Various

“ And then it flashed into Lucy’s mind that one can scarcely expect very worthy girls to rush eagerly to discharge tasks that other women are simply ashamed to do! If it be so disgraceful to open one’s own door, or to wheel out one’s own baby, why should other women not feel it still more disgraceful to open other people’s doors and wheel out other people’s babies? ”

“ When she goes out more and rubs against others, she will find her level, and it will do her a world of good.”
“Don’t you like Effie, then?” asked Sheila.
“Oh, yes, in a way, poor little thing! I am sorry for her, and we have always been good friends. She was a merry little soul once, though too cheeky for my taste. Perhaps she will be better of that as she grows older. But she has had no advantages. She has never seen society—as you and I call it—and she shows it in every word and thought. ”

“ Florence made an impatient gesture.
“You compare things which have no standard of comparison,” she said. “You are a lady and know how to behave and to keep your proper place. These creatures don’t. They must be taught. If you had taken that woman in the right way, and talked down to her and cheapened her well, she would have respected you, and she might have turned out a servant good enough.”
“Florence, dear,” pleaded Lucy, “I would not wish to take any woman into my house who could behave so. ”

“ Effie blushed, but looked up with a sparkle of defiance in her eyes.
“He’ll have to fall in love with me first, and then I’ll perhaps think about it. You don’t suppose I’m going to care for anybody in that way if he doesn’t care for me? I’m the heiress of Cossart Place—you heard Cyril say so himself. I believe I shall have a very big fortune some day. You don’t suppose I’m going to be had just for the asking—not even by Cyril!”
Sheila held her peace; her ideas about love and marriage were very elementary and immature, but she did not see that what persons had could make very much difference. ”

“ The only persons who are really unfitted to take up bee-keeping are those who have not the desire or opportunity to attend to the bees regularly, or those who at first, perhaps, take up the new hobby with great zest, only to leave their pets to neglect when the novelty of the thing has somewhat worn off, or on the occasion of the first difficulty. Such a one should not keep bees. When we become the possessors of dumb animals, which depend more or less upon human aid for their well-being and comfort—and bees certainly do—a responsibility rests upon us which it would be wrong to ignore. ”

“ It had not entered Sheila’s head till Effie’s own words had suggested it; but certainly Cyril had paid a good deal of attention to Effie, and had seemed anxious to see more of her.
“I’ve never seen people in love,” she answered; “I don’t know what they do, or how they look. Do you think you would like to marry Cyril, Effie?” ”

“ Near by one may see a small party of ringdoves assuming the most graceful attitudes as they whisper soft nothings to one another in the bright warm sunshine. These pretty creatures are a living reminder of the innate gallantry of the Irish race. During the Queen’s first progress through Ireland after her marriage, as the Royal carriage was slowly passing through a triumphal arch, a pair of ringdoves were gently lowered almost into Her Majesty’s hands. ”

“ Many and wide apart in nature and disposition are its feathered rovers. From the tiny tomtit to the lordly golden eagle, from the motherly white Dorking to the wild turkey of Canada, all make or have made for them their homes or their nests. ”

“ From the big turkey to the tiny doves, all are on the alert when the sound of carriage wheels is heard, and a universal chorus of approval bursts from the feathered throats as the Royal party distribute their largesse. ”

“ On the whole, bee-keeping is a fascinating pursuit to those who are engaged in it, and thus almost every intelligent bee-keeper is more or less of an enthusiast, and there is, I think, a general fellow-feeling and desire to help one another amongst all interested in the craft, be they old hands, beginners, or even merely desirous, would-be bee-keepers, which is a pleasing indication of genuine love of the work they have at heart. ”

“ A small straw basket was held firmly in the neat cotton-gloved hands. An angel with shining wings could have hardly looked more apart than she did in that throng of coarse tawdry femininity, nor have been a more unexpected apparition. ”

“ There is also the aid to health, which a moderate amount of exercise in fresh air and sunlight, with a restful change of occupation for the mind, cannot fail to bring. And last, but not least, there is the honey—the prize at the end of the season for the diligent bee-keeper, the sum-total of little tokens of gratitude contributed by thousands of little workers, each so tiny, but which, when put together, form a very substantial and adequate return for all the trouble and attention bestowed upon them. ”

