THREE SOUPS.

THREE SOUPS.Oxtail Soup.Ingredients.—One oxtail, one large carrot, two onions stuck with cloves, one turnip, four sticks of celery, four mushrooms, half a parsnip, a bunch of herbs, two blades of mace, twelve black peppercorns, three ounces of butter, one dessertspoonful of red currant jelly, two quarts and a half of water, a wine-glass of sherry, three ounces of fine flour, salt.Method.—Wash the oxtail and chop it; put it in a saucepan and cover with cold water; bring to the boil and throw the water away. Fry the oxtail gently in the butter until it is a good brown; prepare the vegetables and slice them and put them in a saucepan with the oxtail, water, herbs, mace, salt and peppercorns; put on the lid and simmer gently for five hours. Strain the stock and skim off the fat; pick out the meat and put it aside to keep hot; pick out the vegetables and pound them finely, add the stock by degrees, return to the stove and re-heat; melt the rest of the butter in a small frying-pan and stir in the flour, fry it a good dark brown over the fire, stir in a little of the hot soup and add this thickening to the soup; add the sherry and red currant jelly and the pieces of oxtail, and serve.Kidney Soup.Ingredients.—One pound of ox kidney, half each of carrot, turnip, onion and parsnip, two sticks of celery, one tomato, one bay leaf, one sprig of parsley, one dessertspoonful of Harvey's sauce, a little browning, one quart of water or stock, one ounce of butter, pepper and salt.Method.—Wash the kidney and cut away any fat; cut it in dice and fry gently in the butter; prepare the vegetables, cut them in pieces and put them in a saucepan with the kidney, bay leaf, parsley, water or stock and salt. Put on the lid and let all simmer gently for four hours; strain off the soup, pick out the pieces of kidney and put them aside to keep hot. Return the stock to the saucepan, add the Harvey's sauce and the browning; put back the pieces of kidney, re-heat and serve.Mulligatawny.Ingredients.—One large onion, one apple, one tablespoonful of good curry powder, one ounce of flour, half an ounce of grated cocoanut, a few drops of lemon juice, one dessertspoonful of red currant jelly, one dessertspoonful of chutney, salt, one quart of chicken or veal stock, three ounces of butter, one ounce and a half of cornflour, some well boiled rice.Method.—Skin the onion, slice it and pound it in a mortar; chop and pound the apple. Mix the curry powder smoothly with half a teacupful of cold water, melt the butter in a stewpan, stir in the curry powder and water and the pounded onion; cook and stir until the water cooks away and the onion browns in the butter; add the apple, cocoanut, chutney, salt and the stock (warm); put on the lid and simmer for half an hour; rub through a sieve, mix the flour with a little cold stock, re-heat the soup and when it boils stir in the flour; add the lemon juice and red currant jelly; hand well-cooked rice with this soup.

Ingredients.—One oxtail, one large carrot, two onions stuck with cloves, one turnip, four sticks of celery, four mushrooms, half a parsnip, a bunch of herbs, two blades of mace, twelve black peppercorns, three ounces of butter, one dessertspoonful of red currant jelly, two quarts and a half of water, a wine-glass of sherry, three ounces of fine flour, salt.

Method.—Wash the oxtail and chop it; put it in a saucepan and cover with cold water; bring to the boil and throw the water away. Fry the oxtail gently in the butter until it is a good brown; prepare the vegetables and slice them and put them in a saucepan with the oxtail, water, herbs, mace, salt and peppercorns; put on the lid and simmer gently for five hours. Strain the stock and skim off the fat; pick out the meat and put it aside to keep hot; pick out the vegetables and pound them finely, add the stock by degrees, return to the stove and re-heat; melt the rest of the butter in a small frying-pan and stir in the flour, fry it a good dark brown over the fire, stir in a little of the hot soup and add this thickening to the soup; add the sherry and red currant jelly and the pieces of oxtail, and serve.

Ingredients.—One pound of ox kidney, half each of carrot, turnip, onion and parsnip, two sticks of celery, one tomato, one bay leaf, one sprig of parsley, one dessertspoonful of Harvey's sauce, a little browning, one quart of water or stock, one ounce of butter, pepper and salt.

Method.—Wash the kidney and cut away any fat; cut it in dice and fry gently in the butter; prepare the vegetables, cut them in pieces and put them in a saucepan with the kidney, bay leaf, parsley, water or stock and salt. Put on the lid and let all simmer gently for four hours; strain off the soup, pick out the pieces of kidney and put them aside to keep hot. Return the stock to the saucepan, add the Harvey's sauce and the browning; put back the pieces of kidney, re-heat and serve.

Ingredients.—One large onion, one apple, one tablespoonful of good curry powder, one ounce of flour, half an ounce of grated cocoanut, a few drops of lemon juice, one dessertspoonful of red currant jelly, one dessertspoonful of chutney, salt, one quart of chicken or veal stock, three ounces of butter, one ounce and a half of cornflour, some well boiled rice.

Method.—Skin the onion, slice it and pound it in a mortar; chop and pound the apple. Mix the curry powder smoothly with half a teacupful of cold water, melt the butter in a stewpan, stir in the curry powder and water and the pounded onion; cook and stir until the water cooks away and the onion browns in the butter; add the apple, cocoanut, chutney, salt and the stock (warm); put on the lid and simmer for half an hour; rub through a sieve, mix the flour with a little cold stock, re-heat the soup and when it boils stir in the flour; add the lemon juice and red currant jelly; hand well-cooked rice with this soup.

