PART IX.

There is a kind of cottage, chiefly found in the North of England, but also not unfrequently to be seen in the western and central counties; it is constructed entirely of stone or granite. The mullions of the windows, “dressings” of the gables, doorways, and sometimes the walls themselves, are built in “ashlar.” “Ashlar,” in England, means stone brought to a smooth surface, not only on face but round the sides as well. Now this is rather important for all who are engaged in building operations, because “ashlar” means a different thing in England from what it does in other parts of the United Kingdom. In Ireland, for instance, “ashlar” means stones brought to a smooth surface in front alone, the edges being left irregular, and if you require them to be cut smooth and squared at the edges, you have to specify that they shall have “even beds and joints.”

A curious trial occupied the Irish Law Courts for many weeks some time back. An English architect and an Irish builder were engaged in erecting an important edifice in Ireland. The architect in his specification stipulated “ashlar” for the frontage of the structure. The builder carried it out in the English manner and then sent in a heavy bill of extras for “beds and joints.” This was opposed by the architect on behalf of his clients. At the trial all the Irish witnesses maintained that the builder was right, and all the English that he was wrong. The judge and jury became thoroughly puzzled, and could not understand the disputed point, as evidently both sides were perfectly sincere. At last the judge, perfectly bewildered, appealed to a very eminent counsel who was engaged, and said to him—

“Mr. ——, can you explain what all this means? We have been for some days listening to the apparently endless dispute about ‘beds and joints.’”

“Well, my lord, I can only suggest that it must be in some way connected with a question of _board and lodging_,” answered the counsel.

The matter remains unsettled, I believe, to this day. Of course we use the word “ashlar” in its English signification.

In addition to all the northern counties stone cottages are found in Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Oxfordshire, Somersetshire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, and Sussex.

They are usually very solidly built, and, though they present sometimes a stern and severe aspect, they are well suited to a rough climate, as they are warm and comfortable, and so substantial that they can resist the floods which often inundate mountainous districts. The group of cottages which we sketched some years back at Glossop, in Derbyshire, bore up against a singularly severe catastrophe. The little mountain stream shown in the foreground was dammed by a very solid earthwork higher up the valley so as to form a reservoir. During a terrible storm of wind and rain the dam was swept away, and the vast torrent of water poured down the valley, sweeping everything before it, and completely submerging the lower part of the village. The old stone houses shown in our drawing were flooded to their upper storey. A man who described the occurrence to us said—

“It was all so sudden-like. I heard a loud roar, followed by a rushing noise, which made the house seem to rock. I jumped out of bed and found myself up to my knees in water. I got my wife and children to stand upon the table and chairs, while I tried to find out what was going on, half expecting that the old house would come down, but it stood like a rock; and when the water subsided, it was as good as ever, though some of the modern houses were reduced to ruin.”

These stone cottages, with their heavy mullioned windows and low-pitched gables, continued to be built down nearly to the end of the last century. Of course, they must have been expensive; but their durability seems to prove that the extra outlay was, in the end, true economy. Artistically, they appear well suited to their bleak grey surroundings. These great, wild woodlands, interspersed with shapeless and fantastic rocks and strange-looking bowlders, swept by howling winds, so that no tree can lift its head save under shelter of the hillside, are not so unkindly as they seem.

We once knew a beautiful and delicate girl who had to leave London and, with her parents, live in one of these wild-looking districts. After a short time she grew strong and still more beautiful. Later on she married, and went with her husband to live in a southern land under the influence of a more genial climate. But, alas, it proved less friendly to her than the rugged North, for within six months she died. Three days before this sad event she said to her husband—

“If I could only feel the wind over the great moor I think I could live.”

He would have given all he possessed to save her, but the doctors assured him that she would certainly die on the journey. Health is often to be found in these rugged stone houses of the North country, stern and sombre as they look when compared with the cheerful half-timber cottages of the South.

In some out-of-the-way districts of Northern England, Scotland, and Ireland, cottages are built of “loose stone”—_i.e._, stones fitted together without mortar, and are thatched with peat. Sometimes the angle-stones, window and door openings, have mortar joints, the rest being left open. In all stone counties of England walls constructed in this manner divide the fields instead of hedgerows, the top row of stones being fastened together with mortar when the wall is more than breast high. This is a very ancient method of building, and is found in almost every country of the world.

