A Garden of Lilies Page 2

  Two hundred strokes, both morn and night.

  Care of the Hair

  The hair should be brushed twice every day, two hundred strokes being not insufficient to impart vigour and shine.

  It should be washed regularly, at least once every three months. In towns and cities, it may be necessary to wash the hair even more frequently. The use of rock ammonia, washing soda or harsh laundry soap is not recommended. Soft soap, made from the following recipe, will improve both the texture and colour of the hair.

  A Recipe for Soft Soap

  2 pounds of fat scraps from the kitchen, both cooked and uncooked

  1 pound of brown ash

  2 ounces of resin

  4 quarts of rain water

  Boil all together for eight or ten hours until it forms a clear, thick jelly.

  Jesephany and Keziah

  esephany and Keziah were unruly and wild. They climbed trees and jumped into puddles. They stole apples from Farmer Jenkins’s orchard and rode his old grey mare around, singing vulgar songs.

  One day, they climbed out of the parlour window and ran down the lane to the farm. They scrambled up into the branches of the old cherry tree and perched there, eating the ripe cherries, spitting out the stones and hooting with laughter. Suddenly, they heard an angry shout. It was Farmer Jenkins. Jesephany and Keziah jumped down from the tree and started to run away across the field.

  But before they went very far, they were suddenly swallowed up by some quicksand and were never seen again.

  Moral

  Good girls should never laugh or shout,

  Or climb up trees or run about.

  Fish-Scale Embroidery

  Girls would be far better occupied in fine needlework than in unruly occupations. Fish-scale embroidery is both useful and decorative when used on small items such as pincushions, needle-cases and reticules.

  The scales of any fish may be used, but those of the freshwater perch or the carp are preferred. The fish should weigh not less than one pound. First, the scales must be removed from the fish and thrown into a bowl of tepid water. Take a handful of coarse salt, and rub the scales between the palms of the hands. The water is changed, and the process is repeated. Before the scales are left to dry, two holes must be punched near the base of each with a darning needle. When dry, the scales are sewn onto dark velvet with fine floss silk, making a pattern of ferns, flowers, birds or butterflies. Pearl beads, silver wire and the wing-cases of beetles may be included in the design, and the result will be found well worth the trouble entailed.

  Lucretia

  ucretia attended Miss Cragmore’s School for Orphans and the Daughters of Poor Clergy in Grimstone-on-the-Marsh. On Sundays, there were no lessons. The girls rose early, dressed in silence and filed into the chapel for Prayers. Then they had breakfast (bread, margarine and tea) and did plain needlework for two hours, after which they lay on their backboards to correct their posture, while Miss Cragmore read to them from an Improving Book. After dinner (boiled mutton, boiled cabbage and suet pudding), they had a brisk walk in the cold drizzle. Then it was time to write grateful letters to their relations, guardians or other connexions, if any.

  ‘Perfect, elegant handwriting is the mark of a lady,’ said Miss Cragmore. She stood at the back of the classroom to ensure the letters were written correctly. ‘Take care, girls. No spots or blots.’

  Lucretia was writing a letter to her godmother. She did not pay strict attention to her work. Instead, she gazed out of the window.

  ‘Eyes front!’ rapped Miss Cragmore.

  Lucretia jumped, and a drop of ink spattered onto her letter. She gasped. Everyone turned to look. The girls whispered and pointed.

  ‘Silence!’ snapped Miss Cragmore. She stamped towards Lucretia, making the floorboards creak. ‘Silence! Attend to your writing.’

  But before Lucretia could do this, a marble bust of Prince Albert toppled down from its shelf and squashed her.

  Moral

  Be attentive when you write,

  Or you might not make it through the night.

  Writing a Letter to a Person of Distinction

  If you have occasion to write a letter to a person of rank or distinction, ensure that you use the best-quality ink and paper. At the head of your letter, in the right-hand corner, put your address in full, with the day of the month underneath. Write in a clear and elegant hand. Sign your name plainly and without unnecessary flourishes. Fold the letter neatly and place it in a clean envelope.

  Correct Terms of Address

  To the Queen

  Most Gracious Sovereign; May it please Your Majesty

  To Princes and Princesses of the Blood Royal and other branches of the Royal Family

  Your Royal Highness

  To a Duke

  My Lord Duke

  To a Marquess

  My Lord Marquess

  To an Earl, Viscount or Baron

  My Lord

  To a Duchess, Marchioness, Countess, Viscountess or Baroness

  Madam

  To Younger Sons of Earls, or all Sons of Viscounts or Barons

  Honoured Sir

  To a Baronet or Knight

  Sir

  To an Archbishop

  Your Grace

  To a Bishop

  Right Reverend Sir

  Maurice, Netty and Obadiah

  aurice, Netty and Obadiah were at the seaside with their father, who was a famous phyologist, collecting rare sea-weeds for the Museum.

  ‘Bladder Wrack,’ he said, prodding his collecting stick into a pile of sea-weed. ‘Furbelows. Spiny Straggle Weed. Sea Lettuce.’

  Maurice, Netty and Obadiah were thoughtless children. They did not want to know so much about sea-weeds. They wanted to run on the sand and climb on the rocks and explore.