THE RULES OF SOCIETY.ByLADY WILLIAM LENNOX.PART II.Mylast paper on the rules of Society ended with some remarks upon dinner-parties and the conversation thereat; but although the article thus finished, my observations did not, and must therefore be continued into this chapter. A silent dinner is a very depressing function, so much so indeed that among the disadvantages of living alone must be counted solitary meals, as not only saddening in their effect upon the mind, but provocative of bad digestion in the body; and even if we dine in company, but the company of dull, stupid, or at any rate unconversable people, the result is much the same as though we had sat down in solitude. It behoves us therefore, each and all, to try and prevent this evil and also make the dinner pleasant by taking a middle course—as is usually wisest with regard to most things in life—and neither to be like a ghost, speechless and casting the metaphorical wet blanket over the assembled guests; nor, on the other hand, to remind everybody of the whirling of a mill by the never-ceasing clatter of our tongue.A clever hostess will do her best to secure some few good talkers at her table, in order that no pauses of sufficient length to give a sense of uncomfortable silence may occur; nothing more than those little gaps in conversation poetically supposed to be caused by "Angels passing." We are not all geniuses in the talking line, but we are bound to take our share, so far as in us lies, in contributing to brightness and cheerfulness at table; only, of course, young girls are not expected to bring themselves prominently forward in that way, and young or old it should not be forgotten that a "voice soft, gentle and low, is an excellent thing in woman," and that a shrill laugh, or an exclamation so highly pitched that it pierces through the ordinary hum of sound, is anything but agreeable or attractive. Also, it should be remembered that dinners are meant to be enjoyed, and men especially feel aggrieved if they are exposed to a constant fire of words, worst of all if those words resolve themselves into questions which require answers. Chilly soup, tepid fish, and entrées bolted for want of time to eat them properly, produce feelings of anger which even beauty itself can hardly stand against, if the beauty's chatter has caused the annoyance, that is to say. So it is wise to let your neighbour on either hand enjoy his dinner in peace, undisturbed by too much conversation, although at the same time he must not be allowed to suppose that a dumb doll dressed in pretty clothes is sitting beside him.Do not crumble your bread over the tablecloth by way of inspiration, if you think you ought to say something and can find nothing; do not play with your wine-glasses either, until, very likely, you upset one of them; nor drop your dinner-napkin, gloves, etc., which makes a commotion and is rather a bore.Such small things seem hardly worth mentioning, but tricks of any kind are to be avoided, as they generally give the impression of awkwardness.Should you happen to go down to dinner with the master of the house, it is as well to let your hostess have a chance of catching your eye to give the signal when she wishes to leave the table, but never on any account fall into the mistake which I once heard was made by a woman who ought to have known better. She imagined that the lady of the house was very inexperienced and was sitting on an unconscionable time because she did not know when to go, and so she, the guest, actually took it upon herself to push her own chair back a little, with a glance at her hostess; but the latter, looking steadily at her presuming acquaintance, said very quietly, "I do not think I made a move, Mrs. ——" and sat on for another ten minutes.As regards evening parties there is not much to say. You speak to the hostess at the head of the stairs where she stands to receive her guests, and then you wander through the rooms, and enjoy yourself, till you descend for supper or depart altogether. There is no need to look for the lady of the house to say good-bye. She has, most probably, left her post long before and is wandering about among the company.The next thing I will mention is country house visiting, which is very pleasant as a rule, especially to people young enough not to mind the open doors and windows, the large rooms—innocent of fires sometimes when dwellers in towns would have lit them—and long corridors down which a fine north-easter pursues you.Take plenty of wraps, therefore, unless it is the very middle of summer; but this is by the way.I will suppose that you arrive at your destination dressed in a neat travelling costume all in good order; no buttons off gloves or boots, no untidy straps about the handbag—of splendid dressing-bags I am not speaking.You are shown into an apartment—very likely a big hall used in the day as a drawing-room—where you find perhaps several, perhaps only one or two, people, and the mistress of the house may ask whether you would like to see your room at once, or, if it is near tea-time, if you will stay and have a cup first? I believe that in New York and other places in America the custom in this respect differs from our own, and that the newly-arrived visitor is not brought face to face with the house party until she has had an opportunity of tidying her hair, brushing her gown, and generally smartening herself up, after which she can appear with an "equal mind," untroubled by any misgivings as to the results of the journey upon her looks. In my opinion, that arrangement is a great improvement on our way of doing things; but, however, as it is, you sit travel-tossed and more or less crumpled up, talking to anybody you know, and possibly, if by nature shy, with an embarrassing consciousness of being mentally criticised by some of those present whom you do not know. In such circumstances the most important matter is to keep still. If you have ever watched actors on the stage, you must have noticed that they never shuffle and move about without intending it. It is one of the first lessons, in fact, that amateurs have to learn, simply to stand or sit still. Nothing has a worse effect than the look of "not knowing what to do with your arms and legs," so do, therefore, refrain from twisting your feet about under your chair, fidgeting with your bracelets, or letting the spoon fall out of your saucer. If your gloves are off, do not begin to think about your hands getting red, for, if you do, they are pretty certain to fulfil your fears by becoming so. Nervousness has more to do with that than is generally imagined.Whoever saw a pair of scarlet hands before them when they were alone?Just call to mind the fact that there is no real reason why you should feel "all anyhow" because you are in a strange house among strangers, and try to be natural in manner and pleasant to everybody.One thing very necessary to cultivate when on a visit is the habit of punctuality. In London, where people come long distances, with the chance of a "block," or finding the street up, or some other obstacle to progress, a liberal margin is allowed as to time, and dinner at a quarter to eight means eight. But in the country the hour named is the hour intended, and in some houses the striking of the gong and the appearance of the butler throwing open the doors for dinner are nearly simultaneous, while in others the guests have five minutes' grace after the gong sounds in which to get downstairs and into the drawing-room. In any case they should all have assembled before dinner is announced, for few things annoy the master of the house more than to see stragglers come in when the soup, and perhaps even the fish, has been already served.The same rule applies to all arrangements which are not "movable feasts." Luncheon, for instance, is usually at a fixed hour, and so is breakfast in some houses, though not in all. If you are to ride or drive, or whatever it is, be ready to the minute, and do not give trouble by having to be sent for. To give no unnecessary trouble either to guests or servants is, indeed, a good motto to bear in mind, for nobody likes to be "put about," and a woman who gives a lot of trouble, whether from thoughtlessness or from an idea that by requiring a great deal of attention and waiting upon she makes herself interesting and of more importance, will find out her mistake sooner or later, and learn that fetching cushions and smelling-bottles is not an amusing occupation for her friends, and that ringing the bell without good reason only sends servants, especially other people's servants, into a bad temper.When you come down to breakfast you need not go round and shake hands with everybody. Speak to the lady of the house and anybody you know close by, and a few little bows and smiles will do the rest. Be careful in going to or from the dining-room to wait your turn, and not walk out before those who ought to precede you. Sometimes when the same people are making a longish stay in the house, they draw lots to decide who shall go in with whom by way of variety instead of having always the same partner. Pieces of paper are numbered, two sets alike, and drawn just before dinner, the guests then pairing off according to their numbers, so that a woman or girl with no particular position may find herself in the place of honour at the table, but even so it would be extremely bad taste in her to leave the dining-room first.When talking do not mention the name of the person you are addressing every time you speak. It has a tiresome effect upon the ear to hear perpetually "Yes, Mrs. ——" "No, Mr. ——" "Do you think so, Lady ——?" "How fine it is to-day, Mr. ——!"No hard-and-fast rule can be laid down as to how often the name should be mentioned—for,of course, it must be sometimes—but a little careful attention to ordinary conversation will teach you more than any written remarks could, and your own instinct must guide you further in the avoidance of little faults of the kind.A matter of importance when visiting is to try never to be in the way when you are not wanted, and never out of it when you are wanted. Do not, for example, sit down and make an unrequired third in a conversation carried on between two people who are evidently quite content with each other's society, for they will only wish you anywhere, and, unless you have the constitution of a rhinoceros, the freezing atmosphere will soon bring to your mind a certain proverb which says that "Two's company, but three's none."Do not insist upon speaking of something which interests you specially when, perhaps, nobody else cares very much about it; and, more than all, do not talk about yourself, your likes and dislikes, your health, etc., etc. It may not be pleasant, but the fact remains that nineteen people out of twenty feel not the smallest interest in you or your concerns except in so far as the outcome is agreeable to them, and this not exactly from want of heart so much as from want of time to stop and consider you, when there are so many others near and dear to them to be thought of. At all events, so it is, and any person who hangs about a room when she might as well go out of it, or worries people by airing her own opinions when nobody wishes to hear them, is decidedly in the way, and neither more nor less than a bore. This rock,i.e., beingde trop, may be called the Scylla, while another of quite a contrary kind may be styled the Charybdis in the sea of Society, and both must be steered clear of if the voyage is to be pleasant and successful. The former is the rock on which active and energetic people split, and the latter often makes shipwreck of the more meditative and indolent natures, inclined to let things slip by, unobservant of what is required of them, or, if aware of it, too fond of their own comfort and repose to respond. Judgment and tact are essential in order to avoid running against one or other of these rocks, and perhaps the best preventive of mistakes in the matter will be found in remembering to "do as you would be done by," because, keeping that in mind, you will have only to make a shrewd guess as to what others would like in the same circumstances. Now and then doubtless in carrying out this rule some self-denial is involved, as, for instance, when lawn-tennis, or croquet, or even a walk, is proposed, and you, caring little for physical exertion at any time, and very anxious, moreover, to finish a book you are deep in, feel for a moment disposed to be churlish and refuse to join. Well, then comes in the remembrance of what is due to others, and you put the best face you can on it, get your hat, and go. Or on a wet day somebody wants to play billiards, or battledore and shuttlecock, or something, and you would rather work at a drawing or run through a song or two in the little boudoir where you will disturb nobody, but you are wanted to help brighten up the dreary day, and your private inclinations have to be sacrificed to the good of others. Another thing—— But my paper is growing rather lengthy, and, lest I should be voted a bore and go to pieces on the rock Scylla, I think my remarks had better end here for to-day, the remainder of them, not many now, being laid by for another occasion.(To be continued.)

ByLADY WILLIAM LENNOX.

Mylast paper on the rules of Society ended with some remarks upon dinner-parties and the conversation thereat; but although the article thus finished, my observations did not, and must therefore be continued into this chapter. A silent dinner is a very depressing function, so much so indeed that among the disadvantages of living alone must be counted solitary meals, as not only saddening in their effect upon the mind, but provocative of bad digestion in the body; and even if we dine in company, but the company of dull, stupid, or at any rate unconversable people, the result is much the same as though we had sat down in solitude. It behoves us therefore, each and all, to try and prevent this evil and also make the dinner pleasant by taking a middle course—as is usually wisest with regard to most things in life—and neither to be like a ghost, speechless and casting the metaphorical wet blanket over the assembled guests; nor, on the other hand, to remind everybody of the whirling of a mill by the never-ceasing clatter of our tongue.

A clever hostess will do her best to secure some few good talkers at her table, in order that no pauses of sufficient length to give a sense of uncomfortable silence may occur; nothing more than those little gaps in conversation poetically supposed to be caused by "Angels passing." We are not all geniuses in the talking line, but we are bound to take our share, so far as in us lies, in contributing to brightness and cheerfulness at table; only, of course, young girls are not expected to bring themselves prominently forward in that way, and young or old it should not be forgotten that a "voice soft, gentle and low, is an excellent thing in woman," and that a shrill laugh, or an exclamation so highly pitched that it pierces through the ordinary hum of sound, is anything but agreeable or attractive. Also, it should be remembered that dinners are meant to be enjoyed, and men especially feel aggrieved if they are exposed to a constant fire of words, worst of all if those words resolve themselves into questions which require answers. Chilly soup, tepid fish, and entrées bolted for want of time to eat them properly, produce feelings of anger which even beauty itself can hardly stand against, if the beauty's chatter has caused the annoyance, that is to say. So it is wise to let your neighbour on either hand enjoy his dinner in peace, undisturbed by too much conversation, although at the same time he must not be allowed to suppose that a dumb doll dressed in pretty clothes is sitting beside him.

Do not crumble your bread over the tablecloth by way of inspiration, if you think you ought to say something and can find nothing; do not play with your wine-glasses either, until, very likely, you upset one of them; nor drop your dinner-napkin, gloves, etc., which makes a commotion and is rather a bore.

Such small things seem hardly worth mentioning, but tricks of any kind are to be avoided, as they generally give the impression of awkwardness.

Should you happen to go down to dinner with the master of the house, it is as well to let your hostess have a chance of catching your eye to give the signal when she wishes to leave the table, but never on any account fall into the mistake which I once heard was made by a woman who ought to have known better. She imagined that the lady of the house was very inexperienced and was sitting on an unconscionable time because she did not know when to go, and so she, the guest, actually took it upon herself to push her own chair back a little, with a glance at her hostess; but the latter, looking steadily at her presuming acquaintance, said very quietly, "I do not think I made a move, Mrs. ——" and sat on for another ten minutes.

As regards evening parties there is not much to say. You speak to the hostess at the head of the stairs where she stands to receive her guests, and then you wander through the rooms, and enjoy yourself, till you descend for supper or depart altogether. There is no need to look for the lady of the house to say good-bye. She has, most probably, left her post long before and is wandering about among the company.

The next thing I will mention is country house visiting, which is very pleasant as a rule, especially to people young enough not to mind the open doors and windows, the large rooms—innocent of fires sometimes when dwellers in towns would have lit them—and long corridors down which a fine north-easter pursues you.

Take plenty of wraps, therefore, unless it is the very middle of summer; but this is by the way.

I will suppose that you arrive at your destination dressed in a neat travelling costume all in good order; no buttons off gloves or boots, no untidy straps about the handbag—of splendid dressing-bags I am not speaking.

You are shown into an apartment—very likely a big hall used in the day as a drawing-room—where you find perhaps several, perhaps only one or two, people, and the mistress of the house may ask whether you would like to see your room at once, or, if it is near tea-time, if you will stay and have a cup first? I believe that in New York and other places in America the custom in this respect differs from our own, and that the newly-arrived visitor is not brought face to face with the house party until she has had an opportunity of tidying her hair, brushing her gown, and generally smartening herself up, after which she can appear with an "equal mind," untroubled by any misgivings as to the results of the journey upon her looks. In my opinion, that arrangement is a great improvement on our way of doing things; but, however, as it is, you sit travel-tossed and more or less crumpled up, talking to anybody you know, and possibly, if by nature shy, with an embarrassing consciousness of being mentally criticised by some of those present whom you do not know. In such circumstances the most important matter is to keep still. If you have ever watched actors on the stage, you must have noticed that they never shuffle and move about without intending it. It is one of the first lessons, in fact, that amateurs have to learn, simply to stand or sit still. Nothing has a worse effect than the look of "not knowing what to do with your arms and legs," so do, therefore, refrain from twisting your feet about under your chair, fidgeting with your bracelets, or letting the spoon fall out of your saucer. If your gloves are off, do not begin to think about your hands getting red, for, if you do, they are pretty certain to fulfil your fears by becoming so. Nervousness has more to do with that than is generally imagined.