H. W. BREWER.

(_To be continued._)

“MY FAVOURITE CONTRIBUTORS” COMPETITION.

PRIZES OF ONE GUINEA.

Jessie Offin, Loughton, Essex. “Christabel,” Poole, Dorset. “Pansy,” Beverley, East Yorkshire. “Rose,” North Muir, Forfar. “Wild Orchid,” Croydon Grove, Croydon. Agnes Ward Strong, Moseley, Birmingham. Nellie Turner Godfrey, Redhill, Surrey. Ada Alice Gaze, Norwich. Emma Elizabeth Epps, Redhill, Surrey. Elizabeth Kerr, Port Charlotte, Islay, N.B.

PRIZES OF HALF-A-GUINEA.

Edith Mary Foyster, Brentwood, Essex. Félicie Buisseret, Namur, Belgique. Evelyn Agnes Forster, Crowthorne, Berkshire. Edith K. Ellis, Highgate. Florence Marie Benton, Swavesey, Cambs. Lilian Grundy, Lynwood, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. M. Evangeline Hulse, Carlisle. “Modest Violet,” New Whittington, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Mary Agnes Parker, Peterborough, Northampton. Agnes Mary Vincent, Warwick Square.

HONOURABLE MENTION.

Mabel Jenks, Cambridge; E. Flesch, Brünn, Mähren; Gwendoline Doughty, St. Leonards, Bridgenorth, Salop; Kate Kelsey, Crossleigh, Montpelier, Bristol; “A grateful old woman,” Ballymena, Ulster, Ireland; Millicent H. Warwick, Manchester; Mary Adèle Venn, West Kensington Park, W.; Helen Elizabeth Howitt, Dunoon-on-Clyde; A. Park Pearson, Halifax; Laura Buck, Potters Road, New Barnet; Alice Dunn, Brisbane, Queensland.

* * * * *

REPORT.

From the time our first competition was announced until now, it has been a real pleasure to look over the papers sent in by our readers, who seem always to have understood the spirit and object of the various competitions we have placed before them and to have entered into them enthusiastically and naturally. The consequence is that their papers have been full of interest and instruction as to matters we never could have learned by books or by travel. The barrier behind which thousands of lives are lived could never have been broken down but for the ready help of the girls themselves. Their papers have made our views of life broader, they have evoked sympathy and admiration for the toilers in our great cities; they have permitted us to stand side by side with them as they work and struggle and fight for what they know to be good and pure; they have made us free of their homes, whether in the farm kitchen, or in the streets of our great cities, so that one can sit down and picture them all, whether in a London factory, a country farm, a village rectory, or away in our far-off colonies.

But _this competition_ is different from any of those which have preceded it, for the Editor has asked the opinion of his thousands of readers as to their favourites among the staff of writers, artists, and musicians whom he has employed for the last twenty years. It is a bold thing to have done, and yet it is but natural that a man who has devoted the best years of his life to a certain object should desire to know how his methods have answered and whether the material he has offered for the instruction and healthy amusement of girls has met with the approbation of those for whom he has catered. It is no easy task in the present age when independence is growing rampant, to influence girls and surround them with an atmosphere which, without in the least coercing them, will keep them pure and gentle and womanly.

So throwing caution to the winds, the editor has submitted himself and his staff to the microscopic criticism of his many thousands of readers, and begged them to select ten out of the number whom they like best and to give a reason for their preference.

We have received some hundreds of papers, each of which has been conscientiously read and pondered over. Each competitor has stamped her paper with her own individuality; she knows exactly what she prefers and why she prefers it. One and all regret that they are limited in their choice to ten of the staff, seeing that all are so good, but there seems to have been no hesitation as to the chief favourites.

In awarding the prizes, we have taken into consideration not so much the handwriting and decoration of the manuscripts as the thoughtfulness and intelligence with which they have been written.

SIDE-LIGHTS.

Widespread as we consider our knowledge of girl nature by this time, competition papers often spring upon us surprises, showing us we have much to learn upon the subject. We confess that, although we have always taken care to provide our readers with subject-matter for deeper thought, still we were scarcely prepared to find that in the majority of cases the first things read were these graver articles and the papers dealing with instructive and interesting matters, the stories as a rule being kept till the last. In one paper only were all the favourites chosen for stories.

QUOTATIONS.

