■ SS F7 180 From I r- i~ n fVisDOM Court »R 5299 .S5 F7 :opy 1 HENRY SETON MERRIMAN c'l^t^. STEPHEN G. TALLENTYRE cjWvJ^ ^/r// ILLUSTRATIONS Bf B. COURBOIN. 3306/ V DODD, M£^D &■ CO /;£AF YORK I ' ^7i9/. /SHHRS MDCCCKCIU \ ~\ ^"- -h Copyright, 1893, BV DODD, MEAD & COMPANY. [All rights reserved.] eURH PHINTING MOUSE, Ntw YORK. ON A BED OF SICKNESS " IV hen the sound of the grht ding is low." One of us has been ill. We know now that it is better to be ill if there is a good lock on the door, than to hale within hail, so to speak, of one's relatives. We went to church — that is how it came about — although we have to a cer- tain extent refrained from publishing this fact, and we both caught cold. One cold was thrown off — literally thrown off — by a series of most heartrending and collar-bursting sneezes. The other took a downward course, and fixed its fancy upon the bronchial tubes. In the middle of the night the victim awoke gasping and an- nounced his intention of forthwith quitting this vale of trouble. We administered whisky — we always do ; and rubbed the affected throat with top-tjoot varnish because it smelt like Elliman's 2 FROM WISDOM COURT Embrocation. The remainder of the night was somewhat disturbed. In the morning we called in a friend — house- surgeon in a neighbouring hospital. This prom- ising physician owed one of us a trifle, and we thought it expedient to work off the debt in ad- vice, and, if possible, medicine. He looked grave, and placed his ear against the victim's chest, while he made him repeat inane observa- tions, such as " Ninety-nine !" " Ah !" " One, two, three, four !" We laughed openly at these proceedings. We knew this house-surgeon too well to be at all impressed by the tricks of his trade. After much listening and considerable tap- ping the doctor made sundry statements of a depressing nature, and decreed poultices, a fire in the bedroom, and no stimulants. Moreover, he would not ^ilow the patient to smoke. He spoke quite plainly in the sick man's hearing and concealed none of his thoughts. The result was that when he had departed we found ourselves face to face with a serious ill- ness. After considerable deliberation we came to the conclusion that the street must be strewed witli tan in front of the house. It was a narrow street, where no cabs ever passed, because it led nowhere except into a legal-minded court ; but ON A BED OF SICKNESS 3 we had always understood that tan was spread upon the roadway in front of the house contain- ing a bed of sickness. Neither of us knew where to buy tan ; it was not in the Price List of the Civil Service Stores, and Walker's Dic- tionary was silent on the subject. We wrote to an enterprising tradesman in Westbourne Grove, who apparently mis-read our communication, for he replied next day giving an estimate for the maintenance of one brougham-horse, in weekly instalments. We were subsequently compelled to give up the tan. For a whole week the dire sickness raged un- known to our relatives, but at the" end of that time the news leaked out, owing, it is believed, to an invitation to a family dinner-party having been quietly ignored. We immediately received from the seven most useless female relatives we jointly possessed, seven offers of help. Two of them were so urgent that they called for prompt action. We were compelled to telegraph per- versions of the truth. Others were treated by post. Nevertheless, one pliilanthropist arrived next day in a cab, with luggage for a month and a small (4^d.) jar of Beef Extract for the pa- tient. There was a lamentable scene on the front door-step between a man with a pipe in his mouth and an elderly lady with an umlirella, 4 FROM WISDOM COURT two band-boxes and a bronchitis-kettle in her hand. We consented to add the bronchitis-ket- tle to our collection, but rejected all offers of personal assistance. Knowing our medical at- tendant as we did, and being intensely conscious of the trifling monetary matter which bound him body and soul to us, we had no compunc- tion in risking his reputation. We credited him with a marvellous minuteness of observation, a deep and searching grasp of the situation. The patient was, according to our version of .