fourth freckle on your nose betokens, I am convinced, humility. In short, Mr Bitteresk, I find your physiognomy tolerably satisfactory, and it is much to be regretted that you are quite at fault concerning me, as I think you would have made the best of husbands.' Up to this moment, the esteem, verging, it may be, towards a warmer feeling, with which Maggie regarded her suitor, had been covered with a crust of raillery, and as she spoke the last words, she looked him fearlessly in the face. But as she did so, her self-command unaccountably forsook her. She had been too bold, she feared. What would he think? Ah! he would know the humiliating position in which she and her sister were placed, how anxious her father was that she should be married, and how few eligible men ever visited Oakhill. Thus reflecting, Maggie rose and walked to the window, to hide her heightened colour and air of confusion; but Mr Bitteresk advanced towards her, and took her hand. Glancing timidly round, Maggie perceived, to her surprise, a countenance so much altered by the expression of the moment, that it might almost have belonged to another individual. No trace of oddity or formality was now visible, but with an air of tenderest affection, he said quietly but earnestly: "I think, Maggie, we love each other.' For some days after this, the doctor's youngest daughter went about the house with an air of abstraction, and was frequently to be found gazing at the winding river, or at night, at the stars, or the moon. When addressed, she frequently answered in such a manner as to indicate that her mind was occupied with some subject of contemplation of an interest so absorbing as to render her to some extent oblivious of what passed around her. At a certain hour every day it was perceived that she became somewhat agitated, and the sisters remarked that Mr Bitteresk invariably called at that time. But it was only for a few weeks that Adelaide and Julia were able to remark the change wrought by the tender passion on their once funloving sister, for in little more than a month, Mr Bitteresk and she were married. As Maggie had expressed a wish to see foreign lands, her husband took her abroad for some months, and on their return to England, they spent a winter in London. Here they were visited by Adelaide and Julia successively. It was on the occasion of her visit to the metropolis, that the latter found her ideal, who, somewhat to Maggie's surprise, was a man who squinted with both eyes. On Mrs Bitteresk's happening to allude to this defect, however, Julia asked, with some energy of manner: Do you think me capable of being affected by anything so trivial as personal appearance? There is no true beauty, except that of the soul.' 'No doubt,' replied Maggie; 'but Lavater remarks that the squinting eye denotes a deceitful, crafty person, one who willingly avoids labour if he can, indulging in idleness, play, usury, and pilfering.' 'If Lavater says that, then it is plain he knows nothing of the subject on which he treats,' answered Julia with some warmth. ‘Oh, I think, Julia, dear, your ideal is a worthy one,' replied Maggie, smiling. I only quoted Lavater to tease you a bit. I haven't much faith in him myself, though I feel grateful to him for helping me to a husband who is the best of men.' Of the three sisters, Adelaide alone now lives with her father in Oakhill, and although report affirms that the doctor has made more than one attempt at matrimony, he has not yet found a lady sufficiently youthful who is willing to become his second spouse. THE HOMES OF OTHER DAYS.* No one has done more than Mr Thomas Wright to elucidate the manners and customs of England during the medieval period. A series of papers originally contributed by him to the Art Journal was published, under the title of The History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments, in 1862. This work being out of print, has been revised and considerably enlarged, so that it forms an imposing volume of five hundred pages, under the title, The Homes of other Days. As the book was suggested by a perusal of Lord Lytton's Harold, it is appropriately dedicated to that nobleman. The Anglo-Saxon ham, or home, consisted generally of a heal, or hall, with little rooms, or burs (afterwards bowers) on the outside, surrounded by an earthwork or wall, inclosing the house and a yard (geard). The remains of these Saxon homes are often mistaken for early camps. Here the Anglo-Saxon nobleman or gentleman kept a rude state, according to his means; and a very slight investigation into the manners of our forefathers, shew how much they needed the polish and refinement of their Norman conquerors. They had strength of mind and body-the latter predominating-but both obscured by sloth, engendered by habitual drunkenness. There can be no doubt that the Norman Conquest infused into our race the energy which is our national characteristic. If as there is abundant reason to believe-many of the Saxon noblemen were like Athelstane of Coningsburgh, depicted by Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe, we cannot wonder at their incurring the ridicule and contempt of the