Whoever saw a pair of scarlet hands before them when they were alone?

Just call to mind the fact that there is no real reason why you should feel "all anyhow" because you are in a strange house among strangers, and try to be natural in manner and pleasant to everybody.

One thing very necessary to cultivate when on a visit is the habit of punctuality. In London, where people come long distances, with the chance of a "block," or finding the street up, or some other obstacle to progress, a liberal margin is allowed as to time, and dinner at a quarter to eight means eight. But in the country the hour named is the hour intended, and in some houses the striking of the gong and the appearance of the butler throwing open the doors for dinner are nearly simultaneous, while in others the guests have five minutes' grace after the gong sounds in which to get downstairs and into the drawing-room. In any case they should all have assembled before dinner is announced, for few things annoy the master of the house more than to see stragglers come in when the soup, and perhaps even the fish, has been already served.

The same rule applies to all arrangements which are not "movable feasts." Luncheon, for instance, is usually at a fixed hour, and so is breakfast in some houses, though not in all. If you are to ride or drive, or whatever it is, be ready to the minute, and do not give trouble by having to be sent for. To give no unnecessary trouble either to guests or servants is, indeed, a good motto to bear in mind, for nobody likes to be "put about," and a woman who gives a lot of trouble, whether from thoughtlessness or from an idea that by requiring a great deal of attention and waiting upon she makes herself interesting and of more importance, will find out her mistake sooner or later, and learn that fetching cushions and smelling-bottles is not an amusing occupation for her friends, and that ringing the bell without good reason only sends servants, especially other people's servants, into a bad temper.

When you come down to breakfast you need not go round and shake hands with everybody. Speak to the lady of the house and anybody you know close by, and a few little bows and smiles will do the rest. Be careful in going to or from the dining-room to wait your turn, and not walk out before those who ought to precede you. Sometimes when the same people are making a longish stay in the house, they draw lots to decide who shall go in with whom by way of variety instead of having always the same partner. Pieces of paper are numbered, two sets alike, and drawn just before dinner, the guests then pairing off according to their numbers, so that a woman or girl with no particular position may find herself in the place of honour at the table, but even so it would be extremely bad taste in her to leave the dining-room first.

When talking do not mention the name of the person you are addressing every time you speak. It has a tiresome effect upon the ear to hear perpetually "Yes, Mrs. ——" "No, Mr. ——" "Do you think so, Lady ——?" "How fine it is to-day, Mr. ——!"

No hard-and-fast rule can be laid down as to how often the name should be mentioned—for,of course, it must be sometimes—but a little careful attention to ordinary conversation will teach you more than any written remarks could, and your own instinct must guide you further in the avoidance of little faults of the kind.

A matter of importance when visiting is to try never to be in the way when you are not wanted, and never out of it when you are wanted. Do not, for example, sit down and make an unrequired third in a conversation carried on between two people who are evidently quite content with each other's society, for they will only wish you anywhere, and, unless you have the constitution of a rhinoceros, the freezing atmosphere will soon bring to your mind a certain proverb which says that "Two's company, but three's none."

Do not insist upon speaking of something which interests you specially when, perhaps, nobody else cares very much about it; and, more than all, do not talk about yourself, your likes and dislikes, your health, etc., etc. It may not be pleasant, but the fact remains that nineteen people out of twenty feel not the smallest interest in you or your concerns except in so far as the outcome is agreeable to them, and this not exactly from want of heart so much as from want of time to stop and consider you, when there are so many others near and dear to them to be thought of. At all events, so it is, and any person who hangs about a room when she might as well go out of it, or worries people by airing her own opinions when nobody wishes to hear them, is decidedly in the way, and neither more nor less than a bore. This rock,i.e., beingde trop, may be called the Scylla, while another of quite a contrary kind may be styled the Charybdis in the sea of Society, and both must be steered clear of if the voyage is to be pleasant and successful. The former is the rock on which active and energetic people split, and the latter often makes shipwreck of the more meditative and indolent natures, inclined to let things slip by, unobservant of what is required of them, or, if aware of it, too fond of their own comfort and repose to respond. Judgment and tact are essential in order to avoid running against one or other of these rocks, and perhaps the best preventive of mistakes in the matter will be found in remembering to "do as you would be done by," because, keeping that in mind, you will have only to make a shrewd guess as to what others would like in the same circumstances. Now and then doubtless in carrying out this rule some self-denial is involved, as, for instance, when lawn-tennis, or croquet, or even a walk, is proposed, and you, caring little for physical exertion at any time, and very anxious, moreover, to finish a book you are deep in, feel for a moment disposed to be churlish and refuse to join. Well, then comes in the remembrance of what is due to others, and you put the best face you can on it, get your hat, and go. Or on a wet day somebody wants to play billiards, or battledore and shuttlecock, or something, and you would rather work at a drawing or run through a song or two in the little boudoir where you will disturb nobody, but you are wanted to help brighten up the dreary day, and your private inclinations have to be sacrificed to the good of others. Another thing—— But my paper is growing rather lengthy, and, lest I should be voted a bore and go to pieces on the rock Scylla, I think my remarks had better end here for to-day, the remainder of them, not many now, being laid by for another occasion.

(To be continued.)

LETTERS FROM A LAWYER.PART III.The Temple.My dear Dorothy,—So you have decided on commencing your married life in a flat—a very wise decision on your part. In the first place, in a flat you know exactly what your position is as regards rent, whereas a house entails constant expense for repairs, to say nothing of rates and taxes.It is true that, if the people on the floor above you indulge in clog-dancing all the day whilst the occupiers of the floor below practise the cornet à piston half-way into the night, you might find that the drawbacks of a flat were unendurable; but I do not think that you are likely to suffer quite such a terrible experience as I have depicted.Another advantage of a flat is that, if you want to run down to the country or the seaside for the week's end, or for even a longer period, you can lock up your flat and start off gaily; but with a house on your hands it is a very different matter.But perhaps the greatest attraction of a flat is the reduction in the number of the necessary domestics. In a small flat like yours, you ought to manage very well with one servant, provided she is capable and attends to her work.Whatever you do, don't engage a "treasure," unless you happen to know all about her. If one is recommended to you by an acquaintance, you may be quite sure that the "treasure" has some great drawback; otherwise, why should her mistress be so anxious to part with her? Ask yourself that question before you burden yourself with a "treasure" that you may have great difficulty in getting rid of, especially if she turns out to be a tyrant like some "treasures" I have known. Remember my warning, beware of "treasures." Get a servant that you can instruct, not one that will order you about and make your life a burden to you.I am sorry to hear that Aunt Anne had so much trouble with her late cook, to whom she had been, as every mistress is bound to be, very kind; but I am glad that she managed to get rid of her in the end. Under the circumstances, she would have been quite justified in discharging her without giving her a month's wages in lieu of notice.A servant who refuses to do any work and locks herself in her room, refusing to come out, as this one did, may be summarily dismissed without being paid for services which she has not rendered.Aunt Anne was fortunate in getting the policeman to come in and turn the woman out. A constable is not bound to enter a private dwelling in order to eject a noisy or troublesome domestic. On the contrary, the householder has to get the troublesome individual as far as the street door before the constable will interfere and take charge of him or her.I hope that Aunt Anne will be more fortunate in her choice of a new cook.It may seem rather hard that because you happen to have been given a silver mustard-pot with Gerald's crest upon it, that you should be obliged to pay a guinea a year for a licence to carry armorial bearings; but, strictly speaking, this is what you are bound to do if you keep the mustard-pot.I happen to know of a case where a good lady was summoned before the magistrate for not having taken out this licence, where it was shown that all she had in the way of a crest or coat-of-arms was a hall chair, which she had recently purchased, with someone else's crest on it; but, in spite of this fact, she was fined and ordered to pay for the licence.The occasional use of the services of the hall-porter at your flat will not render you liable to the duty for keeping a male servant.What is the objection to purchasing a piano on the three years' hire system? Instead of parting with a large sum in one cash payment, which is very often an inconvenient thing to do, you pay, by half-a-dozen half-yearly instalments, or quarterly if you prefer it, with what you will probably be able to save out of your housekeeping money. It seems to me a very excellent way of acquiring an expensive article.Your dressmaker cannot force you to pay for a dress which is so badly made that it is quite impossible for you to wear it. But then the question arises, Is it really so bad as you make out? Could it not be made to fit properly with a few alterations?If you are positive that nothing can be done with it to make it wearable, I should advise you to refuse to take it in or to pay for it, in which case you may possibly have to appear in the County Court for the judge to decide whether it fits, or can be made to fit, or not.If such a contingency arises, you may rely upon having the professional assistance ofYour affectionate cousin,Bob Briefless.

The Temple.

My dear Dorothy,—So you have decided on commencing your married life in a flat—a very wise decision on your part. In the first place, in a flat you know exactly what your position is as regards rent, whereas a house entails constant expense for repairs, to say nothing of rates and taxes.

It is true that, if the people on the floor above you indulge in clog-dancing all the day whilst the occupiers of the floor below practise the cornet à piston half-way into the night, you might find that the drawbacks of a flat were unendurable; but I do not think that you are likely to suffer quite such a terrible experience as I have depicted.

Another advantage of a flat is that, if you want to run down to the country or the seaside for the week's end, or for even a longer period, you can lock up your flat and start off gaily; but with a house on your hands it is a very different matter.

But perhaps the greatest attraction of a flat is the reduction in the number of the necessary domestics. In a small flat like yours, you ought to manage very well with one servant, provided she is capable and attends to her work.

Whatever you do, don't engage a "treasure," unless you happen to know all about her. If one is recommended to you by an acquaintance, you may be quite sure that the "treasure" has some great drawback; otherwise, why should her mistress be so anxious to part with her? Ask yourself that question before you burden yourself with a "treasure" that you may have great difficulty in getting rid of, especially if she turns out to be a tyrant like some "treasures" I have known. Remember my warning, beware of "treasures." Get a servant that you can instruct, not one that will order you about and make your life a burden to you.

I am sorry to hear that Aunt Anne had so much trouble with her late cook, to whom she had been, as every mistress is bound to be, very kind; but I am glad that she managed to get rid of her in the end. Under the circumstances, she would have been quite justified in discharging her without giving her a month's wages in lieu of notice.

A servant who refuses to do any work and locks herself in her room, refusing to come out, as this one did, may be summarily dismissed without being paid for services which she has not rendered.

