. - - -The relations of employer and employed in private life and in public -are in a state of transition. The foundations of society itself are -undergoing drastic modifications, which will either sap or enhance -its strength. The air is charged with reform in every department of -social life. The very conditions of existence are more or less in -the crucible. The connection between man and man, between woman and -man, between man and the State, or woman and the State, are every one -of them passing through an ordeal of stringent examination. In no -direction is the old order of things vanishing more rapidly than in -the household. The relations of mistress and maid are not to-day what -they were yesterday, or what they will be to-morrow. A hundred years -ago, servants were more part and parcel of the establishment than they -are now. They entered a family, in the majority of cases, whilst they -were young, and marriage or death was the only cause of separation -in general. It never occurred to the domestic of the past to ‘give -notice,’ any more than it occurred to the mistress to dismiss her -servants, on the slightest provocation. - -We need not travel far to ascertain what are the agencies which have -wrought the change. The same influences which are every day giving -the working classes increased power have affected in at least an -equally pronounced degree the domestic employee. In 1886, the footman -or the housemaid, the butler or the cook, is perhaps as well educated -as were many heads of households in 1786. If the upper classes are -now more cultured than they were in the olden days, so are the lower -classes. Advertising mediums, cheapness and ease of locomotion, and the -ever-spreading education of the masses, were boons undreamed of by the -‘Jeames’ whom Thackeray portrayed. Before these results of our progress -were realised, the sphere within which the energies of servants found -play was exceedingly limited. Beyond the locality in which they lived -and the immediate circle of their master’s acquaintances, the world was -to them little more than a blank and a mystery. To-day, they are nearly -as familiar with the world as are their masters. - -The sooner this is understood and appreciated, the better for the -peace and stability of households. It is an invariable rule that the -most contented homes are those in which the servant is treated with -the greatest respect. Servants must be servants. No one but a lunatic -would suggest that they had any right to enter the drawing-room or -the dining-room on a footing of equality with its owner. But not less -idiotic is it to imagine that they will much longer consent to be -regarded as only one degree removed from the beast of burden. Their -opportunities for acquiring knowledge are so manifold that it would -be wonderful if this were not the case. Ladies and gentlemen sitting -round their table are apt to forget that the man or maid waiting upon -them has ears, and that their comments on life and the way the world is -wagging, cannot fail to excite attention on the part of the domestic. -Topics thrashed out in the dining-room or drawing-room are frequently -carried below-stairs, and there subjected to a similar process, though -it may be on very different lines. The result, equally with that of -love as defined by Kenelm Chillingly, must inevitably be ‘a disturbance -of the mental equilibrium.’ - -The unrest which characterises society itself characterises every -section of the community. To ‘better’ themselves is the lifelong -aim of servants in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Good -servants are already at a premium. The complaint is constantly made -that whilst domestics are more independent than of yore, their work -is less carefully attended to. Those who understand the forces at work -in our midst have no difficulty in recognising that, as time goes on, -first-class servants will become rarer still. Preposterous as it may -seem, this phenomenon is only another phase of the ‘social status’ -question. There is, quite without reason, attaching to service a -certain disposition on the part of many of our domestics to resent the -washing-up of dishes or the cleaning of a floor. - -The rule is not, of course, absolute, and there are many really good -servants who enter a family and stay in it a number of years. But -the tendency of the period is nomadic. In some quarters, there is a -disposition to account for the perpetual changing of servants on the -ground that servants love change. This is not altogether accurate. -Many dislike nothing so much as fresh faces and fresh work, and -are by no means eager to enter upon the duties of their new home. -Others, however, leave one situation with the express hope that -they may never enter another, and if employment of a different kind -offers, eagerly avail themselves of