^scu- lapius, on no account to see any one, more espe- cially female relatives. His condition was such that the joy of meeting with a dear aunt might produce the gravest symptoms. " Not yet," we said with but indifferently concealed feeling ; " when he is a little stronger — when the crisis is over." We hinted mysteriously at assistance from the hospital, and tied up the door-knocker with an old sock in a manner which we deemed intensely professional. In default of personal assistance, our relatives then took to showering upon us advice in an epistolary form. This assumed such gigantic proportions that the postman concluded (as we ultimately learned) that we were either engaged to be married, or that some departed one had remembered us handsomely. ON A BED OF SICKNESS 5 The postman, however, was not the only suf- ferer. The London Parcels Delivery man also found himself under a stress of work. By this means we received : four wooden constructions which the doctor informed us had been in use among the ancients as invalid tables ; two cane- work articles for propping up something — possi- bly the patient — in bed ; five china cups with half a lid and a long spout ; two medicine glasses ; three india rubber air-cushions ; one small hand-bell, and a broken thermometer. These, as far as we can recollect, with the trifling exception of nine bronchitis-kettles with an abnormal development of spout, were all that we received in the way of furniture or proper- ties. Some kind folk — bless them — sent us more practical souvenirs. Thus, one dear old lady despatched every third day a box containing jel- lies, soups, eggs, and grapes. This was as it were a regular supply, and in addition we had at odd times other contributions. The patient appreciated this form of philanthropy, and the nurse waxed so fat that he is not in training to this day. The best of this relative (and she a distant one) was that she gave us no advice except that of the despatch of a box. She wrote postcards — heaven shine upon her old head ! — " Dear II., 6 FROM WISDOM COURT Have sent off to-day a small box containing hare-soup, eggs, and a few grapes. Mind, send back the empties." Others sent us a lot of advice and very little soup — no eggs, and never a grape. Moreover, the advice was of such a nature as to be a posi- tive insult not only to the recipient, but to the university which had bestowed some small honours upon him. We append an example or two. Dear H., — As cook's second cousin died of bronchitis two years ago, I have thought that you might be glad to have a few practical hints as to nursing poor Mr. T. You must ensure a high and even temperature in the room. This is done by keeping up a good fire. On no ac- count open the window, especially if there is an east wind. The doctor ( I have not heard his name before) will no doubt see to medicines ; but I am told that lemon-juice with sugar and hot water is an excellent thing in cases where medicine is not obtainable. It is essential that the patient be kept quiet, and if Aunt Eliza should offer to go and help you I should make her understand once for all tliat you can manage without her. If there is anyllnng /can do let me know ; ON A BED OF SICKNESS 7 I shall be most happy to come at a moment's notice and take entire charge. I can easily leave home just now as they are putting a new boiler in the kitchen. Write to me every two days. — Your affectionate great aunt, Janet." " My dear H., — I had diphtheria when a boy, so know all about it. Some people say it is in- fectious, but I don't believe them ; nevertheless you may as well telegraph poor T.'s progress instead of wilting, as it is safer. If I were you I should have a trained nurse. Keep the room well aired, and pay your way as you go along. No doubt you have something laid by for a rainy day. When next in town I shall let you know. You can meet me at the station, as I should like a chat with you. — Your affectionate uncle, Joseph." Another uncle despatched unto us a tele- graphic note informing us that he had given in- structions to a person called Barkle to pack up a dozen of port for us. We laid that port down — started a cellar as it were — but we are of too anxious a disposition for a cellar. We sampled the wine so often, just to mark its progress tow- ard maturity, that there is now none of it left. It was onlv when our medical adviser told us 8 FROM WISDOM COURT that the patient was convalescent that we in- formed him of our intention to cancel that trifling debt dating two Derby days back. "All right," he said. "We'll call it quits; but I am coming in every other night to take duty. A fellow cannot nurse night and day for three weeks without losing his hold a little bit, and I don't want to have you on my hands as well." ^_.^..^.