more refined Normans. The English language survived because the unmarried among the conquerors selected wives among the beautiful Saxon maidens, and these would naturally teach their children their native tongue. The same thing had happened before when the Scandinavian adventurers who settled in Normandy married in that country. The manners of the Anglo-Saxons previous to their conversion to Christianity are shewn in the romance of Beowulf-supposed to have been composed before they left the continent and also in early graves. Drinking cups and buckets are frequently found: the former are made so that they will not stand upright, so that they must be emptied at a draught; and the latter were used to carry the ale or mead into the hall. The hall generally consisted of one apartment (the retainers using it at night as a sleeping-room), but sometimes it had an upper room, approached by a stæger, or stair. The house and its belongings were nearly always of wood; the only AngloSaxon words for building are, in fact, timbrian and atimbrian, to make of timber. Ham was not the only term for the dwelling; as a residence, it The Homes of other Days: a History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England. By Thomas Wright, M.A., F.S.A. &c. London: Trübner & Co. 1871. was called hús; from its chief room, heal; or as an inclosure, tún (origin of town). A Saxon never dined in private-it was considered disgraceful to do so. Seated on the heahsetl, or high seat, he dispensed a lavish hospitality, every one being welcome. The rude walls were often covered with hangings, sometimes richly ornamented, on which arms and trophies of the chase were hung. The fire was made in the middle of the apartment, the smoke finding its way out of an aperture in the roof. Wood was generally burned, though it is believed the Saxons were acquainted with the use of coal. Breakfasting about nine o'clock, the Anglo-Saxon was ready for his dinner or principal repast at three, after which was the afen-mete, or evening meat, the time for partaking of which is uncertain. Mr Wright thinks the last-named meal was not originally in use among our Saxon forefathers. If the food was deficient in quality, it was made up in quantity. The great oak forests fed large droves of swine, and bacon was largely eaten. Boiling seems to have been the chief mode of cooking meat, which was eaten with a great deal of bread (so that a servant was called hlaf-atan, or loaf-eater) and vegetables. Many of our culinary terms are Saxon, such as kettle (cytel), cook (coc), kitchen (cycene), and broth (brod). Wine (win, from Latin vinum) was used by the Saxons, though only on state occasions, a few only of the monasteries appearing to have had vineyards. While indulging in their potations, the Saxons had various persons to afford them amusement, such as the hearpere, or harper; pipere, or piper; gligman, or gleeman. Minstrels were always welcomed to the hall, and for this reason spies generally came in this disguise. They had also the game of tafel, supposed to have been like backgammon, to beguile weary hours either in the hall or the bowers of the ladies. The beds in the latter were of the rudest description, and generally consisted merely of a bench with a sack filled with straw placed upon it, hence the words for this article were bane (a bench) and streow (straw). People went to bed perfectly naked, and the bed-clothes consisted of a sheet (scyte) and a coverlet (bed-felt). It is surprising to find that hot baths were frequently used, derived probably from the Romans. Marriage was treated as a civil institution among the Anglo-Saxons; it is not, therefore, surprising that when a couple disagreed after marriage, they could readily separate and marry again. Nevertheless, Mr Wright says, 'the Saxon woman in every class of society possessed those characteristics which are still considered to be the best traits of the character of Englishwomen; she was the attentive housewife, the tender companion, the comforter and consoler of her husband and family, the virtuous and noble matron.' It is a pity that ladies did not treat their servants better; there is little doubt that, as a rule, the fair sex used their slaves (for they were nothing else) very cruelly. and from representations in manuscripts, these were totally different from the British dogs shewn on pottery. Chariots were used for travelling, and called wægn or wan (hence waggon), but only by people of high rank. Though the word inn is AngloSaxon, meaning lodging, those in country districts were few and far between. Our author suggests that the ruins of Roman villas by the side of roads may have been roughly repaired for travellers carrying their own provisions, and that the term ceald-hereberga, or cold harbour, given to so many places in different parts of England, was applied to this species of accommodation. There was no lack, however, of hospitality in these times, and the deficiency of shelter for travellers was greatly compensated by the ever-open door of the hall. For a considerable time, the entrance of the Normans had little effect upon the middle and lower classes of the people. The