Novel Notes

thor, with a critic for the villain. My idea was a stockbroker, with an undercurrent of romance in his nature. Sa

ld lady's view. You," he said, turning to me, "can put the case to your wife, and get the young lady's ideal. Let Brown write to his sister at Newn

er consideration. MacShaughnassy opened the proceedi

ousin Robert, who lost eight thousand pounds at Monte Carlo. I have always felt singularly drawn towards soldiers, even as a girl; though your poor dear uncle could not bear them. You will find many allusions t

nassy, as he folded up the letter and retu

se a letter addressed in a bold

ature the attraction is towards the opposite. To a milliner's apprentice a poet would no doubt be satisfying; to a woman of intelligence he would he an unutterable bore. What the intellectual woman requires in man is not something to arg

as Brown tore his sister's letter in two, and threw the pieces

ered Jephson, a little grumpily, as it seem

ghnassy, "I looked to fi

a flush of joy to Jephson's face; but now his featu

ell, then, the common-sensed

assy, "what an extraordinary th

them, and that they dance so div

me," murmured MacShaugh

what does the young mar

ied, "precise

ive a reaso

d; "because you can'

hile we smoked and thought. I fancy we were a

two ago I lodged near a barracks, and the sight to be seen round its huge iron gates on Sunday afternoons I shall never forget. The girls began to assemble about twelve o'clock. By two, at which hour the army, with its hair nicely oiled and a cane in its hand, was ready for a stroll, there would be some four or five hundred of them waiting in a line. Formerly they had collected in a wild mob, an

lose it. "They're all gone, my dears," he would shout out to the girls

while the tears welled up into her big round eyes, "no

g aside to hide his emotion; "you've had 'em all between you. We don't make 'em, yo

would jeeringly hustle away the weeping remnant. "Now then, pass along, you girls, pass along," they would say, in that irritatingly unsympathetic v

ar-woman told Amenda, who told Ethelbertha, w

ly. Their servant had left them-most of their servants did at the end of a week-and the day after

be early riser and hard worker. Washing done at home. Must be good cook, and not ob

of about fifty girls surrounding the house. He slipped on his dressing-gown and went down to see what was the matter. The moment he opened the door, fifteen of them charged tumultuously into the passage, sweeping him completely off his

, he could understand nothing, but at length they succeeded in explaining to him that they were domestic servants come il

cordingly discussed the matter among themselves. At the end of a quarter of an hour, the victor, having borrowed some hair-pins and a looking-glass from

s a tall, genteel-looking girl. Up to yesterday she had been head housemaid at Lady S

leave Lady Stanto

replied the girl. T

fied with six pounds

mum, I thi

on't mind

ve it

re an ear

ts me stopping in bed

do the wash

to do it at home. Those laundries rui

tarian?" conti

ed the girl, "but I s

reference, and sai

h. She expressed her willingness to sleep in the back kitchen: a shakedown und

wanted with wages-thought wages only encouraged a love of foolish finery-thought

hould be allowed to pay for all breakages caused by her own carelessness or neglect. She

"A. B." began to get frightened, and refused to see any more of the girls, con

t-door lady on the doorstep, she

get the pick of all the best servants in London. Why, girls will come from the other end of the kingdom to get into

on?" asked "A. B.,"

s always close to soldiers. By looking out of window she can always see soldiers; and sometimes a soldier will nod to her or even call u

mium. She found her a perfect treasure of a servant. She was invariably willing and respec

resenting difficulties to the average intellect. As I explained at the commencement, it was told to me by Ethelbertha, who had it from Amenda, who got it from the char-woman, and exaggerations may have crept into it. The followin

a. Now, you would call her a tolerably well-

entatious respectability,

t upon her head (my Panama hat), and a soldier's arm round her waist. She was one of a mob following the band of the Third Berkshire Infantry, then in ca

red after the procession until it had turned

ssible,' said E

my hat,' I said

tha looked for Amenda, and I looked

and had it in the kitchen. At a quarter-past eleven, Amenda returned. She walked into the kitch

a rose, cal

u been, Amenda?