it, albeit generally to their own -disadvantage. Thousands of young men and women in every way qualified -for service are swamping many callings. Milliners, dressmakers, clerks, -shop-assistants—what a host might be found in the ranks of these who -would constitute first-class recruits for private service! It is a -fact, that whilst their numbers are on the increase, the numbers of -domestics are almost stationary. During the decade 1871 to 1881, the -census proved that indoor servants had increased by only one per cent., -and consequently, proportionately to the increase of population, were -scarcer in 1881 than ten years before. On the other hand, clerks -had doubled; milliners had increased by nearly nineteen per cent.; -dressmakers, by nearly eight per cent.; and seamstresses, by over five -per cent. - -These figures afford food for reflection. A large proportion of the -young men and women to whom they refer are earning barely enough -to keep body and soul together. In most cases they are a load upon -the shoulders of their friends. For some months of the year the -majority are without work. When they are in work, their money will -never more than cover immediate wants. Would they not be better off -beneath the gentleman’s roof with regular food and regular money? No -one who knows anything at all about them will hesitate for a moment -to reply in the affirmative. ‘Why, then,’ it will be, and often is -asked, ‘do they not go into service?’ It would be found that if they -applied for a situation in the household to-morrow, they would want to -become ladies’-maids or valets. This disposition is to be explained -on two grounds. First, exceptional privileges attach to the personal -attendant; secondly, the lower grades of the domestic calling are still -regarded with the feelings to which George Eliot gave expression in her -dissertation on servants’ logic. The ordinary servant is too frequently -and often unjustly branded with the mark of servility and ignorance not -only among the upper classes, but to some extent among the industrial -classes. To be ‘only a servant’ is, in the society in which the artisan -or the clerk moves, to be entitled to less consideration than is given -to those who follow a more independent calling. Just as it is the -genius of the stage who alone is recognised in the best society, so it -is only a few servants who have the power of impressing those with whom -they come in contact with their worth, who secure friends outside the -domestic circle. - -The growing antipathy to service is a sign of the times which has to -be reckoned with. Nor is this wonderful. No class of the community -are kept to so perpetual a round of labour as the domestic servant. -With the exception of an occasional afternoon or evening—often it is -not more than once in a fortnight—those who live below-stairs rarely -have an hour which they can call entirely their own. They may perhaps -frequently have an opportunity of getting through their work early -in the day, but they must not leave the house till they have asked -permission. Again, they may stay in the same family for many years. But -what do they gain by it? There is in England no such recognition of -long and faithful service as exists in Germany. Seven years ago, the -Empress of the Fatherland instituted a Long Service Order, and since -that time many hundreds of domestic servants who have lived with the -same master and mistress for forty years, have received from royalty -diplomas and golden crosses. - -Is such an Order impossible in Great Britain? Could we not modify and -adapt it to ourselves? If a person is to work well for any length of -time, some motive must be found. Why should not a system of rewards be -adopted? No one can doubt that if a lady, when engaging a domestic, -said, ‘Supposing you stay with me and perform your duties to the best -of your ability for ten years, I will, in consideration thereof, -present you at the termination of your engagement with twenty-five -pounds,’ the effect would be beneficial. On condition of being assured -that the money was safe, many servants, for the sake of the bonus, -would consent to accept lesser wages than they receive at present. Even -though the plan now suggested cost a few pounds more than would be -spent under existing circumstances, would not the freedom from worry -and anxiety be ample compensation? The outlay, however, would probably -amount to little more than is now expended in advertising, in paying -fares to and from the house for the purpose of interviews, and in -various other ways incidental to the constantly recurring necessity of -engaging servants. - -Further, there can be no reason why mistresses should not agree to let -each of their servants have a certain number of hours during the week -which they may consider their own. The one drawback to service, in the -eyes of many who would be better off in service than they are now, -is, that they cannot have the evenings which at present are at their -disposal. If the housewife gives the matter a little thought, she will -see that this is an enigma the solution of which is not impracticable. -The future must be pregnant with reform in the relations between the -occupants of the drawing-room and of the servants’ hall. If masters -and mistresses are wise, they will rob the revolutionary spirit of -the age of any force it may have, by anticipating in a generous and -liberal-handed manner claims which, if ignored, may result in a -condition of things as undesirable as that which to-day obtains in -Australia, where servants, at least as they are known in the old -country, are non-existent. - - - - -A SUBAQUEOUS EXCURSION. - - -Our good-fortune in obtaining permission to descend a caisson of the -gigantic Forth Bridge—which when completed will be one of the most -stupendous railway viaducts in the world—obtained additional zest -from the fact that comparatively few structures are founded on what -is termed the pneumatic principle in this country—the employment of -compressed air being more in vogue on the continent—and still fewer -are open to the passing visitor, uninfluenced alike by professional or -scientific ardour. - -Arrived at North Queensferry, on the Fife side of the Firth of Forth, -we embark for the island in mid-channel, and rounding the easternmost -promontory of the rock, see before us a huge iron cylinder, which, but -for the incongruity of its position, we should take for a gasometer, -and not a caisson. We land, and are forthwith marshalled to the -dressing-room. Leathern caps and garments of a sombre blue hue are -donned, and we are ready to descend. Before, however, proceeding, a -brief outline of the working of a caisson, the end in view, and the -means adopted in the attainment of that end, may be given, which will -enable the reader to follow our movements. - -Over the site of the proposed pier, a large circular cylinder is -sunk, which rests on the rock-bottom, and has its upper edge slightly -above high water. A horizontal floor divides the cylinder into two -chambers. The lower chamber, seven feet in height, is charged with -compressed air by machinery situated on shore, and connected with it -by flexible hose. The air under pressure excludes the water, enabling -workmen to descend into the lower chamber—which is, in fact, a large -diving-bell—and to excavate the rock on which the caisson rests. The -excavated material is drawn up in buckets or ‘skips’ and thrown over, -whilst the caisson gradually descends by its own weight until a level -bed is formed. The upper and lower chambers of the caisson are then -filled with concrete, and this circular monolithic foundation carries -the granite pier on which rests the steel superstructure. A tube, -connecting the air-chamber below with an air-lock on the upper platform -of the caisson, gives access to the working beneath. In principle, the -air-lock of a caisson in no way differs from the well-known lock on -a canal. The air-lock is formed by a tube of larger diameter, which -surrounds the upper end of the vertical tube leading to the air-chamber. - -Having entered this outer chamber, the door is closed behind us, and -our connection with the outer world severed. A cock is turned, and -with a steady hiss, the compressed air enters, a fact of which we -soon become painfully conscious by the pressure that is brought to -bear upon the drum of the ear. We follow the directions previously -given us, and by copiously swallowing the compressed air and forcing -it into the ears, with closed nostrils, we equalise the pressure on -both sides of the drums, and succeed in accommodating ourselves to the -novel atmospheric conditions. The inrush of compressed air at length -ceases; and the pressure being now equal in the outer chamber—in which -we are—and the internal tube, the door between them opens without -difficulty. We enter, and descending a vertical ladder some ninety -feet, we find ourselves in the air-chamber, and standing on the solid -rock-bed of the Firth of Forth fifty feet below water-level. The scene -is as striking as it is novel. A circular iron chamber, seventy feet -in diameter and seven feet high, brilliantly illuminated by arc-lights -suspended from the roof. Groups of foreign workmen—enlisted for this -service, owing to continental experience in this class of work—are -busily engaged in levelling the surface of the rock. The majority -of these men wield pick and bar; whilst others fill the iron tubs -or ‘skips’ with the fragments of rock, which are then drawn to the -surface, passing through a lock similar in principle, though differing -slightly in design from that we have ourselves traversed; and having -discharged their contents over the edge of the caisson, return for -another load. - -We would fain linger amid a scene so weird and wonderful; but time -fails, and we must return to ‘bank.’ We take a last look at the -air-chamber with its busy occupants, and ascending the ladder, not -without exertion, for a vertical ladder at all times calls muscle into -play, and the pressure we are under by no means lightens our labours, -we find ourselves again in the air-lock. The reverse process now takes -place. The inner door is closed, the compressed air is allowed to -escape from the outer chamber in which we now are, and causes a thick -mist, cold and chilly. Before long, the pressure ceases; the outer -door opens, and we again tread terra firma. The pressure-gauge records -thirty pounds per square inch. - -We now discard our exploring garments, and having enjoyed a not -unneedful wash, we quit the works, and returning homewards, -congratulate each other on having trodden the very foundations of the -wonderful Forth Bridge, and ponder how little the future traveller, as -he lightly skims the estuary at sixty miles an hour, will think of the -practical ingenuity and patient labour that wrought, deep down beneath -the waters of the Forth, the foundations on which repose the huge -structures through which the flying express is whirling him. - - - - -OCCASIONAL NOTES. - - -BORAX. - -We learn from a contemporary a good deal that is interesting about the -history and preparation for the market of the borax of commerce. In -1874 Mr A. Robottom, prospecting for commercial purposes some of the -vast tracts of unoccupied land in Southern California, came across a -long deep valley, about fifteen by eight miles, which was apparently -the basin, or series of basins, of once active volcanoes. This valley -was covered with crude borates, combined with earthy impurities. The -heat was oppressive, one hundred and nineteen degrees in the shade; and -the atmosphere so dry, that even breathing was difficult. At this time, -the explorer’s attention was drawn to a dark object lying upon the -ground, upon which he seated himself, and found it was a dead horse. He -was naturally surprised that no smell emanated from the carcase, and -taking out his knife, he cut to the bones, only to find that the flesh -was quite sweet. The explanation of this was that the boron from the -boracic land had saturated it thoroughly. He learned afterwards that -the carcase of this horse had lain there for seven months, having been -left by a party of emigrants. The remarkable antiseptic powers of boron -in its crude state having thus been proved to him, he took over this -Boron Valley for the State of California, and arranged with a Company -in England to make it available for commercial purposes. - -As it reaches this country, Californian borax, after being freed from -its earthy elements at the Borax Lake, is put up in small bags, and -consists of pure white crystals, which are crushed into a fine, white, -almost inpalpable powder in the factories. After undergoing various -processes, it comes out eventually to the outside world as borax -extract of soap, borax dry soap, washing-powders, &c. In one factory, -over thirty-seven million of packets are turned out annually. This -prepared Californian borax is used in the laundry, for washing cattle, -for helping to heal wounds, and many other household purposes. Its -virtues in preventing decomposition in hams and salted meats are also -well known. Water containing one per cent. of borax will keep pure and -sweet for years, and remain safe for drinking. - -The soap prepared with borax, however, has been thought by some to have -a more corrosive influence on fibres than common soap. In Belgium, -powdered borax is used for washing purposes, with a view to economise -soap; while in Sweden, meat and milk are largely preserved by means of -boracic acid, its use in no way rendering these viands less wholesome. -It is also valuable for hard soldering, and is in use for pottery -glazes and enamels. - -In addition to the natural supply of crude borax already mentioned, -this substance is largely made from boracic or boric acid, found -among the matters ejected around the craters of volcanoes. Works for -utilising and preparing it exist in the Maremma of Tuscany, where the -acid is condensed from the boiling springs and heated gases issuing -from fissures in the rocks. It is also found in Central Asia, Canada, -Peru, and in Nevada, United States. - - -AMERICANISMS. - -The _Globe_, in an article by an ‘American Journalist,’ says: ‘The -opportunity may here be taken to gently suggest that the word Yankee -is very often misapplied on this side of the Atlantic. It is a genuine -American word, but it only applies to the inhabitants of a certain -part of the big Republic. A stranger in the States describing an -inhabitant of Cincinnati, or