Anglo-Saxons seemed to take a pride in continuing unchanged their manners and customs, those of the Normans unpleasantly reminding them of their servile condition. The Normans were, of course, not content with the rude dwellings of the Saxons, and stone edifices began to rise in various parts. These were not general until the baronial castles were raised towards the end of the Conqueror's reign. Of ordinary stone mansions, Mr Wright is not aware of any remains now existing older than the reign of Henry II. In the private houses of the twelfth century, an upper room (solar) was usual. This had very small windows, as Samson, Abbot of Bury, nearly found to his cost in 1182. He was sleeping in the solar of a manor-house belonging to that abbey, and the house caught fire. The door of the upper room by which he had entered was locked, and, as he could not get through the small windows, he narrowly escaped death. The hall was still the chief part of the house, and in the principal houses the chamber adjoined it instead of being over it. The next improvement was to make the chamber of two stories, the whole house then containing, with the hall, three apartments. Chimneys, as we understand the term, were first introduced in the chamber. William of Malmesbury is careful to impress upon us the general sobriety and gravity of the Normans. They lost this to a great extent under the Conqueror's son. 'Then was there flowing hair and extravagant dress; and then was invented the fashion of shoes with curved points; then the model for young men was to rival women in delicacy of person, to mince their gait, to walk with loose gesture, and half naked.' The Normans were particularly fond of good cooking, and firstrate cooks occupied a high position with them. This operation was often performed in the open air, in the courtyard of the house or castle, and the cooks appear to have handed the articles to the The people at this period were very fond of guests on the spits on which they were roasted. games and all out-of-door amusements. There is Bowl-shaped vessels succeeded the Saxon horns reason to believe that the amphitheatres of the for drinking, and wine was coming more into use. Romans were used for like purposes by the Saxons. Neckam must have been a connoisseur, for he says A representation of such a use occurs in an Anglo- (writing in the twelfth century) the latter when Saxon manuscript of the Psalms in the Harleian drunk should descend impetuously like thunder, Collection. In this instance the arena is occupied by sweet-tasted as an almond, creeping like a squirrel, minstrels and a tame bear. The nobles and gentle-leaping like a roebuck, strong like the building of Then were passionately fond of hunting and hawking. a Cistercian monastery, glittering like a spark of In the former, they used dogs like our greyhounds, fire, subtle as the logic of the schools of Paris, delicate as fine silk, and colder than crystal.' The ordinary classes had little else to eat besides bread, butter, cheese, and a few vegetables. The Normans appear to have broken their fast earlier than the Saxons, and took their principal meal or dinner at nine in the morning. Like their predecessors in England, they do not seem to have had much furniture in their houses, and to remedy this, stone benches were constructed in various parts of the rooms when the house was built. Of course the continental system of feudal tenure by military_service wrought a great change in England. By this system, the land-holders or fighting-men were alone free, other classes being little better than slaves. Mr Wright points out that the system was never established here so fully as on the continent, since the towns never entirely lost their independence. The aristocratic class took the greatest delight in plundering the mercantile portion of the community, whom they regarded as their legitimate prey. But the somewhat artificial gallantry of feudal manners in the intercourse of the sexes, certainly produced a refinement, the effects of which are felt to the present day. Some of the medieval romances contain a great deal of worldly wisdom. An aged count, in the Doom of Mayence, thus counsels his son: Be liberal in gifts to all, for the more you give the more honour you will acquire, and the richer you will be; for a gentleman who is too sparing will lose all in the end, and die in wretchedness and disgrace; but give without promising wherever you can. Do not quarrel with your neighbour, and avoid disputing with him before other people; for if he know anything against you, he will let it out, and you will have the shame of it. Honour all the clergy, and speak fairly to them, but leave them as little of your goods as you can: the more they get from you, the more you will be laughed at; you will never profit by enriching them. And if you wish to save your honour undiminished, meddle with nothing you do not understand, and don't pretend to be a proficient in what you have never learned. And if you have a valet, take care not to seat him at the table by you or take him to bed with you; for the more honour you do to a low fellow the more will he despise