Aunt Anne was fortunate in getting the policeman to come in and turn the woman out. A constable is not bound to enter a private dwelling in order to eject a noisy or troublesome domestic. On the contrary, the householder has to get the troublesome individual as far as the street door before the constable will interfere and take charge of him or her.

I hope that Aunt Anne will be more fortunate in her choice of a new cook.

It may seem rather hard that because you happen to have been given a silver mustard-pot with Gerald's crest upon it, that you should be obliged to pay a guinea a year for a licence to carry armorial bearings; but, strictly speaking, this is what you are bound to do if you keep the mustard-pot.

I happen to know of a case where a good lady was summoned before the magistrate for not having taken out this licence, where it was shown that all she had in the way of a crest or coat-of-arms was a hall chair, which she had recently purchased, with someone else's crest on it; but, in spite of this fact, she was fined and ordered to pay for the licence.

The occasional use of the services of the hall-porter at your flat will not render you liable to the duty for keeping a male servant.

What is the objection to purchasing a piano on the three years' hire system? Instead of parting with a large sum in one cash payment, which is very often an inconvenient thing to do, you pay, by half-a-dozen half-yearly instalments, or quarterly if you prefer it, with what you will probably be able to save out of your housekeeping money. It seems to me a very excellent way of acquiring an expensive article.

Your dressmaker cannot force you to pay for a dress which is so badly made that it is quite impossible for you to wear it. But then the question arises, Is it really so bad as you make out? Could it not be made to fit properly with a few alterations?

If you are positive that nothing can be done with it to make it wearable, I should advise you to refuse to take it in or to pay for it, in which case you may possibly have to appear in the County Court for the judge to decide whether it fits, or can be made to fit, or not.

If such a contingency arises, you may rely upon having the professional assistance of

Your affectionate cousin,Bob Briefless.

CHINA MARKS.ENGLISH PORCELAIN.PART III.The Worcester Factories.Thefactory at Worcester was opened in 1750-51, contemporaneously with that of Derby, the old mansion of Warmstry House being the first seat of the works. The latter passed into various hands, but were instituted by Dr. Wall, a physician, and Dr. Davis, an apothecary. The excellence of the colouring was a feature of manufacture, and it reached its highest degree of perfection from 1760 to 1780. Imitations from Chinese and Japanese designs were chiefly in vogue, enamelled, painted, or pencilled on the glaze, or in blue under it. Amongst the early marks distinguishing the Worcester porcelain, there is a "W" standing both for Worcester and Wall, the sign of Esculapius, a "W" enclosed in a square, and one formed of two "V's" intersecting each other, besides outlined crescents in gold or blue, fretted squares, anchors, and names. It may here be observed that according to general opinion no figures have been produced at Worcester.In the second period of the Worcester manufacture, under Messrs. Flight & Barr, 1783, the name "Flight," or that name with a crescent, distinguished the work, and likewise "Flight and Barr," surmounted by a crown; and then with initials. The Chinese, Chantilly, Dresden, and Sèvres marks were also borrowed, but the exact date of their adoption does not appear to be decided.Robert Chamberlain, apprentice of the old Worcester factory, took up a separate business with his brother Humphrey, and Messrs. Kerr & Binns succeeded them, and employed the marks here following. One consisted of four "W's" enclosed within a circle; three initial letters, and a shield bearing initials and the name "Worcester."A third factory has been instituted by Chamberlain's nephew, Mr. Grainger, in partnership with Messrs. Lee & Co., under whose names the present Worcester china is executed.The original founder, Dr. John Wall, died at Bath in 1776. In 1783 Mr. Flight purchased them, and took Binns into partnership, Solomon Cole, and Baxter. Amongst other names connected with the Worcester works are Blaney, Davis, Holdship, whose name, "R. Holdship," appears on some examples, and "RH" united as a monogram, as also a "B" for Binns. There are some fifty-seven workmen's marks on this china, which are too numerous to give, mostly of a very insignificant character. A large "W" (capital letter) is rare. Sometimes a square Chinese seal may be found on a specimen by no means oriental, and this is accounted for by the painting of such a mark on the paste before the glazing or the decorative design was executed or perhaps decided upon by the artist.A few more of the Worcester marks may be added. First, the date, as given in the Shreiber Collection in the South Kensington Museum. The second is on the small sprig pattern of small blue flowers (like theAngoulême). The third is a group painted in blue, on imitation Japanese porcelain, very fine and old. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh groups are all on Japanese china.The Bristol Porcelain.Richard Champion, the founder of the Bristol Porcelain works, Castle Green, 1765, having applied for an extension of his patent (granted for fourteen years), was strongly opposed by Josiah Wedgwood, and other Staffordshire potters. The extension under certain conditions was obtained, but two years subsequently he sold it to some Staffordshire potters, and the work was carried on at Tunstall and Shelton. The designs on Champion's Porcelain were taken extensively from Dresden, for which his work is often mistaken, as he affixed the crossed swords of that manufactory to his own china. He also copied those of Sèvres and Vincennes. In one case the Bristol cross is united with that of Plymouth,i.e.,The plain cross is painted in blue. The Bristol marks next following are painted on the glaze in blue or slate-colour,i.e.,The marks of Champion, in designs taken more or less from the Dresden and French are as here given, all under the glaze in blue, excepting the last three which are over the glaze.The letter "T" is embossed, standing in relief, and the plain cross is painted in blue. The Dresden crossed swords in a triangle, is impressed on the clay.The painter's number is sometimes given over the glaze, as "7," and when in gold and added to the Dresden mark, in Bristol ware, it indicates the gilder and not the painter. Also we find the name "Bristoll" in double lined letters, and the following three, a cross, date, and figure 1 or T; a cross with a small "b" under it; and a capital "B" with the figure "7" beneath it on one side. The mark "To" is also distinctive of this factory.To give an idea of the excellence to which the work attained in Bristol, I may observe that a tea-service presented by Richard Champion to his wife Judith in November, 1774, painted in figures, was sold at Sotheby's April, 1871, for £565. It consisted only of six pieces (counting a cup and saucer as one),i.e., the teapot, milk jug, sugar basin and three cups with their saucers. Of course, their value was greatly enhanced by their age.Plymouth Porcelain.To William Cookworthy, of Kingsbridge, and Lord Camelford we owe the production of porcelain at Plymouth. They worked together, and took out a patent in 1768. For the manufacture, Cookworthy discovered kaolin and pentuse in Cornwall, both natural substances, requisite for the production of hard paste; the former to supply an opaque body, and the latter a perfectly transparent substance, commonly called "moonstone," or "chinastone," the two being blended together.In the first patent taken out in this country in 1768, the porcelain was described as made of moonstone, or granite and china clay, the latter giving infusibility and whiteness, Henry Bone, the enameller, and M. Soqui, a painter from Sèvres, being the decorators of the Coxside manufactory at Plymouth. After a lapse of a few years, the interest of the latter was sold, and the patent rights transferred to Mr. Champion, of Bristol, in 1774. The mark of the original Plymouth porcelain was the alchemic symbol for tin, sometimes, but rarely, incised in the clay, in blue under the glaze, or in gold or red upon it; but many pieces have no mark at all. A great similarity appeared between the work executed at Plymouth and that in Bow, which may be accounted for by the fact that Cookworthy employed workmen procured from the last-named factory. Some £3,000 were expended in perfecting the discovery of how to bring the porcelain to perfection.PLYMOUTH MARK.(To be continued.)

ENGLISH PORCELAIN.

Thefactory at Worcester was opened in 1750-51, contemporaneously with that of Derby, the old mansion of Warmstry House being the first seat of the works. The latter passed into various hands, but were instituted by Dr. Wall, a physician, and Dr. Davis, an apothecary. The excellence of the colouring was a feature of manufacture, and it reached its highest degree of perfection from 1760 to 1780. Imitations from Chinese and Japanese designs were chiefly in vogue, enamelled, painted, or pencilled on the glaze, or in blue under it. Amongst the early marks distinguishing the Worcester porcelain, there is a "W" standing both for Worcester and Wall, the sign of Esculapius, a "W" enclosed in a square, and one formed of two "V's" intersecting each other, besides outlined crescents in gold or blue, fretted squares, anchors, and names. It may here be observed that according to general opinion no figures have been produced at Worcester.

In the second period of the Worcester manufacture, under Messrs. Flight & Barr, 1783, the name "Flight," or that name with a crescent, distinguished the work, and likewise "Flight and Barr," surmounted by a crown; and then with initials. The Chinese, Chantilly, Dresden, and Sèvres marks were also borrowed, but the exact date of their adoption does not appear to be decided.

Robert Chamberlain, apprentice of the old Worcester factory, took up a separate business with his brother Humphrey, and Messrs. Kerr & Binns succeeded them, and employed the marks here following. One consisted of four "W's" enclosed within a circle; three initial letters, and a shield bearing initials and the name "Worcester."

A third factory has been instituted by Chamberlain's nephew, Mr. Grainger, in partnership with Messrs. Lee & Co., under whose names the present Worcester china is executed.

The original founder, Dr. John Wall, died at Bath in 1776. In 1783 Mr. Flight purchased them, and took Binns into partnership, Solomon Cole, and Baxter. Amongst other names connected with the Worcester works are Blaney, Davis, Holdship, whose name, "R. Holdship," appears on some examples, and "RH" united as a monogram, as also a "B" for Binns. There are some fifty-seven workmen's marks on this china, which are too numerous to give, mostly of a very insignificant character. A large "W" (capital letter) is rare. Sometimes a square Chinese seal may be found on a specimen by no means oriental, and this is accounted for by the painting of such a mark on the paste before the glazing or the decorative design was executed or perhaps decided upon by the artist.

A few more of the Worcester marks may be added. First, the date, as given in the Shreiber Collection in the South Kensington Museum. The second is on the small sprig pattern of small blue flowers (like theAngoulême). The third is a group painted in blue, on imitation Japanese porcelain, very fine and old. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh groups are all on Japanese china.

Richard Champion, the founder of the Bristol Porcelain works, Castle Green, 1765, having applied for an extension of his patent (granted for fourteen years), was strongly opposed by Josiah Wedgwood, and other Staffordshire potters. The extension under certain conditions was obtained, but two years subsequently he sold it to some Staffordshire potters, and the work was carried on at Tunstall and Shelton. The designs on Champion's Porcelain were taken extensively from Dresden, for which his work is often mistaken, as he affixed the crossed swords of that manufactory to his own china. He also copied those of Sèvres and Vincennes. In one case the Bristol cross is united with that of Plymouth,i.e.,

The plain cross is painted in blue. The Bristol marks next following are painted on the glaze in blue or slate-colour,i.e.,

The marks of Champion, in designs taken more or less from the Dresden and French are as here given, all under the glaze in blue, excepting the last three which are over the glaze.