1. I can safely say all the stories and articles in the “G. O. P.” are the best to be had. In truth one puts down the “G. O. P.” with better feelings and higher aspirations than when one took it up. Years ago my father found me reading a paper that he did not think fit for a girl to read, so he promised to buy me a magazine if I would read only such books as he provided. I promised, and he set about getting me suitable reading. As a result, he was shown the “G. O. P.,” and brought it home to me, and for twenty years I have been a reader of the “G. O. P.,” and hope to be for as long as I live, for I do not think I could get a better.

2. May I suggest another competition to you? You have already had one for girls who work with head and hands—will you not also have one for those who are preparing to work with head or hands? I am sure there would be many interesting pictures of student life at our colleges among the papers sent in. I feel that the “G. O. P.” decided my life for me. In April, 1881, when I was eight years old, we bought the number for the month. There was an article in it on the North London Collegiate School; it mentioned the pupils who were graduates—some were doctors or medical students. I said I would be one too; the idea stayed with me. At last the way was opened for me, though it is harder than I thought.

3. May I hope you will read this as a friendly letter from American girls who do not wish the pleasure they have received from your paper to remain unexpressed.

4. I am very proud to be able to say I commenced taking in the “G. O. P.” on the 2nd October, 1880, being the beginning number of the second volume, and ever since I have taken the greatest interest in it. When I got married, one of the first pieces of furniture we bought was a book-case to put my favourite books in; I often take one of the old volumes down for information—I appreciate them more every day for the kind and practical help they give.

OUR PUZZLE POEM REPORT: AN ACCIDENTAL CYCLE III.

SOLUTION.

AN ACCIDENTAL CYCLE III.

5. _Lamp Explosions._

Some use cheap lamps, whose oil, alas! Is held in china or in glass, Such folly no one can surpass.

6. _Escape of Gas._

When you escape of gas detect, Don’t search about with lighted match, But for a little while reflect— It might your head from form detach.

7. _To Cyclists._

If you’re cycling down a hill With a waggon coming towards you, Keep your head; And to save an awful spill Make for hedge, though it accords you Scratches red.

* * * * *

PRIZE WINNERS.

_Twelve Shillings and Sixpence Each._

Jessie F. Dulley, Lindens, Wellingborough. Ellie Hanlon, 1, Otranto Place, Sandycove, Dublin. G. Meggy, Rimpton Rectory, Bath. Janet M. Pugh, Bronclydur, Towyn, Merionethshire. Ethel Tomlinson, The Woodlands, Burton-on-Trent.

_Seven Shillings Each._

Mrs. Ethel Hartley, 310, Rotton Park Road, Birmingham. John Marshall, 13, Prospect Road, Child’s Hill, N.W. Eben. Mutten, 17, George Street, Devonport. Katharine Mary Stanley, The Old House, Washingboro’, Lincoln. L. Trotman, 26, Blessington Road, Lee, S.E. Helen B. Younger, 5, Comiston Gardens, Edinburgh.

_Very Highly Commended._

Mrs. Acheson, Eliza Acworth, Agnes Amis, Annie A. Arnott, Margaret E. Bourne, Nellie D. Bourne, Rebecca Clarke, Rev. Joseph Corkey, Mrs. G. H. B. Cumming, Ethel Dickson, Cecil French, Mrs. W. H. Gotch, Edith E. Grundy, Meta Kelway, Eliza Learmount, Agnes McConnell, Mrs. Nicholls, Rev. V. Odom, Annie B. Ormond, Isabel Snell, Frederick Wm. Southey, Ellen C. Tarrant, Constance Taylor, C. Thompson, Mary F. Wakelin, Edith Mary Younge.

_Highly Commended._

_Division I._

Edith Ashworth, S. Ballard, Rev. F. Townshend Chamberlain, Lillian Clews, Helen Margaret Coulthard, J. L. Ellson, Herbert V. French, Annie M. Goss, Ellen Hambley, Francis Hingston James, Mrs. Latter, Dora Laurence, Eva H. Laurence, Carlina Leggett, Winifred A. Lockyear, Mrs. C. A. Martin, Jennie M. M’Call, F. Miller, Helen M. Norman, Violet C. Todd, W. Fitzjames White, Henry Wilkinson, Alice Woodhead, Elizabeth Yarwood, Diana C. Yeo.