  ‘Look! There is a cave,’ said Maurice, pointing.

  ‘Norwegian Fan Weed,’ said their father. He bent down and poked about in the sea-weed. ‘Gymnogongrus norvegicus. Cartilaginous. Note the fleshy fronds, children, and the wart-like excescenses.’ He picked up a specimen and pushed it into a collecting bottle.

  ‘May we go and explore the cave?’ asked Netty.

  ‘Perhaps we shall find smuggler’s treasure,’ said Obadiah.

  ‘Don’t be foolish,’ said their father. ‘Now, this is Slender Wart Weed. And here is Knotted Wrack. A fine specimen.’

  While he turned to pick up another collecting bottle, the three children crept away from him and ran along the beach to the cave. The tide was washing around the rocks. They pulled off their boots and stockings and waded through the shallow water. The cave was very dark and smelled of dead fish.

  ‘Come on,’ said Maurice.

  They ventured further in, where they were dragged into an enormous whirlpool, and that was the end of them.

  Moral

  Curiosity killed the cat,

  And you as well. Be sure of that.

  An Album of Sea-Weeds

  A collection of sea-weeds, arranged in an album with taste and ingenuity, may afford a vast amount of interest and pleasure.

  The sea-weed should be collected when the tide is out, and particularly after a storm. Wash each specimen gently in clear, fresh water several times, and lay it on a piece of heavy watercolour paper or Bristol board. With a sharp-pointed instrument, lay every strand in its proper position, forming a graceful, gossamer-like spray.

  Let it dry off partially, and while still a little damp, lay a piece of tissue paper upon it, and place it under several pieces of blotting paper and a large book. Examine the specimen daily and change the blotting paper when necessary.

  At the end of the week, or perhaps longer, you will find that the sea-weed is quite dry and adhered to its mounting paper, and may be labelled and added to your collection.

  Peregrine

  eregrine was a disobedient child. Every morning, his nurse Brigid took him for a walk in the park. All the other children held onto their nurses’ hands, but Peregrine wriggled free f
rom Brigid’s grasp and ran away from her, laughing.

  ‘Come back, you feckling rapscallion!’ panted Brigid as she chased Peregrine across the lawn, and in and out of the flowerbeds, and three times around the bandstand. ‘Stop right there, you bleeding hellion!’

  But Peregrine would not stop. He ran along the edge of the duck pond.

  ‘You keep right away from that water!’ shouted Brigid.

  But Peregrine laughed and dipped his toe into the pond. A moment later, he was run down by a speeding velocipede.

  Moral

  One false step is all it takes,

  So keep away from ponds and lakes.

  Quentin

  uentin lived with his grandmother. She took the greatest care of his health. He ate only the most delicate milk puddings and beef jellies. He wore patent woollen undergarments, ordered especially from Switzerland. He never played with other children for fear of infection, and avoided any kind of excitement or agitation.

  Quentin should have been grateful for his grandmother’s care and attention, but he was wilful and peevish.

  On mornings when the weather was fine, his grandmother took Quentin for a walk along the Front. Sometimes she stopped to talk to her acquaintances, and Quentin stood, holding his toy boat, and watched other children riding donkeys along the sand and paddling in the sea.

  One day, he saw a Punch and Judy show in a brightly coloured tent on the beach. A man was playing a merry tune with a whistle and a drum.

  While his grandmother was talking, Quentin went to watch the puppets.

  Punch hit Judy. ‘That’s the way to do it,’ Punch said, in his funny squawking voice.

  Quentin laughed. A dog ran around with a long string of sausages in its mouth and a crocodile chased the dog, snapping its jaws. One exciting thing happened after another. Quentin clapped his hands. He had never seen anything so funny.

  That night, he died from a brain fever brought on by the excitement.

  Moral

  Misfortune always comes to those

  Who go to fairs and puppet shows.

  Cone and Shell Work

  Instead of wasting your time at fairs and shows, during the summer and autumn collect a store of pine-cones, beech-nuts, acorns, oak-apples, twigs, bark, snail shells, fruit stones, dried moss and other treasures. Then, during the winter evenings, you may create things of both beauty and practical use.

  Lay out your materials. Trim the twigs and bark. The pine-cones must be separated with a knife, each scale removed and laid aside. To begin the work, select an item to be covered; a cigar box or other small, sturdy box would be a good choice. Arrange your material as fancy dictates, in a tasteful and elegant manner, covering the lid and the sides of the box. Some of the heavier pieces will require tacks or nails to hold them in place. For others, strong glue will be found effective.

  Use a fine, camel-hair brush to varnish your work, and then set it aside to dry.

  These boxes, when lined with silk, make elegant containers for stereoscopic slides, pen nibs or gentlemen’s collars. Look around your home, and you will find there are few items that cannot be quite transformed with such charming, rustic decoration.

  Roderick and Sapphira

  oderick and Sapphira were idle, careless children. It was a two-mile walk home from school across the fields, and before dark they had to feed the chickens, carry water from the pump, chop kindling for the fire, scare the crows away from the vegetable garden and clean the muck out of the pig pen. But instead of hurrying home from school, they sauntered along, talking and laughing with the other children, climbing trees, spinning tops and playing hopscotch.