“ Here’s Sheila with her horse to be a companion, and I can always hire a decent hack from Lovejoy and take you out. Your father would make nothing of getting you a little easy-paced cob, gentle, and used to a lady; and there’s the park for you to take your first rides in, till you have got your nerve and seat well assured. It would be no end of a good thing for you; don’t you think so yourself?”
“Oh, yes, Cyril!” cried Effie eagerly, and Sheila’s eyes were shining, for she saw that if Effie once took to riding, she would get her share of her favourite exercise. ”

“ He is fond of coming here, I think. He likes the house and the park and garden. Are you and he great friends, Effie? I thought you seemed to be.”
“Yes, I think we are,” answered Effie with a pleased and conscious smile. “You see, Raby and Ray aren’t a bit intellectual, they don’t care to read or talk about books, and Cyril is so clever. He reads to me sometimes and lends me books, and we talk about them afterwards. I have a lot of time for thinking about things. Cyril thinks a great deal too. I suppose that’s why he likes coming. Do you think he thinks me clever, Sheila?” ”

“ I like to have my own ideas about things. One ought to be original, don’t you think? Mother often says I have such an original mind. I think perhaps I shall write some day when I am stronger. I have done a few things. Cyril saw one or two. I think he was rather anxious for me to go on. Perhaps I’ll show them to you some day. I took a prize once at an essay competition; Cyril helped me. He was very proud when I got the prize.”
Effie was quite happy now, fairly launched upon her favourite topic. Sheila listened and tried to be sympathetic, but wished that Cyril had stayed longer. ”

“ Yet of all the powers of the mind, the memory is the one which is most easily trained. We are not going to say that if a person has a bad memory it is her own fault; but in the majority of cases it is due to neglect either by herself or by her tutors. You say you are twenty years old, and ask us if you are not past the age at which it is possible to educate the memory? ”

“ It is not as if you had a professional man in your house, and had to think of a girl’s appearance in opening the door. Do better next time. Here comes another.”
“Are you wanting a general servant, ma’am?” said the girl, advancing towards Mrs. Challoner.
This was a younger woman than the last. Better looking too, despite the draggled feather which overhung her hat. There was some pertness in her voice and manner. But Lucy was not repelled by her as by the other, and was therefore brave enough to carry on some catechism on her own side.
“You have been a general servant before?” ”

“ For General Paget, with his Reserve, advanced upon the column in front, doubled it completely up, and like a whirlwind swept onward, clearing the valley of the foe.
Roy had his chance then, and he did not fail to use it. His was the honour of bearing the King’s Colour belonging to his Regiment. The Royal and the Regimental Colours are, as we know, always consecrated with religious ceremony at the time of presentation, and they are looked upon with the most intense veneration and pride by every British soldier. ”

“ On the left of the British line, they not only were repulsed with very severe loss, but were attacked in their own position by the conquering English, and were followed even into the villages beyond their ridge. The column which had essayed to turn the British right had been utterly wrecked, crushed out of existence, by Paget’s Division, which would in turn have stormed the great French battery of eleven guns, had daylight lasted long enough. ”

“ Something cynical with regard to frivolous amusements was evidently said by the newcomers, for without the slightest warning Toby at once proceeded to assault the man with the camera, and, as the bird must weigh a pound and a half, whereas the artist is not more than thirteen stone, we deemed it prudent to say good-bye, and beat a hasty retreat, followed by triumphant crowing from Toby and his sire, who, by the by, gives himself airs on the strength of being a prize-winner at one of the great Norwich shows. ”

“ Perhaps the only thing that can be said against commencing bee-keeping is the possibility of getting stung, but this is almost always the result of too frequent or careless handling; it is seldom worse than a passing inconvenience, and the bee-keeper soon learns to look upon it as a factor not worth taking into account. The timid, however, may render themselves nearly sting-proof by the use of india-rubber gloves lined with wool, besides the veil usually worn by bee-keepers to protect the face.
Few people are unsuited for bee-keeping. ”