you. If you should know anything that you would wish to conceal, tell it by no means to your wife, if you have one, for if you let her know it, you will repent of it the first time you displease her.' placed in the household of some great man, where The various dishes were carried into the hall with great ceremony, a steward, with his rod of office, heading the procession. As we have already stated, the roasts were carried in on the spits, and these were often of silver. In the romance of Garin le Loherain, a quarrel is represented as taking place at dinner, when one of the guests, wanting a weapon, snatched a spit from the hands of an attendant. The fourteenth century Flemish brass of Robert Braunch, at St Margaret's, Lynn, shews, at a feast given by Edward III. by the corporation of that town, the peacock being carried in with attendant minstrels, &c. The hour of dinner at this period was ten o'clock in the forenoon, and five for the afternoon meal. Each guest washed his hands before sitting down, and when he rose from the table. As forks were almost unknown, this was a very necessary operation. The guests were placed in couples, these eating the same food, and having one plate between them. Care was taken to place those together who were likely to be friendly. This was the origin of the phrase to eat in the same dish' (manger dans la même écuelle), implying friendship. But plates do not appear to have been generally in use. Mr Wright observes that loaves were cut into thick slices (called in French tran choirs; English, trenchers, because they were to be carved upon), and in these the portions of meat were placed, the gravy passing into the bread. Sometimes this was eaten by the guest, but, if not, it went away with the leavings, which were destined for the poor. In great houses, a platter (often of silver) was placed under the trencher, and so, after a time, the use of the latter was abandoned. Minstrels played, and mountebanks performed their antics, both during and after dinner. The minstrels or jongleurs were always welcome, and delighted knights and ladies by chanting love-songs or deeds of chivalry. We should mention that the Saxons and Normans agreed in one thing-dresser or dressoir was the most important piece of their devotion to the chase. The Norman aristo- furniture in the hall from the thirteenth century. crats pursued this amusement utterly regardless of Upon this were arranged the most valuable articles the harm they did to the crops of the Saxon tiller of plate possessed by the master of the house; and of the soil. Bows and arrows were used in hunt- the number of shelves in the dresser was regulated ing the stag. These were not introduced by the according to the rank of the possessor. Normans, as the words bow (boga) and arrow (arewe) All classes were fond of gambling, and generally are both derived from the Saxon. Chess was very popular in the eleventh century. The pieces were made of the tusk of the walrus, and many of these have been found in the north of England. This substance was called whale's bone in the middle ages, and a variety of articles were made of it. Candles were in more general use than oil, however, to give light during the long winter evenings. Schools at this period were often kept in churches. We must bear in mind that the middle classes got the best education, the aristocracy treating it with contempt. A gentleman's son was that time (fifteenth century), says: 'Alas! what have the * Martial de Paris, writing of the episcopal tables of poor! They have only the tranchoirs of bread which remain on the table.' used dice for the purpose. These were used either in the simplest form-namely, that of throwing the dice, or that operation was combined with other games. In the former form it found favour in low taverns, where people played for their clothes when they had lost all their money. The medieval game of tables was like our backgammon. In illuminated manuscripts, round discs like draughtsmen and the three dice, for that was the usual number, are clearly shewn. The game of dames, also played in the middle ages, was probably draughts. Playing-cards were introduced late in the fourteenth century, and became very popular in the fifteenth; Margery Paston, writing to her husband, December 24, 1483, says: Please it you to weet' [know] 'that I sent your eldest son, John, to my Lady Morley, to have knowledge of what sports were used in her house in the Christmas next following after the decease of my lord her husband; and she said that there were none disguisings, nor harpings, nor luting, nor singing, nor none loud disports, but playing at the tables, and the chess, and cards.' After supper a number of merry games were played, such as bric, qui fery? (who struck ?), and tiers or hoodman-blind. Games of chance were very popular, such as Rageman, in which players, in turn, drew a character at hazard. The characters were written in verse, on a long roll, and to each verse a string was attached, and each person choosing a character selected a string, which came out at the end of the roll when it was rolled up. Mr Wright, in his Anecdota Literaria, prints a set