-umf.am»ie»MMmc7mt«rm ng». t^M:^ -^_^— {- — I -i v ,i -> i ■ | i- Ti [ T"r^'f""'"iJ"r- OJV MATRIMONY " Be not confident in a plain way." This is a large subject — so large ^-^ that the most daring can- not but approach it with misgiving. In order to demonstrate that we ad- vance with caution we shall begin before the beginning, and end, so to speak, before we have begun. It is to the many, the light-hearted, the light- footed, the youthful, that the sapient remarks hereinafter set forth are more particularly ad- dressed, in the full and comforting assurance that they will be in no wise heeded. It is, in fact, to the young men and maidens who look forward to mtitrimony as the aim and end of their existence that we would throw out a few lO FROM WISDOM COURT warning notes like the call of a steamer's whistle proceeding" cautiously in a fog. To the innocent maiden therefore, who alter- nately urges on and presses back the catastrophe trembling on the lips of some aspiring swain, we would say : Go and sit down quietly in some matter-of-fact place — say the bath-room. Have nothing to do with flickering fires in the twi- light hours, or shimmering moonlight. Go therefore, to the bath-room and, sitting quietly upon the washed-out and forlorn chair you will find there, think ! Think whether he would be entirely satisfac- tory at a ball and at a funeral, at a wedding (not his own, for that would be expecting too much) and at a christening. Think whether he would be likely to make an idiot of himself at any of these functions. Make quite sure of these points before you go any further. Then, given a satis- factory result to your questions — satisfactory that is to your own mind, for it does not matter about other people — you may go on to other matters. You may meditate upon his personal appearance. Reflect that his hair will not al- ways be tidy. Contemplate liim in your mind's e)^e with a smut upon his countenance, and see what he looks like then. Remember that he looks at himself in the hall glass before entering ON MATRIMONY II the drawing-room, and do not forget that in his pilgrimage through life he may come to you through a hall where there is no looking-glass. Put him, like the proverbial beggar on horse- back — mentally of course — and watch the result. In the same manner place an oar within his grasp, or the sheet and tiller, or a gun, strap skates upon his feet, upset him out of a boat if you like. If he goes through all these ordeals satisfactorily, if you are sure that in no one case you need to feel too much ashamed of him, if above all you need not fear for his dignity in the presence of other men, then — then — you may think about // a second time. To the young man (in the spring) we would say : Cultivate the friendship of her brother. There is an admirable candour about a brother which is likely to dispel the many illusions that arise from delicate evening dresses, semi-illu- minated conservatories and gaslight generally. There is no gaslight about a brother. He will give you an unbiased opinion as to Angelina's temper. We should not be surprised were he to volunteer details of a domestic nature as to the size of her shoes and the difficulties she encoun- ters in making the ends of her waistband and her dress allowance meet. We would suggest gently that the art of waltzing has remarkably 12 FROM WISDOM COURT little to do with life after matrimony, and that it is a mistake to attach too great importance to a proficiency in that pleasant exercise. We would also venture to shrug the shoulder of scepticism at the advice tendered by former writers on this subject as to fixing the choice upon one who is domesticated and a good house- keeper, with a corner in her heart for a recipe. All that will come if you play your part respect- ably. It is possible to be too good a housekeeper. Some women seem to be under the impression that their husbands are one large — what shall we say ? — waistcoat. If you are fond of horses and all that appertains thereto it is worth while noting that Angelina is afraid to approach within a dozen yards of any one leg of a horse. If you love the country, the fact that the lady you pro- pose proposing: to is never happy off the pave- ment, is not without its value. Of course, these trifling differences are of no consequence to love if it be spelled with a capital L. The lady-novel- ist has told us so. We would merely suggest that they are worthy of a little attention in pass- ing. Beware of Glamour — fight against it — cast it from you as you would a cheap brand of Champagne. After indulging in either, one is apt to wake up with a head and without a heart. ON MATRIMONY 1 3 If, for instance, you are inwardly aware that Angelina's nose is slightly out of the perpen- dicular, do not persuade yourself that it is straight. It is infinitely better to accept her and her nose as you find them — remembering that your own chin recedes with rather more precipitation than was admired in old Athens. If