The letter "T" is embossed, standing in relief, and the plain cross is painted in blue. The Dresden crossed swords in a triangle, is impressed on the clay.

The painter's number is sometimes given over the glaze, as "7," and when in gold and added to the Dresden mark, in Bristol ware, it indicates the gilder and not the painter. Also we find the name "Bristoll" in double lined letters, and the following three, a cross, date, and figure 1 or T; a cross with a small "b" under it; and a capital "B" with the figure "7" beneath it on one side. The mark "To" is also distinctive of this factory.

To give an idea of the excellence to which the work attained in Bristol, I may observe that a tea-service presented by Richard Champion to his wife Judith in November, 1774, painted in figures, was sold at Sotheby's April, 1871, for £565. It consisted only of six pieces (counting a cup and saucer as one),i.e., the teapot, milk jug, sugar basin and three cups with their saucers. Of course, their value was greatly enhanced by their age.

To William Cookworthy, of Kingsbridge, and Lord Camelford we owe the production of porcelain at Plymouth. They worked together, and took out a patent in 1768. For the manufacture, Cookworthy discovered kaolin and pentuse in Cornwall, both natural substances, requisite for the production of hard paste; the former to supply an opaque body, and the latter a perfectly transparent substance, commonly called "moonstone," or "chinastone," the two being blended together.

In the first patent taken out in this country in 1768, the porcelain was described as made of moonstone, or granite and china clay, the latter giving infusibility and whiteness, Henry Bone, the enameller, and M. Soqui, a painter from Sèvres, being the decorators of the Coxside manufactory at Plymouth. After a lapse of a few years, the interest of the latter was sold, and the patent rights transferred to Mr. Champion, of Bristol, in 1774. The mark of the original Plymouth porcelain was the alchemic symbol for tin, sometimes, but rarely, incised in the clay, in blue under the glaze, or in gold or red upon it; but many pieces have no mark at all. A great similarity appeared between the work executed at Plymouth and that in Bow, which may be accounted for by the fact that Cookworthy employed workmen procured from the last-named factory. Some £3,000 were expended in perfecting the discovery of how to bring the porcelain to perfection.

PLYMOUTH MARK.

PLYMOUTH MARK.

PLYMOUTH MARK.

(To be continued.)

NEIGHBOURS.Oneof the penalties of the "civilisation" that drives so many people to live in cities, is that they must have neighbours, good, bad or indifferent, in close proximity.There are still some houses in cities standing alone and surrounded by garden or shrubbery, but the majority of dwellers in towns must, by force of circumstances, have people next door. These cannot be altogether ignored (though it is wonderful how the habit grows of minding one's own business), and we have to bear with their faults and their failings. A great help in this direction is to remind ourselves that we are also somebody's neighbour, and, no doubt, they have faults to find with us.Still, there is no denying that whatever are our faults, those of our neighbour are very aggravating. What can be more intolerable than the barking and yelping of our neighbour's dog, the crowing of our neighbour's cock, the creaking of his rusty gate, and the crying and even screaming of his children? Only one thing can be worse, and that is the strumming on our neighbour's piano. Next door noises are a source of much ill-temper and even of ill-health to those whose nerves are strained to tension-point, and in these days of high pressure, this is one of our most serious troubles. The minor annoyances of our neighbour's washing and our neighbour's cooking are as nothing compared to these, and we must consider ourselves fortunate if we have quiet people next door. Better still if they are godly people who recognise the divine duty of a neighbour.I think there is no time when the disposition of a neighbour is more evident than in times of sickness, and our happiest recollection of neighbours was under those circumstances. Up to then our acquaintance was limited to pleasant exchange of courtesies over the weather, the new baby and the gardens; and friendly relations were established between us when, one morning we received a little note saying that they were having a new flagstone put down at their gate, and as ours was also worn, would we allow their workman to put one down for us—surely a most neighbourly and considerate proposition! This led to pleasant intercourse between the houses, exchange of household recipes, bouquets and visits. But the testing came when long and severe illness laid one of our family low; and then in truth we learnt to know what "to be neighbourly" meant. No distance was too great, no journey too irksome—if any special delicacy were needed for the invalid—every morning, afternoon, and evening brought some kind message for the patient or the nurse, and, when recovery happily came, it was our kind neighbour, the head of the house, who carried the convalescent downstairs for the first time.And now, years after these events, when we have moved away—as well as they—the children are grown-up, and the families are scattered, there is a bond of happy recollections between us, which time does not efface, or change of circumstances alter. It is our old neighbours who send us Christmas and other greetings, when friends and relatives forget to send them, and some of our pleasantest conversations refer to the time when we lived "next door."May this continue till we find ourselves with them again, neighbours, but in heavenly mansions!

Oneof the penalties of the "civilisation" that drives so many people to live in cities, is that they must have neighbours, good, bad or indifferent, in close proximity.

There are still some houses in cities standing alone and surrounded by garden or shrubbery, but the majority of dwellers in towns must, by force of circumstances, have people next door. These cannot be altogether ignored (though it is wonderful how the habit grows of minding one's own business), and we have to bear with their faults and their failings. A great help in this direction is to remind ourselves that we are also somebody's neighbour, and, no doubt, they have faults to find with us.

Still, there is no denying that whatever are our faults, those of our neighbour are very aggravating. What can be more intolerable than the barking and yelping of our neighbour's dog, the crowing of our neighbour's cock, the creaking of his rusty gate, and the crying and even screaming of his children? Only one thing can be worse, and that is the strumming on our neighbour's piano. Next door noises are a source of much ill-temper and even of ill-health to those whose nerves are strained to tension-point, and in these days of high pressure, this is one of our most serious troubles. The minor annoyances of our neighbour's washing and our neighbour's cooking are as nothing compared to these, and we must consider ourselves fortunate if we have quiet people next door. Better still if they are godly people who recognise the divine duty of a neighbour.

I think there is no time when the disposition of a neighbour is more evident than in times of sickness, and our happiest recollection of neighbours was under those circumstances. Up to then our acquaintance was limited to pleasant exchange of courtesies over the weather, the new baby and the gardens; and friendly relations were established between us when, one morning we received a little note saying that they were having a new flagstone put down at their gate, and as ours was also worn, would we allow their workman to put one down for us—surely a most neighbourly and considerate proposition! This led to pleasant intercourse between the houses, exchange of household recipes, bouquets and visits. But the testing came when long and severe illness laid one of our family low; and then in truth we learnt to know what "to be neighbourly" meant. No distance was too great, no journey too irksome—if any special delicacy were needed for the invalid—every morning, afternoon, and evening brought some kind message for the patient or the nurse, and, when recovery happily came, it was our kind neighbour, the head of the house, who carried the convalescent downstairs for the first time.

And now, years after these events, when we have moved away—as well as they—the children are grown-up, and the families are scattered, there is a bond of happy recollections between us, which time does not efface, or change of circumstances alter. It is our old neighbours who send us Christmas and other greetings, when friends and relatives forget to send them, and some of our pleasantest conversations refer to the time when we lived "next door."

May this continue till we find ourselves with them again, neighbours, but in heavenly mansions!