St Louis, or Richmond, Virginia, as a -Yankee, would stand a good chance of a broken head, or even worse. -As a matter of fact, the Yankees are the people who inhabit the New -England States, and the title is considered a term of reproach, not -to say insult, by all others. This, however, is all by the way. There -are three terms very often quoted as American “slang,” which possess -certain peculiarities of locality. These are “guess,” “calculate,” and -“reckon.” One may travel through what are known as the Southern States -for five years and never once hear either of the first two words, -unless spoken by a Northerner or a man from the West. The Southerners -“reckon” everything, except, perhaps, consequences, and they are left -to take care of themselves. “Guess” is more or less universal in the -States, and “calculate” is common only to the North and extreme East. -“Straanger” is frequently erroneously used by English writers and -speakers as an ordinary colloquialism of all Americans. It is the -property of the South and South-west only, and even there is rapidly -becoming obsolete. But to these expressions it is hardly fair to append -the stigma of “slang.” Now there are plenty of slang words and phrases -in vogue in America which probably are meaningless to English minds. -A lady has purchased an article for considerably more than its value; -she shows it to her husband, proclaiming its beauty and cheapness. -He, seeing that she has been overcharged, endeavours to persuade her -that such is the case, vainly, for she is quite satisfied with her -bargain. “All right,” says he; “it’s not my funeral.” This is slang, -pure and simple, but it has a derivation. It is an unintentional -protest against the elaborate obsequial ceremonies indulged in by all -classes in the United States, and it is a grim reference to one of -those not unfrequent “shindies” that take place in Western bar-rooms, -from which the men who escape with whole skins have reason to thank -their stars that “it is not their funeral.” Many are the political -and party expressions which may well come under the head of slang -terms, such as “log-rolling,” “the bloody shirt”—a reference to the -late civil war—“mugwumps”—a name given in ridicule to independent -voters—“the ticket,” meaning the list of candidates recommended for -election by either party, and so on. The speculative nature of nearly -all Americans has originated the expression “you bet,” which is the -basis of many phrases, as, “you bet your life,” “bet your sweet life,” -“bet your bottom dollar,” “bet your boots,” “stake your pile,” “go the -lot on that.” Favourite games of cards have caused such expressions -as “euchred!” to signify that one is exposed or thwarted; “I pass,” -meaning that one declines further conjecture or speculation; “let’s -make a Jack-pot,” a proceeding in the game of poker similar to making -a pool; “pooling the issues,” denoting an intention or proposal to -put all the results of some action together and “divvy up” or divide -equally among the partners. To “catch on” means to understand or -comprehend quickly, and has its parallel on this side of the Atlantic -in “do you catch my meaning?” It is usual in the States to call -railways “railroads,” railway lines “tracks,” carriages “cars,” and -stations “depots.” Tramway carriages are referred to as “street” or -“horse” cars, in contradistinction to “steam-cars” or railway trains. -A railway engine is known as a “locomotive,” in opposition to a -stationary engine. The guards are all “conductors;” and there is no -luggage, but all “baggage,” and hence porters are called opprobriously -“baggage-smashers,” from their anything but gentle handling of the -baggage. The speed of the trains has given rise to the phrase “to -railroad a thing through,” meaning to get a thing done quickly; and the -huge lamp which flashes along the line from the front of the engine -has given its name to a special lamp-oil called “headlight oil.” Very -nearly every State has its special provincialisms, and they are as -numerous as the words peculiar to the counties of England. Climate has -had a great deal to do with many of these peculiarities, the languid -heat of the Southern States having induced a soft drawling accent and a -habit of slurring over certain letters, syllables, and sounds.’ - - -A NATURAL SALMON-TRAP. - -The salmon, the cousin of the trout, is famous for its method of going -up-stream; it darts at falls ten or twelve feet high, leaps into -the air, and rushes up the falling water in a marvellous manner. So -determined are the salmon to attain the high and safe waters, that -in some localities nets are placed beneath the falls, into which -the fish tumble in their repeated attempts to clear the hill of -water. Other than human hunters, moreover, profit by these scrambles -up-hill. Travellers report that on the banks of the Upper St John -River, in Canada, there was once a rock in which a large circular -well, or pot-hole, had been worn by the action of the water. At the -salmon-season, this rock proved a favourite resort for bears; and for a -good reason. Having an especial taste for salmon, the bears would watch -at the pot-hole, and as the salmon, dashing up the fall, were thrown -by its force into the rocky basin, the bears would quickly scrape them -out of the pot-hole, and the poor salmon would be eaten before they had -time to wonder at this unlooked-for reception. The Dominion government -finally authorised a party of hunters to destroy the pot-hole, and thus -break up the bears’ fishing-ground. - - -‘POOR JACK.’ - -A correspondent sends us the following. He says: - -Reading the interesting article entitled ‘Poor Jack’ in the _Journal_ -of the 7th November, I venture to send you a few notes, thinking that -an excerpt from them may possibly be of interest to your readers. As -the writer states, Jack is, thanks to the Board of Trade, much better -off than he used to be. At all ports where there is not a separate -Mercantile Marine Office, the custom-house is used as one, and the -customs officials discharge the necessary duties. It is only at large -ports that sailors are enabled to proceed home at once, if they _do_ -reside—as is generally the case—at a seaport town. They receive a -document from the Board of Trade officer, which they present to the -officer at the port where they live; and he, being advised through -post by the officer at the arrival port, pays the amount of wages due. -Here Jack is protected thoroughly from all temptations, and usually -arrives at home sober, with his hard-earned wages safe in his pocket. -This beneficial system, however, is not extended to the middle-class -and small ports, and at these places Jack too often falls a ready -prey to the land-sharks. Usually, when a foreign-going ship arrives -in port, some hours—or perhaps a day or two—elapse before Jack is -paid off. In the meantime he has his liberty, and it is then that the -land-sharks are on the lookout for him. They entice him to their houses -and give him drink, and so manage matters that, when the ship is paid -off and he receives his wages, he is already considerably indebted to -them, and perhaps is in such a muddled condition as to be incapable of -taking care of his money. Seamen’s Money Orders are of great service in -rescuing Jack’s wages from the clutches of these plunderers. They are -obtained free of charge and for any amount at the time the ship is paid -off, and steady seamen generally make use of them. They can be drawn on -any Mercantile Marine Office; and as the seaman can make them payable -to himself if he is not married, they enable him to get a good portion -of his wages home in safety without any expense or risk. What is wanted -in many places is that some one concerned in the mission-work amongst -sailors should be on the lookout when a ship arrives in port with a -crew to pay off, and see the men lodged in respectable boarding-houses -or sailors’ homes, so that they can send their wages home by means of -the Money Orders; and also to see them safely to the railway station. -It is grievous to think that the wages of many of our sailors, who -have perhaps been out on a voyage of many months’ duration, should be -dissipated in a few days, and most of it fall into the hands of the -worthless creatures who live by this species of plunder. - - - - -A DESERTED GARDEN. - - - Tangled ivy creeps and twines - Where once bloomed my Lady’s flowers; - And the twisting wild woodbines - Weave o’er all their clustering bowers; - And the fruit-trees from the wall - Droop forgotten and forlorn, - And the rose-trees, thick and tall, - From their trellis-work are torn. - Dewy paths—once velvet-smooth - For the dainty steps of youth— - Weedy now, and overgrown - With the rank grass all unmown. - - Here and there, amid confusion, - Gleams a berry scarlet-hued, - And pale bindweed in profusion - (By the summer breezes wooed), - Creeps, where once verbenas grew, - Or the myrtle flowered so fair - In the warm and scented air; - And the speedwell—deepest blue— - Shakes its frail flowers everywhere. - - So, amid these paths—all haunted - By the memory of old flowers— - Grow these wild-wood blooms undaunted, - Through the glowing autumn hours. - Ah! how long ago it seems - Since bright faces glowed and smiled - In this garden of our dreams. - Now so desolate and wild! - They will come again no more, - And no time shall e’er restore - Golden days and fairy flowers - To these wearied hearts of ours. - - * * * * * - -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. 106, VOL. III, JANUARY -9, 1886 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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