the peerless one has a little, a very little fault in her character, do not pretend that it does not exist. Look it boldly in the face and meditate over it. Consider whether you will be able to stand it with equanimity during the years of a future which extends — goodness knows whither. If you find that you cannot stand it, be very wary ; for that means that some day you will not be able to stand Angelina. Remember that you take her for better and for worse, and do try to realize that there is in most lives a good deal more of the worse than of the better. In fact, it would be expedient to re- peat to yourself that you are taking her for the worse — the better is hardly worth bringing into account. Finally, we would take you both aside to a quiet corner of the room, and there we would say : Bless you ! Pay no heed to us, nor to any one in the world, so long as you are quite sure 14 FROM WISDOM COURT of yourselves and of each other. But be careful that you are quite sure. You are taking a huge step in life, but life is not a stationary pastime. One must step forward sometimes, and it is bet- ter to make a good honest stride than to sneak tremblingly along with faltering feet. You will have a little sunshine and a vast quantity of shadow, but the sunshine will be brighter if you share it, the shadow less dense if you walk hand in hand through it. Troubles will come, big ones and little ones. Please God certain little troubles will arrive that patter about the house with tiny feet, making music as they go. There will be the sound of uncertain crooning voices on the stairs, and the sound will be very elo- quent to your ears. Yes ! go on and prosper. And let us know the date. We have a pair of blue china candlesticks presented to us on an auspicious occasion some years ago by a well- meaning but misguided paternal aunt. We al- ways thought they would come in somehow. P.S. — Do not furnish on the hire system. ^rTr'^-^-rv -r ^^ ssr-s ; ;:^ :--::";:. 7 ^:r-~^..iii^ji^..,.-srr^~^:7^~\.i-Mr-m:-s?^ '^4 w^\ ON THE POSTCARD " The heart of fools is in iJieir mouth, but the month of the zuise is in their heart." Since the invention of the postcard we have confined ourselves entirely to this mode of cor- respondence. We think with Shakespeare, that " brevity is the soul of wit," and are of the more original opinion that it is the cement of friend- ship and the safeguard of affection. What a vast amount of heart-burning and wounded feel- ing this custom of ours has saved our friends ! When we take our holiday no one expects vo- luminous accounts of our doings, and, so far fmm being offended at the occasional card of three lines, it delights them because they know l6 FROM WISDOM COURT we never write a letter to any one. We enjoy our day's shooting without the heavy cloud over- hanging us of that letter to be written when we are tired and drowsy in the evening. When other people are scribbling excitedly to catch the post, with pens peculiar to a remote Highland inn, we smoke, with our legs on the mantel- piece, and that restfulness of mind particularly engendered by the fact that the way of peace is far from our companions. For us there is never a haunting vision of perturbed faces and anxious spirits, w^hen we have forgotten to write on a certain day or omitted to inquire at what time the post goes out. We never promise even our postcards. We take care that they shall not only be a delight but also a delightful surprise. When other people are getting warm and dis- tracted over the problem of how to express sym- pathy with a fjiend whose uncle is dead, and has left him his money, we have calmly indited and posted a card — "Just heard your news. Feel much for you in every way," which pleases that friend and causes him to say that, though we have fallen into that strange habit of only writ- ing postcards, we are as kind-hearted and sym- pathetic as any fellow he knows. When our cousin, who emigrated to Australia before we had nii^dc his acquaintance, losvS his ON THE POSTCARD 1 7 mother-in-law in tlie back-woods, our admirable postcard system obviates the necessity of search- ing for Scripture texts to express sorrow which we don't and can't feel, and to offer him con- solation which he doesn't want. There would be something profane in a text on a postcard, especially on a foreign postcard. When we are travelling abroad, let us say in Switzerland, no one expects us to write intelli- gently on the places we visit, or to be eloquent about the scenery. Intelligence would be out of place and there is no room for eloquence. " Lausanne. Motel Mal Sain. " Arrived here. Send tin Keating by return," amply satisfies, we