_Highly Commended._

_Division II._

Eva Mary Allport, Lily Belling, G. Brightwell, Jane Lindsay Campbell, R. Swan Coulthard, George Robert Davidge, Leonard Duncan, Eleanor Elsey, Mrs. F. Farrar, C. S. Gregory, Hilda Mary Harrison, Charlotte Hayward, Florence Hayward, Ethel Winifred Hodgkinson, Madge L. Kemp, A. Kilburn, Gertrude Longbottom, E. Lord, Annie Manderson, Helen A. Manning, E. Mastin, Jessie Middlemiss, E. M. Le Mottée, J. D. Musgrave, E. Pearson, N. E. Purvey, Kate Robinson, M. Winifred Shakespear, Bettie Temple, Mrs. Mabel Tench, R. Marjorie Thomas, Ellen Thurtell, M. Tolson, Frances H. Webb-Gillman, Margaret M. Wilcox.

* * * * *

EXAMINER’S REPORT.

Here is another award at last to excite indignant comment and criticism. So large was the number of first-rate solutions that we had to pounce upon the most trifling errors with a keenness worthy of a better cause. After we had examined and re-examined again and again, we were rewarded for our exertions by finding that faults abounded, the enormity of which might fairly be expressed in sixteenths.

For instance, a failure to indent the lines properly was reckoned one-sixteenth of a mistake. The substitution of “around” for _about_ was counted two-sixteenths, and so on, with arithmetical precision. As only a limited number of names can be mentioned, all we have to do is to draw the line at a certain point (in this case it was at nine-sixteenths), and say: “Beyond that, no mention.” The result is an adjudication which can face criticism with a very fair amount of confidence. And here let us say that if any competitor thinks that an injustice has been done, we hope she will not harbour the thought privately, but frankly let us know as soon as the report appears. We much prefer to have the opportunity of acknowledging a mistake or of proving that none has been made.

To return to the puzzle. Many competitors failed to notice the “s” in the title, and wrote “Exploding Lamp.” This could only be regarded as a whole mistake, and was therefore fatal to any chance of success.

The rhythm of the first line, No. 6, was often marred by the insertion of “an.” In the second line, as we have already intimated, “around” could not be considered equal to _about_, for a reason which a reference to the puzzle will divulge. In the fourth line “face” was continually given for _head_, though the better sense of the latter reading is obvious, and the puzzle form of spelling “detach” was often adopted without thought.

In No. 7, “Cycling” was the title generally given, though many solvers were careful to read the _two_ into it. This was an error we could not very severely condemn, and as a matter of fact two solutions which were perfect in every other respect, were admitted into the prize bundle. In the first line “you are” would not do instead of the contraction _you’re_, neither did the insertion of “a” before hedge improve the rhythm of the last line but one. In the same line we did not object to the more strictly grammatical “accord” in place of _accords_, although the puzzle gave the latter.

We have received several letters questioning our award on “An Accidental Cycle II.” We have turned up every solution written about, and find that absolute justice was done to each. For the benefit of a very large number of solvers who cherish similar doubts in silence, we may say that the mistake of spelling “some one” as one word was a very important factor in the adjudication. That our report should have contained no reference to this point was an unfortunate circumstance.

The award on the whole series of Accidental Cycles cannot be published for two or three weeks, the number of solutions being very large.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

STUDY AND STUDIO.

M. H.—1. The thought in your poem is very good, and you describe nature well and sympathetically. You need, however, to pay more attention to your _technique_. Your lines are frequently halting—

“’Tis sunset on the ocean, radiant with light.”

is an instance in point.—2. Water-colours would be suitable for painting on gauze or satin. No preparation of the material is required.

“BARTY.”—1. Barty Joscelin, in _The Martian_, is a fictitious character, though some of his early experiences in France were probably drawn from real life.—2. We are not familiar with the books you mention, but no doubt you could obtain a list from a bookseller, or the publisher if you knew the name.

SWEET SEVENTEEN.—1. Your writing is fairly good, but you should not leave a margin at the end of your lines. Try to write as freely as possible.—2. Inquire at the chemist’s where you purchase the sulphur ointment.

NORAH T.—We have never seen a really good book of such dialogues as you require, but you might apply to The United Kingdom Band of Hope Union, 60, Old Bailey, E.C., saying what you need. _Twenty Minutes_, by Harriet L. Childe-Pemberton, is a little book containing amusing dialogues for recitation, but they are not connected with “temperance.”