ith a lot of low soldiers,' answ

on my hat,

k, 'it was the first thing that came to hand. What I'

last remark, I cannot say, but I think it probable. At all events, it wa

m around your waist when we passed you

enda, 'I found it there mys

s. Amenda filled a saucepan with

ress who respected herself would keep me a moment. I ought

hen?' said Ethelbertha, w

ied to a quiet, respectable young fellow with a shop of his own, and three days before the wedding she ran off with a regiment of marines to Chatham and married the colour-sergeant. That's what I sha

superfluous for anybody else to be indignant with her;

said, laughingly; 'you see yourself how silly it is. Y

the street without wanting to rush out and follow it ain't fit to be anybody's wife. Why, I should be leaving the shop with nobody in it about twice a week

s is something altogether new, Amenda,' she said; 'you mus

how, I can stand that all right. It's when there'

d, noticing Ethelbertha's puzzled expression; '

ome restless and excited. The Pied Piper's reed could not have stirred the Hamelin children deeper than did those Sandgate bands the heart of our domestic. Fortunately, they generally passed early in the morning when we were indoors,

said Ethelbertha. 'What a terrible misfor

myself, but the picture of a young and innocent-looking man wandering about a complicated ca

helbertha expressed her sense of my inhuman behaviour by haughtily declining to eat any lunch, and I expressed my sense of her unreasonableness by sweeping the whole meal into the grate, after which Ethelbertha

ted. I thought it sounded like Amenda's voice, but where it came from I could not conceive. It drew nearer, however, as I approached the botto

s that you, Amenda?' I c

r. 'Will you please let me out? you'll f

out a yard away, and released he

pushed the key out under the door. I had to do it, or

you, sir,' she added, stepping o

*

x she maintained an attitude of callous unsusceptibility, and her engagements with them (which we

t we never liked him, and we liked his pork still less. When, therefore, Amenda announced to us that her engagement with him

Amenda," said Ethelbertha; "you would

plied Amenda. "I don't see how any girl co

"But what has digestion go

da, "when you're thinking of marrying a

don't mean to say you're breaking off the

what it comes to," agree

helbertha, after a long pause. "Do y

, but it's no good loving a man that wants you t

to live on sausages?"

hat's the mistake my poor cousin Eliza made. She married a muffin man. Of course, what he didn't sell they had to finish up themselves. Why, one winter, when he h

cause of the shop, so once a week she used to go down to him. One did not ride ten miles for a penny in those days, and she found the fare from Holloway to Victoria and back a severe tax upon her purse. The same 'bus that took her down at six brought her back at ten. Duri

sengers, which was trying-and give me messages to take back to her. Where women were concerned he had what is called "a way" with him, and from the extent and variety of his female acquaintance, and the evident tenderness with which t

amusement one way and another. Thinking of him

ly Frenchman was the only other occupant of the vehicle. "You vil not for

onductor, "you shall 'ave yer Sharin

'im," he remarked to me in a stentorian aside; "'ee

or began to shout after the manner of his species: "Charing Cr

up, and prepared to exit; th

silly," he said; "thi

a mile up the Liverpool Road a lady stood on the kerb regarding us as we passed with that pathetic mingling of d

to?" he asked her severe

but he caught the words "Charing Cross," and bounced up and out on to the step.

ied indignantly; "blessed if you don't

t Sharing Cross," answer

all put yer down in the middle of the road if I 'ave much more of yer. You stop there till I come and sling ye

The Angel" we, of course, stopped. "Charing Cross,"

he shoulders and forcing him down into the corner

eleased him. At the top of Chancery Lane the same scene to

" he exclaimed, turning to the other passenge

but that don't mean that it is Charing Cross. That means-" and then perceiving from the blank look on the Frenchman's f

know the French fo

ds, I happened to ent

ou get your French friend t

a row with a policeman just before I got to the corner, and it put