“ That’s just how I feel. He’s always been so different from the rest. The funny thing is, that father does not think half as much of him as he does of North; but I never could care a bit for North. Cyril is worth ten of him.”
“He has been brought up so differently—has been to public school and college. I like University men; they are quite different from others. I can’t bear that Oscar shouldn’t finish his course there; but still, he always will have the air of an Oxford man everywhere!”
Sheila spoke with sisterly pride, but Effie was not listening. ”

“ Some years since, the Queen possessed a beautiful breed of pure white turkeys. Of these there are not any specimens surviving at Windsor, although, as pairs of the birds were given to the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Connaught, and the late Duke of Albany, it is possible that the breed is not extinct.
And now once more to the front of the aviary. Here are a splendid pair of golden pheasants, the male bird as he darts about in the sunshine looking a perfect vision of beauty. He was reared at Windsor from parents bred at the Zoological Gardens. ”

“ In the former, any or all of the frames of comb may be lifted out and examined, and the exact state of the colony ascertained in a few minutes, while with the latter the bee-keeper could never tell what was going on inside the hive. Without knowledge there cannot be much progress, and we can understand how, by keeping bees in this latter style, our forefathers for so many centuries never dreamt of any improvement on their barbarous plan of destroying the bees by burning brimstone when they wanted to obtain the honey. ”

“ There are few places in this country where bees may not be kept. The heart of a large city is perhaps the most unfavourable place for bee-keeping, but even in London bees have been kept successfully in Regent Street, Holborn, and in other parts. Wherever flowers flourish, bees will generally find a subsistence. In country districts where Dutch clover and sainfoin are largely cultivated, and on the heather-clad moors of Yorkshire and Scotland, they will yield considerable returns of honey in favourable seasons. ”

“ These rides were a source of great enjoyment to Sheila. She found Cyril a delightful companion, and he seemed to find her the same. It was a relief to get away from the atmosphere of Cossart Place for a few hours—away from Effie’s companionship, and the feeling of irritation and constraint which she often experienced there.
“I suppose it is my fault,” she sometimes said to Cyril, if he chanced to find her in one of her stormy moods. “I want to be nice to Effie; but she does aggravate me sometimes! When she is ill, I am really very sorry for her. ”

“ Words for Music.—Too much thought in words intended for music has a disturbing and over-weighting effect. Music does not only deepen emotion, it sometimes obscures the meaning. Hence the poet must meet it with a concession. ”

“ It is presumed that the reader is a stranger as yet to the pleasures of bee-keeping, but has some desire to know a little about these extraordinary, interesting and useful insects, and thus to solve some of the mysteries of the hive. The best way to do this is to keep a hive of bees of your own, and the following papers, as they appear month by month, will aim at giving seasonable directions for establishing and managing it.
A MODERN BEE-HIVE.
Bee-keeping is a pursuit that has several peculiar advantages to recommend it. ”

“ So satisfied with our attention is he that at his master’s desire he proceeds to show us a small specimen of his talents. Standing on the ground, with Hammond’s hands linked together before him, a short run is taken and the hands are neatly jumped five or six times in succession. ”

“ It is a home for the lonely, a haven of rest for those who have been too much tossed by the storms of life. It is the best and most lasting thing. It is heaven upon earth to live together in perfect amity and disinterestedness and unselfishness to the service of God and man until our life is over.—Jowett. ”

“ In arranging a new house, it is rather a good plan to have distinctive names for the bedrooms, and it is a pretty idea to name them after jewels or flowers, and have the rooms decorated with colours and designs to match, so that there might be the Emerald, Ruby, Turquoise, and Amber rooms, or the Forget-me-not, Rose, and Primrose rooms. ”

“ This last brings with it the pleasure of being able to place on the family table the product of one’s own bees, or if it amounts to more than can well be disposed of at home, there will be the profit that will accrue from disposing of it at a fair price to friends. There are, indeed, many people living in the country who are able to make quite a useful addition to their income by following this pursuit. ”