Various

“ But when it came to poetry!—Fräulein held up her hands in admiration. It was absolutely no effort to that child to remember, her eyes seemed to flash down the page, and the lines were her own, and as she repeated them her face shone, and her voice thrilled with such passionate delight that Esther and Mellicent had been known to shed tears at the sound of words which had fallen dead and lifeless from their own lips. And at composition, how original she was! What a relief it was to find so great a contrast to other children! ”

“ CHAPTER XI. THE FRENCH FLEET SIGNALLED.
Mrs. Bryce could seldom be happy for long together in one place. Before the end of September she had decided to quit Folkestone for Sandgate. Polly, nothing loath, chimed in with the plan eagerly; and Mr. Bryce, whatever he thought or wished, made no objection.
“If Buonaparte should come, my dear, what then?” was all that he ventured to suggest; and Mrs. Bryce snapped her fingers, not at him, but at the First Consul.
“Let him come, if he will. Pray, my dear, do you consider that we are bound to shape our course with a view to pleasing old Nap?” ”

“ Polly was a high-spirited girl, not easily alarmed, and fear found no corner in her mind this morning. She was simply eager and excited, whereas Mrs. Bryce, who, from sheer perversity had refused to believe in even the possibility of an invasion, and who from sheer lack of imagination had failed to realise beforehand what such an invasion might mean if it ever came, was overwhelmed with terror.
“Has Jack been?” asked Polly.
“Jack! No! How should Jack be spared? He is wanted, of course. They’ll all be wanted,” moaned Mrs. Bryce. “And they’ll all be killed. ”

“ Fräulein accepted this offer with a chuckle of satisfaction, and the Vicar went on with the lessons several weeks, patiently plodding over the same ground without making the least impression on poor Mellicent’s brain, until there came one happy never-to-be-forgotten morning when Algebra and Euclid went spinning up to the ceiling, and he jumped from the table with a roar of helpless laughter.
“Oh, baby! baby! this is past all bearing! We might try for a century, and never get any further. I cannot waste any more time.” ”

“ Bryce remarked drily. “’Tis no case of walking quietly on shore. I’ll be back in good time, my dear, to protect you both, though, indeed, should the French arrive, my place would be in the ranks with others.”
Mr. Bryce had not been in such excellent spirits for many a day. He was a quiet and meek-mannered little man commonly, but the prospect of a fight made him feel quite young again. When next he returned he carried a musket with supreme satisfaction. Few middle-aged men have not some remnants of boyhood in them, and all the boyhood in Mr. Bryce came that day to the surface. ”

“ I should choose to be the most wonderful orator that was ever known, and people would come from all over the world to hear me, and I would say beautiful things in beautiful words, and see the answer in their faces, and meet the flash in the eyes looking up into mine. ”

“ It makes me sick to hear a fellow talk such nonsense. Balls and dinners—faugh! If that’s your idea of happiness, why not settle down in London and be done with it! That’s the place for you! I’d give my ears to go round the world, but I wouldn’t thank you to go with a dress suit and a valet; I’d want to rough it, to get right out of the track of civilisation and taste a new life; to live with the Bedouin in their tents as some of those artist fellows have done, or make friends with a tribe of savages. ”

“ Bryce collapsed on the foot of the bed. “And we might have been safe away out of it, if I hadn’t made such a prodigious fool of myself, never thinking for a moment that old Nap meant a word of it all. I protest, ’tis enough to drive one distracted. I’ll never in my life go to the sea-coast again, not for no sort of consideration. And they say old Nap’ll be here in a few hours, and there’s no way of getting off—not a horse to be had for love or money! ”

“ I am a girl, and if I try to do anything in public I am as nervous as a rabbit, and can only squeak, squeak, squeak in a tiny little voice that would not reach across the room. I had to recite at a prize-giving at school once, and, my dears, it was a lamentable failure! I was only audible to the first three rows, and when it was over, I simply sat down and howled, and my knees shook. Oh, dear, the very recollection unpowers me! ”

“ Bryce shou’d return again to Bath, without Delay, leaving Mr. Bryce, as Dou’tless he will desire, to take his proper share in the Defence of our Country. If Mrs. Bryce be willing to act according to this plan. I most gladly offer to her such Humble Accommodation as is in my power to bestow. The aspect of affairs is truly Alarming; and if it be seriously apprehended that Lonn is like to be in greater danger of Bustle and Trouble than Bath, there is no Necessity for you all to remain in that part of England. ”

“ I’d have a housekeeper to look after the dinners and things, and a governess for the children, and never do anything myself except give orders and go out to parties. I’d be the happiest woman that ever lived. ”

“ And we shall be taken prisoners, and be carried away to France, and put into dungeons, and never see England again.”
“I shouldn’t mind going to France, if they would let me be where somebody is!” murmured Polly. “But they won’t—they won’t. Napoleon has no such easy task before him. They’ll never get past our soldiers. Why, think—General Moore is here!”
“Nay, but he’s not; that’s the worst. He away at Dungeness Point. And the French may land before ever he can get back. Everything is gone wrong. Alack! Oh, dear!”
“Where is Mr. Bryce?” ”

“ Bryce settled herself comfortably in an apology for an easy-chair—real easy-chairs had not yet been evolved—and read her own letter.
“From my cousin in Norfolk. And if you’ll believe it, Polly, they’re all in a bustle and fright there too, lest Nap should land first on the eastern coast. He’ll have enough on hand, if he’s to go everywhere that’s expected of him! And if he goes there, they’ll get them away into the fen country, where ’tis thought the French Army won’t be able to follow.” ”