of these verses of the thirteenth century. Old and young played at ball, whipping-top, and kayles, or ninepins. Of course, in the fourteenth century, houses had greatly increased in size and conveniences. Among the chambers added was a parlour (parloir), or talking-room, derived from the monastic houses. The chamber was made more spacious, often richly furnished, and always had its fireplace and chimney. In this room, dinner and supper were sometimes served in private, though it was considered more popular to take meals in the hall. At the foot of the bed in the chamber, was the hutch (huche), containing plate, money, and other valuables. A treasure-chest was also called a coffer. Larger amounts of money were frequently buried underground. When a town was sacked, the victors rushed into the chambers to burst open the chests. Placed at the foot of the bed, these hutches formed a very convenient seat, and persons are often represented sitting upon them in illuminated manuscripts. Cock-fighting and bear and bull baiting were very popular in the towns. No butcher was allowed to kill a bull until it had been baited. These amusements were actually witnessed by ladies. It is on record, that as late as the sixteenth century, Mary and Elizabeth, daughters of Henry VIII., 'assisted' at such a scene. The upper classes were passionately fond of hawking, and illuminated manuscripts have frequent illustrations of the sport. It was considered especially appropriate for ladies. They chiefly hawked by rivers for herons and waterfowl, and from this, hawking was frequently called going to the river (aller en rivière). Blackbirds, jays, and thrushes were also hawked, and the lady was recommended to carry a bow and arrow, so that, if the bird took shelter in a tree from the hawk, she might shoot it. Horses were much more numerous in the fourteenth century, and travelling was generally accomplished on horseback. Men rode in companies, attended by followers, who too often amused themselves by annoying the peasantry. This practice the author of a satirical song (temp. Edward I.) probably had in his mind when he wrote at an earlier period : Whil God wes on erthe, And wondrede wyde, Whet wes the resonn Why he nolde ryde? For he nolde no groom To go by hys syde, # Ne grucchyng of no gedelyng,+ Ladies and effeminate persons rode in carriages The increase in the number of travellers in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, made a demand for inn accommodation. The smaller of these houses were indicated simply by a stake with a garland, or a broom hung over the door. A bush used for the same purpose was the origin of the proverb, 'Good wine needs no bush.' Travelling was not pleasant for those who had to go on foot, for they had to carry provisions with them, and the roads were infested with robbers and banditti. And not only so; knights and others built castles near difficult passes or fords, and levied a toll on the passers-by. If he could not or would not pay, the luckless traveller was liable to be thrown into a dungeon. Though inns were more numerous, they were still insufficient in number, though this want was to a great extent remedied by private hospitality. The stranger generally brought news, which was very welcome in an out-of-the-way countryhouse. To such an extent was medieval hosWarine turned the king's highway through the pitality carried, that it is said that Fulke Fitzmiddle of the hall of his manor of Alleston, in order that no traveller might have an excuse for passing by without partaking of his liberality. It seems that a stranger might remain two or three days without question, after that time he was expected to give more account of himself. Education was thought more of in the fourteenth century than at a former period. Grammar-schools had been founded by the mercantile classes in the towns, and these were often of considerable excellence. There was a great thirst for learning among the middle classes, chiefly because it was the only way in which they could rise to high distinction. At the close of the fourteenth century, the advance made by the middle classes was very great, though this was checked by the Wars of the Roses in the fifteenth century. Houses had vastly improved. Instead of the hall and one or two chambers, we find whole suites of the latter, and people deserted the hall to a great extent, to take their meals in private. The rooms were built round a court, the windows looking into it. Although there was a growing tendency for the lord and lady to take their meals in another apartment, dinner and supper for the whole household were always served in the hall. The head table was always permanent, but generally the other tables were made for each meal by placing boards upon trestles. The benches and backs of the seats were furnished with cushions and ornamented cloths. The salt-cellar was a very important article: it was directed to be placed first on the table, and it was considered very unlucky if any of its contents were spilled during the meal. Guests generally brought their own knives. The floor was usually paved with tiles and strewn with rushes. The parlour was