  One day, they stopped to join in a game of marbles.

  Suddenly an enormous bird swooped down, snatched them up and carried them away.

  Moral

  Boys and girls who stop and play

  Won’t live to see another day.

  To Grow a Giant Marrow

  Children would be far better occupied in the garden than playing foolish games. Growing a marrow of prodigious size is a diverting activity, and the massive vegetable may win a prize in the local flower show, and then be chopped up and made into a wholesome soup to feed several poor families.

  A well-drained, sheltered part of the garden should be selected. During winter, dig in a good quantity of farmyard manure, night soil or Peruvian guano. When all danger of frost has passed, plant the marrow seed several inches deep. If a seed can be obtained from an award-winning plant, so much the better. Water it every day. When the young plant emerges, ensure it is protected from the wind and cold, and inspect the leaves for mildew, insects and snails. Choose the largest marrow to keep, and remove all the others. As the vegetable becomes larger, allow it to rest on a cushion and wrap it up in a woollen blanket at night.

  A giant marrow of the Turkish variety was recently grown in Woolloongabba, Queensland, by Mr Lindon. It reached four feet, nine inches in length and was reported to be not unpleasant in taste.

  Tilly and Ursula

  illy and Ursula went to a Sunday-school pic-nic in the Municipal Gardens and Arboretum. There was maypole dancing, and running races with prizes for the winners, and then a game of hide-and-seek.

  ‘Do not wander too far!’ called Miss Stickling as the children scattered to hide.

  Afterwards, there were buns and milk for everyone. But there were two places empty and two buns remaining. Tilly and Ursula were missing.

  ‘Run and find them, children,’ said Miss Stickling, clapping her hands.

  The children searched through the rock garden and the fernery and the flowerbeds.

  ‘Tilly!’ they all called. ‘Ursula!’ But there was no answer.

  They looked under the rhododendrons and into the water-lily pond, and they ventured into the glass houses and poked the compost heap. They searched everywhere, but there was no sign of Tilly and Ursula.

  They had quite disappeared.

  Late in the afternoon, they found one crumpled hair ribbon. It was lying on the path next to the herbaceous border, just near the bronze statue of Sir Hector Thistlethwaite riding his famous horse Binky.

  That was all that was ever found of Tilly and Ursula.

  Moral

  Wandering children should beware

  Of dangers lurking everywhere.

  The Language of Flowers

  Anemone — Forsaken

  African Marigold — Vulgarity

  Belladonna — Silence

  Daisy — Patience

  Daffodil — Regard

  Dahlia — Instability

  Fern — Sincerity

  Foxglove — Insincerity

  Fuchsia — Taste

  Geranium — Preference

  Henbane — Imperfection

  Holly — Foresight

  Iris — A Message

  Jasmine — Amiability

  Lavender — Distrust

  Lobelia — Malevolence

  Mandrake — Horror

  Nasturtium — Patriotism

  Nightshade — Lies

  Pansy — Thoughts

  Petunia — Never Despair

  Poppy — Consolation

  Primrose — Sadness

  Rose — Love

  Rosemary — Remembrance

  Snowdrop — Hope

  Sunflower — Haughtiness

  Sweet Briar — Simplicity

  Tulip — Hopeless Love

  Violet — Modesty

  Wallflower — Fidelity

  Watermelon — Bulkiness

  Whortleberry — Treason

  Yew — Sorrow

  Victoria, Wilfreda and Xavier

  ictoria, Wilfreda and Xavier were foolish children. They ran along the tops of high walls, regardless of the danger. They hung over the parapet of the railway bridge to drop bits of orange peel into the canal below. They chased one another into the street, in and out of carts and carriages and bicycles and omnibuses and trams, without looking where they were going.

  One
day, they came across a round manhole in the pavement. The workmen had lifted up the metal cover to do some work on the sewer, and then they had gone for their dinner.

  Victoria looked into the hole. There was a rusty iron ladder leading down. She said, ‘Let’s go and see what’s down there.’

  ‘Yes, let’s,’ said Wilfreda and Xavier.

  And down they went.

  It was very dark in the hole, and it smelled of old vegetables and drains. As they climbed down into the darkness, the sounds of the wheels of carriages and carts on the street overhead became fainter, and from below, they could hear rushing water and a roaring sound.

  At the bottom of the ladder was a tunnel. They began to walk along it, but before they went very far, they were unexpectedly swallowed by a monstrous crocodile.

  Moral

  Beware what lives below your feet,

  In tunnels underneath the street.

  Afternoon Tea

  Children should not run wild in the streets, but help their mothers in the home. How many girls these days are able to prepare a calf’s-foot jelly, a wholesome dish of stewed tripe, or a nicely boiled sheep’s head?

  Even a simple afternoon tea requires care and attention.

  To make tea, first fill the teapot with boiling water, wait for two or three minutes, and then pour the water away. Place in the warmed pot one teaspoonful of tea for each person, and one over. Fill the pot with boiling water, close the lid and let it stand for five to ten minutes before serving.