find, the most loving and anxious of our rekitives whom we have educated up to our short, sweet mode of correspondence. How will our future son and heir bless this custom of ours when we receive a report from Eton, "Good abilities but incorrigibly idle." ! For it is not dignified to be very wrathful upon a card which the page-boy is certain to peruse on his way to the pillar-box and upon which the postal authorities of our native village will com- ment with winks and smiles. How much more will this same <,on an(l heir call down benedic- 1 8 FROM WISDOM COURT tions on our habit when he outstrips his aUow- ance at college. A postcard renders sound ad- vice impossible and is not large enough to allow of an awful and graphic picture representing the final ruin of the debtor. We own there are difiiculties in the way of making love in this manner. But they are not insurmountable. We should think poorly of a young lady who could not read between the lines, even the lines of a postcard. Besides, English is not a universal tongue. There are other languages in which beautiful sentiments may be expressed without pandering to the vul- gar curiosity of the i)Ostman, or gratifying the servant's thirst for information. Indeed, there are reasons why, in affairs of the heart, the postcard system is especially to be commended. It may be said to be prac- tically invaluable to young ladies who are always in love, but not always with the same person. One of us had in his desk for a long while a packet of letters, in an agitated feminine hand- writing. There was an Arrangement announced in the Fashionable Intelligence of our newspaper one morning, and the same evening, over the meditative pipe, we watched those ladylike com- munications turn lo ashes on tlieir funeral ])ilc. The pretty writer has less cause than many peo- ON THE POSTCARD I9 pie to wish she had confined herself to the sweet simplicity of " one side only." Neither has the pleasure we have derived from the receipt of letters been very great. We pre- fer postcards. Persons in pecuniary embarrass- ment could not, we think, on a card, stir our hearts to such practical sympathy as they some- times do in a letter. A tailor, with a soul full of righteous indignation, would be much less impressive. We should regard our maiden aunts who, as they say, " chat" with us through the post, with a far greater warmth of affection if they com- pressed their chatting- — it might be done easily, and with no particular loss to any one— on to a postcard. Neither do we receive with especial hilarity long communications from friends abroad. There is a poorness about the paper, and a sug- gestion all over it of the pens having caught it, not to mention an illegibility about the writing, which aggravate us. We are especially tried if these correspondents are fond of describing the places they visit and of giving us a sort of epit- ome of the Guide Book, concerning their his- tory. Last year, two cousins, young and enthu- siastic, took a trip to Egypt and the Holy Land, from which places they wrote enough letters to 20 FROM WISDOM COURT serve Mrs. Robbem to light our fire with ever since. It is only fair to them to say that they warned us of their intention before they left. " Such wonderfully interesting places !" they said. "What a pity you are not coming too ! (We did not think so.) But you may rely upon us to write and tell you all about them." We bore up pretty well under the description of the Pyramids and dissertations on Egyptology gen- erally. One of us — we took turns — read these communications aloud at the breakfast table, and when we came to the end — breakfast was a very long meal on these occasions — we both said, " How extremely interesting," and sighed. But when, after hasty descriptions of the warmth of the desert, our cousins reached Palestine, their letters became altogether too much for us. " At 10.30 A.jii. on Tuesday last, we reached Aphek, so constantly the scene of contest be- tween the Syrians and Israelites. Here, as you will remember, Ahab, King of Israel, defeated and took prisoner Benhadad, King of Syria. The weather continues hot. Ernest drinks noth- ing but the light wine of the country. I am a water drinker as usual." Now, although we are perfectly indifferent as to how much of the light wine of the country Ernest drinks, as to whether he drinks any, or whether he does not drink at ON THE POSTCARD 21 all, and do not care in the least whether or no his brother has given up his stupid ideas on the subject of total abstinence, yet we think these puerile details infinitely preferable to gratuitous information about Aphek. We don t remember