“ Asplin, who adored a good novel when she could get hold of one, but harboured a prejudice against all women-authors as strong-minded creatures, who lived in lodgings, and sported short hair, inky fingers, and a pen behind the ear. Mariquita Saville was surely destined for a happier fate. “When a woman can live her own romance, why need she trouble her head about inventing others!”
Her husband looked at her with a quizzical smile.
“Even the happiest life is not all romance, dear. It sometimes seems unbearably prosaic, and then it is a relief to lose oneself in fiction. ”

“ But ’tis true they’ve signalled from Folkestone that the enemy’s boats had left Calais, and that the transports and ships at Ostend were also out and steering westerly. So, with this wind, they’ll probably be here in a few hours, if Nelson doesn’t cut them out on their way with his fleet. And I promise them, they’ll have a right good reception if they come. Eh, Polly? We’re making ready for ’em.”
“I can’t have you leave us again, not for no sort of consideration,” objected Mrs. Bryce. “Your duty, my dear, is to protect us. If the French come, what may Polly and I do?” ”

“ The cause and treatment of flat-foot are well understood; but it is far more easy to prevent the feet from becoming flat, than it is to restore the natural arch of the foot after it has once been broken down. ”

“ Moore answered courteously, also with a touch of reserve, for privately he had not much faith in the threatened invasion.
“And you think he may do so, sir, in very truth?”
“He may doubtless make the attempt, if he choose. The question is rather,—what will he gain by it? It would seem that Government has greater apprehension of invasion now than awhile since. ”

“ We do not believe that flat-foot would ever occur if people did not wear boots or shoes. If your boots are very well made, and do not bend at the waist, but are flexible in the toes, they will not produce flat-foot. ”

“ Walking on tip-toe for half an hour a day, without boots or shoes on, will help to strengthen the foot and relieve the flatness. Walking, running and jumping, are excellent exercises for the relief or flat-foot. Skipping is a pleasant and useful pastime for flat-footed girls.
Forget-me-not.—1. We are much pleased to hear that your daughter’s hair has improved from using the wash. Continue to wash her hair once a week with the boracic acid. After having washed and dried her hair rub a little sulphur ointment into the scalp. It is useless to apply the ointment to the hair itself.—2. ”

“ Bryce betook herself to the Gentleman’s Magazine, not without another passing allusion, contemptuously worded, on the state of alarm into which folks in general seem to have fallen.
“Listen now to this, Polly. ’Tis vastly entertaining. ‘Human nature is too fond of novelty.... Never did it seem to be running so much from its proper course as in the present age, when we observe night turned into morning, and the mornings change into night.... ”

“ How often we see flat-foot in policemen. Occupations in which you sit down all day. The office clerk is generally flat-footed. Weakness of the muscles of the legs, whether part of a general weakness or not, is another cause. ”

“ Never mind, darling! there are better things in this world than being clever and learned. You will be our little house-daughter; help mother with her work, and play and sing to father when he is tired in the evening. ”

“ This is the first question to ask anyone who is troubled with roughness of the arms. We would have been pleased if you had given us a description of the roughness of which you complain. Roughness above the elbows may be due to so many causes. If there is nothing to see upon your arm, no spots or patches, but simply a slight scaliness of the arm, wash the place in warm water and soap, and then smear on a very little lanoline or simple ointment. ”

“ Your daughter is certainly suffering from blepharitis—a most intractable disease. The treatment that you are carrying out is the best we know; but we would suggest that she should bathe her eyes twice a day in warm solution of bicarbonate of soda (5 grains to the ounce) . In your daughter’s case it is probable that something more than lotions and ointments is needed. It is well worth your while to consult an ophthalmic surgeon. The longer the disease has lasted the more difficult it is to cure. You should attend to the general health of your daughter and feed her well. ”

“ But by far the greater number of boots bend in the waist only, the result is, that the centre of the foot, where nature intended that but little movement should take place, is the only part of the civilised foot which is free to bend. ”

“ Work hard at your music, learn how to manage a house, to sew and mend, and cook, and you will have nothing to regret. A woman who can make a home has done more than many scholars.”
So it came to pass that Mellicent added the violin to her accomplishments, and was despatched to her own room to practise exercises, while her elder sister wrestled with problems and equations.
When Peggy Saville arrived, here was a fresh problem, for Fräulein reported that the good child could not add five and six together without tapping them over on her finger ”

“ In all 400,000 men, women, and children have taken the little cross as the outward symbol of their pledge of love and service for Christ’s sake, and there are more than 1,000 different lines of work carried out by the Order. ”

“ A coal-scuttle should be kept by the kitchen fireplace to hold sifted cinders, and if these are damped and put on where there is a good coal fire, they make a fierce hot fire and save the coals; but they should be well damped with clean water just before using. ”

“ The rest will come in time. She must learn before she can teach, have some experience of her own before she can imagine the experiences of others; but writing is Peggy’s gift, and she has been put in my charge. I must try to give her the right training.”
From that time forward Mr. Asplin studied Peggy with a special interest, and a few evenings later a conversation took place among the young people which confirmed him in his conclusion as to her possibilities. ”

“ I like moving about, and change and excitement, and travelling is good fun if you avoid the fag, and provide yourself with introductions to the right people. I know a fellow who went off for a year and had no end of a time ”

“ Cow’s milk diluted with fresh barley water is the best artificial food (excluding asses’ milk which is very expensive) for infants. The elder children may be allowed to eat much the same as you do yourself. It is always well to let children have plenty of milk even when they can digest ordinary adult diet. ”

“ How anyone can trifle with her health in this way we cannot conceive. When you take patent medicine, what are you doing? You are throwing into your blood a decoction of which you know nothing. You are feeding yourself upon drugs which, for all you know, may poison you. ”