often on the ground-floor, and was generally the most comfortable room in the house. This room was frequently hung with tapestry, or decorated with wall-paintings. Branches of latten (brass) were often placed in this apartment, and great attention seems to have been paid in the fifteenth century to artificial light. In the sixteenth century, dinner was generally served in the parlour at noon. Mr Wright quotes the following from a treatise on the 'most vyle and detestable use of dyce play,' composed about the beginning of that century. A person says: 'So down we came again' (from the chambers) 'into the parlour, and found there divers gentlemen, all strangers to me, and what should I say more but to dinner we went.' The dresser or buffet for the exhibition of the plate was moved from the hall into the parlour, and elaborately ornamented doors were frequently added. Space will not permit us to follow Mr Wright more fully in his interesting work. We may mention that it is profusely illustrated with woodcuts, chiefly taken from illuminated manuscripts. A WOMAN'S VENGEANCE. CHAPTER III.-'WHAT IS MY THOUGHT LIKE?' 'WHY, Mr Adair, I thought you were never late!' pouted Helen, from the window. I have learned your virtues from Arthur, but I fear I shall have to learn your imperfections from yourself.' It was not a graceful speech, though the fair speaker did not mean it ungracefully. She was a little annoyed, as some young ladies are apt to be in such cases, with her lover's constant praises of his old friend she had been aware that his opinion of her had been asked of him by Arthur, and though, of course, it had been a favourable one (as how could it have been otherwise, since the engagement had been already effected ?), she resented the fact; and she objected to be kept waiting by anybody. My dear young lady,' said Jack Adair, holding up a fish-basket and displaying its contents, these lobsters are my excuse, and, as you see, they blush for me. I was here at six o'clock, but went back for them to the faithless fishmonger's, who had promised them at that hour. The house was closed; and call me no recreant knight, since, for your sweet sake, I have broken, not a lance, indeed, but his chamber window.' 'Adair is always right, Miss Somers, have you not learned that yet?' said Allardyce in a low voice, and with a smile that might be good-natured or not, as she chose to take it. 'Hollo!' said Tyndall, leaping lightly into the barge, so the real recreants have turned up at last. I suppose they have introduced themselves; but if not, this is the Honourable Wynn Allardyce, commonly called "Lardy ;" and this, Mr Paul Jones, of some unpronounceable place in Wales, commonly called the "Pirate," from his noted namesake, after whose example he has harried most of the watering-places of England, though without carrying off a prize. Jack, you know.' Jack, whom they knew, was a fine young fellow of five or six and twenty, with curling brown hair, and a complexion as well tanned as English suns could effect. He had a pleasant smile, that was not meant for show, but as natural to him as scent to flowers, and a cheery voice, that in a small room faded persons with nerves had been known to consider a trifle loud, but which, in the present circumstances of open windows and river-air, was just as it should be. Throughout the voyage, none had ever need to say What?' when Jack addressed them, notwithstanding the ripple of the wave against the prow, or the wash made in the weeds behind the stern; and when he laughed, as he did now at Tyndall's comical introduction, Echo laughed too, from under Folly Bridge, and sniggered behind the distant walls of Magdalen. 'Are you all ready?' inquired Tyndall. 'Shall I lower the flag and start the horse?' inquired Mr Jones. Oh, pray don't lower the flag,' said Helen piteously; I think it looks so bright and pretty.' At this the men all laughed. 'My dear Helen,' said Arthur, 'you must know that Paul is nothing if he is not a sporting character; his metaphor is drawn from the race-course, where they lower the flag in sign of starting.' "O dear,' exclaimed Mrs Somers, to whom this explanation was insufficient; don't let us have any racing, pray.-O lor, we're over! Save us, Mr Tyndall-save my daughter!' This passionate appeal was caused by the first movement of the barge; as the horse felt the spur, the rope tightened, and the keel of the Lotus clove the yielding wave. 'Don't be frightened, Mrs Somers; we are just off, that's all,' said Adair good-naturedly. Just off, indeed!' returned she indignantly; 'I is shocking! The water is coming in, for I hear it ; was just off the seat myself.-Ellen, my dear, this you have more influence with Arthur than I have, and you must insist on our being put on shore at once.' Poor Adair, having less power over his risible faculties than the other gentlemen, had retired precipitately to shriek and roar above the cabin roof, and he was not unheard. 'I call that man a demon,' continued the exasper ated old lady. 'I believe he would laugh if we were all drowned.' My dear mamma, there is no danger,' explained Helen. Do you suppose Arthur would let us run |