anything about it and if we did we should want information on the subject even less than we do at present. Now how much better would it have been for us if our cousins had always confined themselves to the cheap brevity of the postcard ! We each have a packet of letters in our desks now — almost the only ones we keep — which we don't remember having considered particularly valuable at the time we received them. Neither has seen the other's packet, but the contents of each are probably much alike. " The last re- port was dreadfully bad and Papa was very much vexed. Mary has made another of those cakes, and she trusts the jam-pots won't be broken in the post. The east wind is very treacherous, so pray don't leave off your great- coat, and you ivill try to be always a good boy, &c." On the whole, though we do not say so even to each other, we consider these letters — and such as these — may be safely allowed to form 12 FROM WISDOM COURT an exception to our admirable postcard rule. But we beg to inform everybody that it is the only one we allow. "■^^^ ON THE SEA " There is society, cohere none intrudes. By the deep sea, and music in its roar." So:me people look upon the sea with the eye of disapproval. They take it quite seriously to be an evil which is not even necessary, for one can- not drink it, and like a much-advertised com- modity of the day, it won't wash clothes. They consider it in the light of a let and hindrance standing literally in the way — between them and Paris, not to mention other pleasant places. They connect it with the smell of warm engine- oil — the throb of the screw and the voice of the 24 FROM WISDOM COURT purser asking for tickets when all their thoughts are centred on their inner persons. But the sea is a power in the world. The sea is the mis- tress of more hearts than ever was Helen of Troy. She is a siren who takes the best years of a man's life, and will not let him go, even when he is old and worn out. These hoary lovers may be seen hanging around her skirts at every port in the world, and on all coasts in the universe. They still live on her smile or frown, and can talk of nothing else. They are not jealous, for her smile embraces them all, and they have all known her frown. The aggressive love of Scotchmen and Germans for their native land is as nothing compared to the lov^e of a sailor for the sea. What is the sound of the pibroch or the taste of Ichcnoiirst compared to the smell of tar ? The smell of tar has a singu- lar power over some of us. It lifts our feet from the pavement and sets them on the reeling deck. It transforms the roar of street traffic into that long, long duet, where the wind sings tenor through the rigging to the sweet low baritone of the sea ; and the shuffling of feet on the wet stones is naught else than the surge of the re- ceding wave beneath the lee quarter. All around us we see again the grey-green of troubled ocean, the curling crests ; the shadowy ON THE SEA 25 trough, and overhead the dense, impenetrable grey of a gale sky, where the cynic gull swoops down before the screaming wind only to rise again facing it with a defiant cry. And the street empties suddenly— it is the forsaken deck, for the steward is snug in his galley amidships, with his half-door bolted ; and the watch is crouching forrard at the lee-side of the deck- house. The deck is not only wet but the water is running from side to side four inches deep ; for the green seas plump over the weather rail as fast as the scuppers clear her. The green paint of the winch, and the bright red of the fresh-water pump stand out in strong relief against the universal dulness, and the white base of the mainmast is washed very clean except for a runnet or two df rust. The slack of the fore- top-gallant lee brace has been carelessly coiled over the belaying-pin ; for the end has fallen and washes lazily from side to side as she rolls. On the quarter-deck the skipper and the sec- ond mate stand quite still, with their booted legs set well apart, on either side of the wheel, where the best man is on his best behaviour. It is exercise enough to stand quite still when she is "running before it," even with life-lines stretched fore and aft. Something has broken adrift down below and 26 FROM WISDOM COURT thumps sullenly as the vessel rolls. No — stay- — is it so ? Of course not. It is the throb of a printino^ press in a cellar beneath the pavement, and the smell of tar came from a passing coal cart after all. w\ ON VISITORS "Some thereby have entertained angels unaivares." We do not refer to the afternoon visitor who can be dismissed with a cup of tepid tea and a few disparaging remarks on