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.I. No charge is made for answering questions.II. All correspondents to give initials or pseudonym.III. The Editor reserves the right of declining to reply to any of the questions.IV. No direct answers can be sent by the Editor through the post.V. No more than two questions may be asked in one letter, which must be addressed to the Editor of "The Girl's Own Paper," 56, Paternoster Row, London, E.C.VI. No addresses of firms, tradesmen, or any other matter of the nature of an advertisement will be inserted.MEDICAL.Emily Dalton.—We thank you for your letter, but we must remind you that the preparation that cured you is by no means likely to be of equal value to others. If the remedy that you used is one that is not commonly employed for that purpose, we may be almost certain that it would be totally useless in another case. Most unexpected things do happen in medicine, and it requires a long time to decide whether a drug has any good effect, even though it may have apparently cured one or two persons. You are hardly likely to have discovered any new drug, and most of the medicines used in England, whether in the pharmacopœia or not, have been exhaustively studied. Those drugs which are not official are not given a place in the pharmacopœia, either because they are of insufficient value or because they have not yet been sufficiently studied. The reason why patent medicines and advertised nostrums are not given a place in our official list of drugs is either, as is most commonly the case, they are useless or inferior to preparations already in the pharmacopœia, or because they are simply time-honoured prescriptions which have been stolen and patented for running a company with, and charging thirteenpence halfpenny for what can be got for a penny! You must also remember that using drugs, with the action of which you are not familiar, is indeed dealing with edged tools, which may do great good if properly handled, but which can work disaster if wrongly applied."Not Bad."—You are suffering from the nervous and physical depression which is a constant symptom of anæmia. That you are anæmic is perfectly obvious from your account. If you pay attention to what we are going to tell you, we feel certain that you will soon get better. First read the three articles on diet and digestion which appeared in theGirl's Own Paperin February 1897, December 1897, and September 1898. Then turn to page 384 of last year's volume and read the answer which describes the treatment of anæmia. When you have read those papers, then read what follows here. Give up the cold bath in the morning and do not return to it till you are completely well again. In its place you may take a warm bath before going to bed. Pay great attention to your digestion by observing all the rules laid down in the articles above mentioned. Take a walk regularly every day. As regards drugs, you must guard carefully against constipation, which is the chief cause of anæmia. A teaspoonful of liquorice powder, or an aloes and nux vomica pill, may be taken occasionally for this purpose. Tonics are the greatest bane of modern medicine, and you will do well to fight shy of them altogether. Iron, taken as a blood-former, but not as a tonic, is invaluable for anæmia. You should begin with a small dose of a mild preparation. A five-grain "Bland's" pill taken three times a day after meals is a good way of taking iron. It is the rule for persons with anæmia to get stout and not to become thin, as one would,a priori, have expected."Jessie."—Your deafness is, almost for certain, due to wax. That you are very subject to sore throats, and that you usually breathe through your mouth, are perhaps against this opinion, but everything else is in favour of it. Syringe out your ears, or get some careful friend to do it for you. Before syringing out your ears read the article "All about the ear" which appeared in this magazine October 1897. If the syringing is properly done you will recover your hearing immediately. It may take an hour to efficiently syringe out an ear."Minnie Steward."—Your deafness is unquestionably due to wax. Read what we said to "Jessie."Anxious One.—We think that you will find the cause of your symptoms in your spectacles. Did you have your eyes examined by a medical man, or did you go to an oculist and choose the pair that suited you best? We guess that you did the latter, and if our surmise is correct, your symptoms are very easily accounted for. Your eyes evidently have different refractive powers, that is, they need different glasses. The spectacles kept by oculists, or, rather, opticians, have both glasses of equal power, so that you could not get a pair of spectacles to suit your own case unless you had them made for you. You say your "other eye is defective." By this do you mean that you cannot use that eye for working, or that it squints? In either case it would be practically useless, so that your "bad eye" has to do all the work, and is consequently overworked, becomes sore, and gives you headaches. If it is not exactly suited by the lens in front of it, it is quite capable of incapacitating you altogether. Go to an ophthalmic surgeon and get a prescription for glasses for each eye separately. Take the card to the best optician you know and have the glasses made for you. We know that this will be rather expensive, but it is necessary if you wish to keep your sight.An Old Friend of the "G.O.P."—We advise you not to use lemons for your hair, for though we do not think that they would do much harm, they are not likely to do any good. Try a hairwash of rosemary or quinine, or use a pomade containing cantharides.Slight Deafness(An answer to "Jessie," "Deffee," "An Unhappy One," "Minnie Steward," and "Queen").—We are much pleased that our answer to "A Constant Reader" has been the cause of so many of our readers laying their troubles before us. As the five correspondents whom we are now answering have understood the absolute necessity of supplying us with information about their ills before we can give them a definite answer, and as all have answered the thirteen points which it is necessary to know before discussing the treatment of deafness, we will be able to give them much more lucid replies than is possible in most cases of the kind when correspondents merely ask us for "a cure for deafness.""Deffee" has given us "a poser," for her answers to our thirteen queries seem rather to indicate a combination of unhealthy conditions rather than a single complaint. There is a great amount of information in her report which suggests wax. As the treatment for this condition is perfectly simple, she should try this first. A person who "scarcely knows what a sore throat means" is hardly likely to have suffered much from it. There are certain passages in her letter which strongly suggest that the chief cause of her deafness is hardening and stiffening of the drums of her ears from catarrh of the nose and eustachian tube. We advise her to get an "atomiser" and thoroughly spray her nose and throat with a solution of menthol in paraleine (1 in 8) three times a day. We hardly like to give an opinion as to the ultimate result."An Unhappy One" would do best to go to a hospital as she suggests. The cause of her deafness is probably catarrh."Queen."—Your letter was most interesting, but we fear that we can hold out no hope of your ever recovering your hearing. You are to be congratulated upon having recovered at all from so frightful an accident, which is nearly always fatal. Your left auditory nerve was torn through by the fracture of your skull. It is an exceedingly soft nerve, and we have never heard of its recovery from division. This is probably because the nerve is always more or less lacerated as well as torn across.MISCELLANEOUS.Trela.—Miniature portrait painting on ivory has become very fashionable of late, and there are always many in the exhibition at the Royal Academy each year. Moist water-colours are used for the painting, sable brushes, and a piece of ivory. The work is very fine, and requires strong and good sight. We think you would require lessons and some study before you made it valuable to you. Meanwhile you should try to see a collection. Richard Cosway was a great miniature painter. You do not say where you write from, so we cannot tell you where to go. If near it, go to the South Kensington Museum.Margherita.—The population of the world is given in Meyer'sKonversations Lexikonat, Christians, 448,000,000; non-Christians, 1,004,000,000.Green-Eyed Cat.—For "madeira cake" take eight ounces of flour, five ounces of castor sugar, five ounces of butter, four eggs, citron as desired, and grated lemon-peel. Blend the butter and sugar together, add the grated lemon-peel, stir in the eggs one at a time, and sift in the flour by degrees. Then pour the mixture into a buttered cake-tin, placing the pieces of citron on the top, and bake during forty minutes in a moderately hot oven.Confectioner(New Zealand).—The following is the recipe for the cream: Take three cups of sugar, one and a half of water, half a teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and flavour with essence of vanilla. Boil the mixture till drops will nearly keep their shape in water, then pour into a bowl set in cold water. Stir steadily with a silver or wooden spoon till cold enough to bear the hand in it, and then place on a platter and knead till of an even texture. If too hard, a few drops of warm water may be stirred in; if too soft, it must be boiled again. This is the usual foundation of cream bon-bons. It may be flavoured with chocolate by adding a tablespoon of melted chocolate while the syrup is hot. To make "chocolate creams," set one-half of a cake of cooking chocolate on a flat dish in the oven until soft. Prepare cream as above. Roll into small balls, leave for a few minutes to dry, then roll in the melted chocolate and place on buttered paper. A two-pronged fork will be found convenient for so doing.Vipers Bugloss.—In the year 1620 Oliver Cromwell married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James Bourchier, a gentleman of landed property in Essex. The name Bourchier is said by Burke to be Anglo-Norman. The first number ofThe Girl's Own Paperis dated January 3rd, 1880.C. T. J. (Harrogate).—The kings of England claimed the crown of France from Edward III., 1340, to the time of George III., 1802—462 years—and the title "King of France" was used till the treaty of Amiens in 1802. At the time of the Union, however, we find the royal style and title was appointed to run thus:—"Georgius Tertius, Dei Gratia Britanniarum Rex, Fidei Defensor," France having been omitted already in 1801. This title was assumed by Edward III. in right of his mother, Isabella, daughter of Philip IV. of France,A.D.1290. As France was under the Salic Law, which excludes women from the throne, this claim was obviously untenable, but is said to have been made to win over the Flemish allegiance. Edward, however, was originally forced into a defensive war with France, because Philip of Valois desired to seize Edward's duchy of Aquitaine, which had never belonged to the kings of France.H. R. H.—There are loan funds for helping women to train for professional or technical careers at the Ladies' College, Cheltenham, at Bedford College, and at Queen Margaret's College, Glasgow. For the latter, address Mrs. E. J. Mills, 5, Hillhead Street, Glasgow. In London there is the "Caroline Ashurst Bigg Memorial Loan Fund," Hon. Secretary, Mrs. Alfred Pollard, 13, Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, W. We believe that the paper is still in being. Write and inquire about it, however.Sweet Briar.—You should learn the Roman numerals. MDCCCXXVII. means 1827. M means a thousand, D five hundred, and C one hundred; X ten, V five, and I one. There are many nice books for girls, from Sir Walter Scott's downwards. Mrs. Craik, Miss Beale, Miss Rosa N. Carey, Miss Sarah Doudney, are all writers for girls.Nell.—There are twenty-one colleges at Oxford, and about 3000 members of the university in residence. At Cambridge there are seventeen colleges, and the members on the boards amounted to 13,079 in 1897, while 887 students matriculated. The earliest university was at Bologna, and that at Paris was the most important. These both rose into notice in the twelfth century, and Oxford and Cambridge in the thirteenth. The system of degrees and the names of the chief officers were introduced into England, as well as into other countries, from Paris. The distinguishing characteristic of Oxford or Cambridge is the existence of a number of separate corporations or colleges within the universities themselves. The origin of the colleges was due to benevolent persons who desired to relieve a certain number of poor scholars from the hardship of their lives at the mediæval universities, and so provided a building where they could have a common life, and an endowment for their maintenance.Dolly.—The first steamer that crossed the Atlantic was theRising Sun, built in 1818 by Lord Cochran. We do not know how long her voyage was, but the following year an American ship left New York and arrived at Liverpool after a run of twenty-six days. Her engines propelled her during eighteen days, but the rest of the voyage was accomplished with the assistance of her sails. She was called theSavannah, of 300 tons. Now the transit may be made in about five days.Lizzie.—We remember seeing an account of the so-called language of stamps, but we hope no one will adopt it, as it would give extra trouble to the Post Office employés, who ask us to put them always in the right-hand upper corner. Besides, we do not see the use of it when, by opening the letter itself, you would acquire the knowledge you want; and it is a vulgar idea, and "bad form."High Church.—Your bookseller would inform you. The Church of England does not hold the first two dogmas you mention.

I. No charge is made for answering questions.II. All correspondents to give initials or pseudonym.III. The Editor reserves the right of declining to reply to any of the questions.IV. No direct answers can be sent by the Editor through the post.V. No more than two questions may be asked in one letter, which must be addressed to the Editor of "The Girl's Own Paper," 56, Paternoster Row, London, E.C.VI. No addresses of firms, tradesmen, or any other matter of the nature of an advertisement will be inserted.

I. No charge is made for answering questions.

II. All correspondents to give initials or pseudonym.

III. The Editor reserves the right of declining to reply to any of the questions.

IV. No direct answers can be sent by the Editor through the post.

V. No more than two questions may be asked in one letter, which must be addressed to the Editor of "The Girl's Own Paper," 56, Paternoster Row, London, E.C.