the weather, but to that visitor who precurses his coming by four letters and six postcards (changing the da}^ of his arrival each time), and who finally bursts upon us, with a portmanteau, a Gladstone bag, and unlimited expectations of enjoying himself. Our earliest experiences of the visitor genus were other youthful (extremely youthful) Wack- emtonians whom we were allowed to bring back with us to spend the holidays. We remember that their visits were usually mucii shorter than had originally been intended, for after we had 28 FROM WISDOM COURT unitedly reduced our sisters to tears and com- plaints, broken all the available furniture, and brought the cook to the verge of hysterics, there really seemed nothing to do but to fall upon each other and settle old scores by bloody battles. So our mammas corresponded, and the visitor went home three weeks earlier than had been arranged. Later on, the Captain of the Wackemton first eleven, or some other equally great hero, some- times condescended to pay us a short visit. We took care, of course, to impress upon our par- ents and sisters what a deep honour was being conferred upon them. We abjured tea in the schoolroom, while games with our small brothers and " gins" for the servants were as if they had never been. If our sisters were pretty enough, the great man sometimes condescended to ac- cept their photographs, and they always made a point of wearing their best dresses during his stay with us. We think on recalling these visits, it must have been slightly wearisome to have been so continually on such dignified be- haviour. We can recollect heaving a faint sigh, not entirely of sorrow, when the last glimpses of a certain remarkable checked overcoat disap- peared in the dogcart at the turn of the drive. Our sisters, of course, have their friends to stay ON VISITORS 29 also. At one period of our lives we remember hating these ladylike visitors with a fierce and active hatred. We recollect pulling their hair surreptitiously and melting their wax dolls in front of the nursery fire. At a later stage, we fell in love with them, regularly and with them all, impartially. We did not mind if they were plain or beautiful, and we think they accommo- dated themselves to our sticky embraces really wonderfully. We must have been a perfect god- send to our sisters, for our love-making enter- tained their visitors during the whole of the stay. We had a regular plan of action, and can safely say we never knew it to fail. We always began by squeezing their hands with intense warmth and infinite depth of meaning when we bade them good-night on the first evening. By the next afternoon we were embracing them in the shrubberj^ And after that the affair went with a swing. We gave them gooseberries, the ripest there were, and toffee when we could get it, and they cut off pieces of their hair and pressed them discreetly into our possession in envelopes. We corresponded with them for quite a week after they left, and then our affec- tion cooled and gave place to another. We are now more critical over our sister's guests, Wc do not care for impassive young 30 FROM WISDOM COURT ladies, even if they be pretty, who arrive with huge arks of boxes, and sit upright all day in the drawing-room, waiting to be amused. Our three modest carpet dances and our best tennis party, on which we had previously reflected with no little pride, dwindle into a miserable insig- nificance under the calm, crushing glance of a young lady who has been used to balls at the Metropole, and to garden parties where they have Corney Grain. The mild admiration of our four nice curates must seem very tame to persons who (they tell our sisters so when they wax confidential over their hair-brushing at night) are accustomed to the very best devotion of the very best set in London. At intervals, fairly long intervals, our rich aunt comes to stay with us. i)i course we make no difference for her at all. That is one of the very first things our mother tells her when she ar- rives. Aunt Bessie will, we know, be content to take us just as we are. Only somehow when she is with us we all, quite by chance of course, arrive down punctually for the nine o'clock breakfast j^erfectly fresh and smiling. Whereas there certainly have been occasions (;n which the meal has been dawdled out until ten or half- past, and wlien we luive committed the enormity of sitting down to it in carpet slippers and an ON VISITORS 31 ancient shooting jacle/u', bene. — That girl married some one else ! LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 528 537 9 A mT'°"=°^OnES' -■'■"'■ "III mil I//// ^^^"^ 528 537 HoUinger Corp. pH 8.5 \