VI. No addresses of firms, tradesmen, or any other matter of the nature of an advertisement will be inserted.

Emily Dalton.—We thank you for your letter, but we must remind you that the preparation that cured you is by no means likely to be of equal value to others. If the remedy that you used is one that is not commonly employed for that purpose, we may be almost certain that it would be totally useless in another case. Most unexpected things do happen in medicine, and it requires a long time to decide whether a drug has any good effect, even though it may have apparently cured one or two persons. You are hardly likely to have discovered any new drug, and most of the medicines used in England, whether in the pharmacopœia or not, have been exhaustively studied. Those drugs which are not official are not given a place in the pharmacopœia, either because they are of insufficient value or because they have not yet been sufficiently studied. The reason why patent medicines and advertised nostrums are not given a place in our official list of drugs is either, as is most commonly the case, they are useless or inferior to preparations already in the pharmacopœia, or because they are simply time-honoured prescriptions which have been stolen and patented for running a company with, and charging thirteenpence halfpenny for what can be got for a penny! You must also remember that using drugs, with the action of which you are not familiar, is indeed dealing with edged tools, which may do great good if properly handled, but which can work disaster if wrongly applied."Not Bad."—You are suffering from the nervous and physical depression which is a constant symptom of anæmia. That you are anæmic is perfectly obvious from your account. If you pay attention to what we are going to tell you, we feel certain that you will soon get better. First read the three articles on diet and digestion which appeared in theGirl's Own Paperin February 1897, December 1897, and September 1898. Then turn to page 384 of last year's volume and read the answer which describes the treatment of anæmia. When you have read those papers, then read what follows here. Give up the cold bath in the morning and do not return to it till you are completely well again. In its place you may take a warm bath before going to bed. Pay great attention to your digestion by observing all the rules laid down in the articles above mentioned. Take a walk regularly every day. As regards drugs, you must guard carefully against constipation, which is the chief cause of anæmia. A teaspoonful of liquorice powder, or an aloes and nux vomica pill, may be taken occasionally for this purpose. Tonics are the greatest bane of modern medicine, and you will do well to fight shy of them altogether. Iron, taken as a blood-former, but not as a tonic, is invaluable for anæmia. You should begin with a small dose of a mild preparation. A five-grain "Bland's" pill taken three times a day after meals is a good way of taking iron. It is the rule for persons with anæmia to get stout and not to become thin, as one would,a priori, have expected."Jessie."—Your deafness is, almost for certain, due to wax. That you are very subject to sore throats, and that you usually breathe through your mouth, are perhaps against this opinion, but everything else is in favour of it. Syringe out your ears, or get some careful friend to do it for you. Before syringing out your ears read the article "All about the ear" which appeared in this magazine October 1897. If the syringing is properly done you will recover your hearing immediately. It may take an hour to efficiently syringe out an ear."Minnie Steward."—Your deafness is unquestionably due to wax. Read what we said to "Jessie."Anxious One.—We think that you will find the cause of your symptoms in your spectacles. Did you have your eyes examined by a medical man, or did you go to an oculist and choose the pair that suited you best? We guess that you did the latter, and if our surmise is correct, your symptoms are very easily accounted for. Your eyes evidently have different refractive powers, that is, they need different glasses. The spectacles kept by oculists, or, rather, opticians, have both glasses of equal power, so that you could not get a pair of spectacles to suit your own case unless you had them made for you. You say your "other eye is defective." By this do you mean that you cannot use that eye for working, or that it squints? In either case it would be practically useless, so that your "bad eye" has to do all the work, and is consequently overworked, becomes sore, and gives you headaches. If it is not exactly suited by the lens in front of it, it is quite capable of incapacitating you altogether. Go to an ophthalmic surgeon and get a prescription for glasses for each eye separately. Take the card to the best optician you know and have the glasses made for you. We know that this will be rather expensive, but it is necessary if you wish to keep your sight.An Old Friend of the "G.O.P."—We advise you not to use lemons for your hair, for though we do not think that they would do much harm, they are not likely to do any good. Try a hairwash of rosemary or quinine, or use a pomade containing cantharides.Slight Deafness(An answer to "Jessie," "Deffee," "An Unhappy One," "Minnie Steward," and "Queen").—We are much pleased that our answer to "A Constant Reader" has been the cause of so many of our readers laying their troubles before us. As the five correspondents whom we are now answering have understood the absolute necessity of supplying us with information about their ills before we can give them a definite answer, and as all have answered the thirteen points which it is necessary to know before discussing the treatment of deafness, we will be able to give them much more lucid replies than is possible in most cases of the kind when correspondents merely ask us for "a cure for deafness.""Deffee" has given us "a poser," for her answers to our thirteen queries seem rather to indicate a combination of unhealthy conditions rather than a single complaint. There is a great amount of information in her report which suggests wax. As the treatment for this condition is perfectly simple, she should try this first. A person who "scarcely knows what a sore throat means" is hardly likely to have suffered much from it. There are certain passages in her letter which strongly suggest that the chief cause of her deafness is hardening and stiffening of the drums of her ears from catarrh of the nose and eustachian tube. We advise her to get an "atomiser" and thoroughly spray her nose and throat with a solution of menthol in paraleine (1 in 8) three times a day. We hardly like to give an opinion as to the ultimate result."An Unhappy One" would do best to go to a hospital as she suggests. The cause of her deafness is probably catarrh."Queen."—Your letter was most interesting, but we fear that we can hold out no hope of your ever recovering your hearing. You are to be congratulated upon having recovered at all from so frightful an accident, which is nearly always fatal. Your left auditory nerve was torn through by the fracture of your skull. It is an exceedingly soft nerve, and we have never heard of its recovery from division. This is probably because the nerve is always more or less lacerated as well as torn across.

Emily Dalton.—We thank you for your letter, but we must remind you that the preparation that cured you is by no means likely to be of equal value to others. If the remedy that you used is one that is not commonly employed for that purpose, we may be almost certain that it would be totally useless in another case. Most unexpected things do happen in medicine, and it requires a long time to decide whether a drug has any good effect, even though it may have apparently cured one or two persons. You are hardly likely to have discovered any new drug, and most of the medicines used in England, whether in the pharmacopœia or not, have been exhaustively studied. Those drugs which are not official are not given a place in the pharmacopœia, either because they are of insufficient value or because they have not yet been sufficiently studied. The reason why patent medicines and advertised nostrums are not given a place in our official list of drugs is either, as is most commonly the case, they are useless or inferior to preparations already in the pharmacopœia, or because they are simply time-honoured prescriptions which have been stolen and patented for running a company with, and charging thirteenpence halfpenny for what can be got for a penny! You must also remember that using drugs, with the action of which you are not familiar, is indeed dealing with edged tools, which may do great good if properly handled, but which can work disaster if wrongly applied.

"Not Bad."—You are suffering from the nervous and physical depression which is a constant symptom of anæmia. That you are anæmic is perfectly obvious from your account. If you pay attention to what we are going to tell you, we feel certain that you will soon get better. First read the three articles on diet and digestion which appeared in theGirl's Own Paperin February 1897, December 1897, and September 1898. Then turn to page 384 of last year's volume and read the answer which describes the treatment of anæmia. When you have read those papers, then read what follows here. Give up the cold bath in the morning and do not return to it till you are completely well again. In its place you may take a warm bath before going to bed. Pay great attention to your digestion by observing all the rules laid down in the articles above mentioned. Take a walk regularly every day. As regards drugs, you must guard carefully against constipation, which is the chief cause of anæmia. A teaspoonful of liquorice powder, or an aloes and nux vomica pill, may be taken occasionally for this purpose. Tonics are the greatest bane of modern medicine, and you will do well to fight shy of them altogether. Iron, taken as a blood-former, but not as a tonic, is invaluable for anæmia. You should begin with a small dose of a mild preparation. A five-grain "Bland's" pill taken three times a day after meals is a good way of taking iron. It is the rule for persons with anæmia to get stout and not to become thin, as one would,a priori, have expected.

"Jessie."—Your deafness is, almost for certain, due to wax. That you are very subject to sore throats, and that you usually breathe through your mouth, are perhaps against this opinion, but everything else is in favour of it. Syringe out your ears, or get some careful friend to do it for you. Before syringing out your ears read the article "All about the ear" which appeared in this magazine October 1897. If the syringing is properly done you will recover your hearing immediately. It may take an hour to efficiently syringe out an ear.

"Minnie Steward."—Your deafness is unquestionably due to wax. Read what we said to "Jessie."

Anxious One.—We think that you will find the cause of your symptoms in your spectacles. Did you have your eyes examined by a medical man, or did you go to an oculist and choose the pair that suited you best? We guess that you did the latter, and if our surmise is correct, your symptoms are very easily accounted for. Your eyes evidently have different refractive powers, that is, they need different glasses. The spectacles kept by oculists, or, rather, opticians, have both glasses of equal power, so that you could not get a pair of spectacles to suit your own case unless you had them made for you. You say your "other eye is defective." By this do you mean that you cannot use that eye for working, or that it squints? In either case it would be practically useless, so that your "bad eye" has to do all the work, and is consequently overworked, becomes sore, and gives you headaches. If it is not exactly suited by the lens in front of it, it is quite capable of incapacitating you altogether. Go to an ophthalmic surgeon and get a prescription for glasses for each eye separately. Take the card to the best optician you know and have the glasses made for you. We know that this will be rather expensive, but it is necessary if you wish to keep your sight.

An Old Friend of the "G.O.P."—We advise you not to use lemons for your hair, for though we do not think that they would do much harm, they are not likely to do any good. Try a hairwash of rosemary or quinine, or use a pomade containing cantharides.

Slight Deafness(An answer to "Jessie," "Deffee," "An Unhappy One," "Minnie Steward," and "Queen").—We are much pleased that our answer to "A Constant Reader" has been the cause of so many of our readers laying their troubles before us. As the five correspondents whom we are now answering have understood the absolute necessity of supplying us with information about their ills before we can give them a definite answer, and as all have answered the thirteen points which it is necessary to know before discussing the treatment of deafness, we will be able to give them much more lucid replies than is possible in most cases of the kind when correspondents merely ask us for "a cure for deafness."

"Deffee" has given us "a poser," for her answers to our thirteen queries seem rather to indicate a combination of unhealthy conditions rather than a single complaint. There is a great amount of information in her report which suggests wax. As the treatment for this condition is perfectly simple, she should try this first. A person who "scarcely knows what a sore throat means" is hardly likely to have suffered much from it. There are certain passages in her letter which strongly suggest that the chief cause of her deafness is hardening and stiffening of the drums of her ears from catarrh of the nose and eustachian tube. We advise her to get an "atomiser" and thoroughly spray her nose and throat with a solution of menthol in paraleine (1 in 8) three times a day. We hardly like to give an opinion as to the ultimate result.

"An Unhappy One" would do best to go to a hospital as she suggests. The cause of her deafness is probably catarrh.

"Queen."—Your letter was most interesting, but we fear that we can hold out no hope of your ever recovering your hearing. You are to be congratulated upon having recovered at all from so frightful an accident, which is nearly always fatal. Your left auditory nerve was torn through by the fracture of your skull. It is an exceedingly soft nerve, and we have never heard of its recovery from division. This is probably because the nerve is always more or less lacerated as well as torn across.

Trela.—Miniature portrait painting on ivory has become very fashionable of late, and there are always many in the exhibition at the Royal Academy each year. Moist water-colours are used for the painting, sable brushes, and a piece of ivory. The work is very fine, and requires strong and good sight. We think you would require lessons and some study before you made it valuable to you. Meanwhile you should try to see a collection. Richard Cosway was a great miniature painter. You do not say where you write from, so we cannot tell you where to go. If near it, go to the South Kensington Museum.Margherita.—The population of the world is given in Meyer'sKonversations Lexikonat, Christians, 448,000,000; non-Christians, 1,004,000,000.Green-Eyed Cat.—For "madeira cake" take eight ounces of flour, five ounces of castor sugar, five ounces of butter, four eggs, citron as desired, and grated lemon-peel. Blend the butter and sugar together, add the grated lemon-peel, stir in the eggs one at a time, and sift in the flour by degrees. Then pour the mixture into a buttered cake-tin, placing the pieces of citron on the top, and bake during forty minutes in a moderately hot oven.Confectioner(New Zealand).—The following is the recipe for the cream: Take three cups of sugar, one and a half of water, half a teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and flavour with essence of vanilla. Boil the mixture till drops will nearly keep their shape in water, then pour into a bowl set in cold water. Stir steadily with a silver or wooden spoon till cold enough to bear the hand in it, and then place on a platter and knead till of an even texture. If too hard, a few drops of warm water may be stirred in; if too soft, it must be boiled again. This is the usual foundation of cream bon-bons. It may be flavoured with chocolate by adding a tablespoon of melted chocolate while the syrup is hot. To make "chocolate creams," set one-half of a cake of cooking chocolate on a flat dish in the oven until soft. Prepare cream as above. Roll into small balls, leave for a few minutes to dry, then roll in the melted chocolate and place on buttered paper. A two-pronged fork will be found convenient for so doing.Vipers Bugloss.—In the year 1620 Oliver Cromwell married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James Bourchier, a gentleman of landed property in Essex. The name Bourchier is said by Burke to be Anglo-Norman. The first number ofThe Girl's Own Paperis dated January 3rd, 1880.C. T. J. (Harrogate).—The kings of England claimed the crown of France from Edward III., 1340, to the time of George III., 1802—462 years—and the title "King of France" was used till the treaty of Amiens in 1802. At the time of the Union, however, we find the royal style and title was appointed to run thus:—"Georgius Tertius, Dei Gratia Britanniarum Rex, Fidei Defensor," France having been omitted already in 1801. This title was assumed by Edward III. in right of his mother, Isabella, daughter of Philip IV. of France,A.D.1290. As France was under the Salic Law, which excludes women from the throne, this claim was obviously untenable, but is said to have been made to win over the Flemish allegiance. Edward, however, was originally forced into a defensive war with France, because Philip of Valois desired to seize Edward's duchy of Aquitaine, which had never belonged to the kings of France.H. R. H.—There are loan funds for helping women to train for professional or technical careers at the Ladies' College, Cheltenham, at Bedford College, and at Queen Margaret's College, Glasgow. For the latter, address Mrs. E. J. Mills, 5, Hillhead Street, Glasgow. In London there is the "Caroline Ashurst Bigg Memorial Loan Fund," Hon. Secretary, Mrs. Alfred Pollard, 13, Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, W. We believe that the paper is still in being. Write and inquire about it, however.Sweet Briar.—You should learn the Roman numerals. MDCCCXXVII. means 1827. M means a thousand, D five hundred, and C one hundred; X ten, V five, and I one. There are many nice books for girls, from Sir Walter Scott's downwards. Mrs. Craik, Miss Beale, Miss Rosa N. Carey, Miss Sarah Doudney, are all writers for girls.Nell.—There are twenty-one colleges at Oxford, and about 3000 members of the university in residence. At Cambridge there are seventeen colleges, and the members on the boards amounted to 13,079 in 1897, while 887 students matriculated. The earliest university was at Bologna, and that at Paris was the most important. These both rose into notice in the twelfth century, and Oxford and Cambridge in the thirteenth. The system of degrees and the names of the chief officers were introduced into England, as well as into other countries, from Paris. The distinguishing characteristic of Oxford or Cambridge is the existence of a number of separate corporations or colleges within the universities themselves. The origin of the colleges was due to benevolent persons who desired to relieve a certain number of poor scholars from the hardship of their lives at the mediæval universities, and so provided a building where they could have a common life, and an endowment for their maintenance.Dolly.—The first steamer that crossed the Atlantic was theRising Sun, built in 1818 by Lord Cochran. We do not know how long her voyage was, but the following year an American ship left New York and arrived at Liverpool after a run of twenty-six days. Her engines propelled her during eighteen days, but the rest of the voyage was accomplished with the assistance of her sails. She was called theSavannah, of 300 tons. Now the transit may be made in about five days.Lizzie.—We remember seeing an account of the so-called language of stamps, but we hope no one will adopt it, as it would give extra trouble to the Post Office employés, who ask us to put them always in the right-hand upper corner. Besides, we do not see the use of it when, by opening the letter itself, you would acquire the knowledge you want; and it is a vulgar idea, and "bad form."High Church.—Your bookseller would inform you. The Church of England does not hold the first two dogmas you mention.

Trela.—Miniature portrait painting on ivory has become very fashionable of late, and there are always many in the exhibition at the Royal Academy each year. Moist water-colours are used for the painting, sable brushes, and a piece of ivory. The work is very fine, and requires strong and good sight. We think you would require lessons and some study before you made it valuable to you. Meanwhile you should try to see a collection. Richard Cosway was a great miniature painter. You do not say where you write from, so we cannot tell you where to go. If near it, go to the South Kensington Museum.

Margherita.—The population of the world is given in Meyer'sKonversations Lexikonat, Christians, 448,000,000; non-Christians, 1,004,000,000.

Green-Eyed Cat.—For "madeira cake" take eight ounces of flour, five ounces of castor sugar, five ounces of butter, four eggs, citron as desired, and grated lemon-peel. Blend the butter and sugar together, add the grated lemon-peel, stir in the eggs one at a time, and sift in the flour by degrees. Then pour the mixture into a buttered cake-tin, placing the pieces of citron on the top, and bake during forty minutes in a moderately hot oven.

Confectioner(New Zealand).—The following is the recipe for the cream: Take three cups of sugar, one and a half of water, half a teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and flavour with essence of vanilla. Boil the mixture till drops will nearly keep their shape in water, then pour into a bowl set in cold water. Stir steadily with a silver or wooden spoon till cold enough to bear the hand in it, and then place on a platter and knead till of an even texture. If too hard, a few drops of warm water may be stirred in; if too soft, it must be boiled again. This is the usual foundation of cream bon-bons. It may be flavoured with chocolate by adding a tablespoon of melted chocolate while the syrup is hot. To make "chocolate creams," set one-half of a cake of cooking chocolate on a flat dish in the oven until soft. Prepare cream as above. Roll into small balls, leave for a few minutes to dry, then roll in the melted chocolate and place on buttered paper. A two-pronged fork will be found convenient for so doing.

Vipers Bugloss.—In the year 1620 Oliver Cromwell married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James Bourchier, a gentleman of landed property in Essex. The name Bourchier is said by Burke to be Anglo-Norman. The first number ofThe Girl's Own Paperis dated January 3rd, 1880.

C. T. J. (Harrogate).—The kings of England claimed the crown of France from Edward III., 1340, to the time of George III., 1802—462 years—and the title "King of France" was used till the treaty of Amiens in 1802. At the time of the Union, however, we find the royal style and title was appointed to run thus:—"Georgius Tertius, Dei Gratia Britanniarum Rex, Fidei Defensor," France having been omitted already in 1801. This title was assumed by Edward III. in right of his mother, Isabella, daughter of Philip IV. of France,A.D.1290. As France was under the Salic Law, which excludes women from the throne, this claim was obviously untenable, but is said to have been made to win over the Flemish allegiance. Edward, however, was originally forced into a defensive war with France, because Philip of Valois desired to seize Edward's duchy of Aquitaine, which had never belonged to the kings of France.

H. R. H.—There are loan funds for helping women to train for professional or technical careers at the Ladies' College, Cheltenham, at Bedford College, and at Queen Margaret's College, Glasgow. For the latter, address Mrs. E. J. Mills, 5, Hillhead Street, Glasgow. In London there is the "Caroline Ashurst Bigg Memorial Loan Fund," Hon. Secretary, Mrs. Alfred Pollard, 13, Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, W. We believe that the paper is still in being. Write and inquire about it, however.

Sweet Briar.—You should learn the Roman numerals. MDCCCXXVII. means 1827. M means a thousand, D five hundred, and C one hundred; X ten, V five, and I one. There are many nice books for girls, from Sir Walter Scott's downwards. Mrs. Craik, Miss Beale, Miss Rosa N. Carey, Miss Sarah Doudney, are all writers for girls.

Nell.—There are twenty-one colleges at Oxford, and about 3000 members of the university in residence. At Cambridge there are seventeen colleges, and the members on the boards amounted to 13,079 in 1897, while 887 students matriculated. The earliest university was at Bologna, and that at Paris was the most important. These both rose into notice in the twelfth century, and Oxford and Cambridge in the thirteenth. The system of degrees and the names of the chief officers were introduced into England, as well as into other countries, from Paris. The distinguishing characteristic of Oxford or Cambridge is the existence of a number of separate corporations or colleges within the universities themselves. The origin of the colleges was due to benevolent persons who desired to relieve a certain number of poor scholars from the hardship of their lives at the mediæval universities, and so provided a building where they could have a common life, and an endowment for their maintenance.

Dolly.—The first steamer that crossed the Atlantic was theRising Sun, built in 1818 by Lord Cochran. We do not know how long her voyage was, but the following year an American ship left New York and arrived at Liverpool after a run of twenty-six days. Her engines propelled her during eighteen days, but the rest of the voyage was accomplished with the assistance of her sails. She was called theSavannah, of 300 tons. Now the transit may be made in about five days.

Lizzie.—We remember seeing an account of the so-called language of stamps, but we hope no one will adopt it, as it would give extra trouble to the Post Office employés, who ask us to put them always in the right-hand upper corner. Besides, we do not see the use of it when, by opening the letter itself, you would acquire the knowledge you want; and it is a vulgar idea, and "bad form."

High Church.—Your bookseller would inform you. The Church of England does not hold the first two dogmas you mention.

FOOTNOTES:[1]A fact.[2]A fact.

FOOTNOTES:

[1]A fact.

[1]A fact.

[2]A fact.

[2]A fact.

Transcriber's note—the following changes have been made to this text:

Page 147: Shorncliff to Shorncliffe.

Page 151: disburbed to disturbed.

Page 154: acepted to accepted.

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