STUDENT.—1. A charming book, though not a new one, about animals is Mrs. Alfred Gatty’s _Worlds not Realised_; and _Parables from Nature_, by the same author, contains much information mingled with beautiful allegorical teaching.—2. Apply to the National Health Society—secretary, Miss Lankester, 53, Berners Street, W., or to the St. John’s Ambulance Association, St. John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, E.C., for full list of books on nursing. We may mention _Hints and Helps for Home Nursing and Hygiene_, by Dr. Cosgrave, price 1s. (St. John’s Ambulance Association). We do not think you at all discourteous in your criticisms on the articles in question.

HILDEGARDE WINTER.—1. It is rather difficult for us to advise you what music to practise without knowing your powers. There are books of “Short Voluntaries” (1s. each), by Edward Redhead, published by Orsborn & Tuckwood, 64, Berners Street, London, W., which might suit you. They are intended for organ or harmonium, but sound well on the piano. Book III. contains some charming easy music. Would Mendelssohn’s “Songs without Words” be too difficult? You should practise at least an hour a day and as much longer as you can, but we fear that without any tuition you will find it hard to make much progress.—2. The tails of your g’s and y’s spoil your writing; they are too long, and badly formed. You could easily improve your hand.

MEDICAL.

GWEN LEWIS.—Goître or Derbyshire neck is one of those diseases which are “endemic,” that is, resident in certain localities. It is very common in some places, chiefly in the mountainous or hilly districts of Derbyshire, Devonshire and Wales. It is more common in the valleys than in the hills. It is supposed to be due to some constituent in the water, possibly excess of lime. Goître, however, is not very infrequent in persons who have never seen a mountain, and who have lived in districts which are decidedly not goîtrous. There are many forms of goître, and the treatment for each variety is different. Unfortunately, that variety which is “endemic” is most difficult to cure. If the patient can leave the district where the condition was developed, and live in a place where the disease does not occur, the mass will cease growing and often wither altogether. The rational treatment of goître is therefore to change one’s residence. Iodine, both internally and externally, is often advised for the relief of simple goître, and it does sometimes do good. Mercury is often occasionally used with good results. Surgical procedures have been adopted, but unless the growth is enormous or interferes with breathing or swallowing, and in other special cases, this treatment is not to be recommended. Friction, massage and electricity have been tried with practically no result whatever.

BUTTERCUP.—Careful and moderate exercise is what you require. All your troubles, including the curvature of the spine, will be improved by this means. Gymnastic exercises are extremely valuable, and if we can only impress upon you to be moderate, we have no hesitation in saying that you will derive great benefit from gymnastics. The dumb-bells, the clubs, the horizontal bar, and the other milder exercises are very helpful, but you must avoid all the violent, we might almost say furious, exercises which are far too commonly indulged in. Again, you must not give up walking for gymnastics, but let a little of one augment a little of the other. Avoid sofas and easy-chairs, for these tend to weaken the spine. Before doing this, however, we advise you to have your back examined to find out what was the cause of the curvature.

MYSTIC.—Beer poured over a red-hot horse-shoe will not cure dyspepsia. On the contrary, it will make it worse. What an extraordinary superstition!

HEATH PHILLIPS.—You suffer from acne undoubtedly, possibly from that form known as “acne rosacea.” If you never feel indigestion you certainly have not got it. Sulphur ointment is very good for acne, but in the later stages, especially of the rosaceous acne, ichthiol ointment (2½ per cent.) is better.

MERRY SUNBEAM.—The hair frequently combs out in considerable quantities, especially during spring and autumn. This is no abnormality, it is quite healthy, but it frequently alarms girls, because a very little hair makes a great show. The solution you use is useful, but you must beware of using much alcohol for the hair, as it renders it brittle. Wash your head less often, say once a fortnight, and add a teaspoonful of borax to each quart of water. The yolk of an egg makes a useful and strengthening hair-wash, but it should not be used too frequently, and the hair must be well rinsed afterwards.

ETHEL.—Chlorate of potassium lozenges are very useful for a “relaxed throat.” You must be careful not to swallow too many, for the drug is very apt to produce indigestion. Never take more than five in the course of one day. We have seen truly alarming symptoms in a girl who has eaten an ounce of the lozenges in an afternoon.

MAITLAND.—Singeing the eyebrows would in no way permanently injure them. The hairs of the eyebrows grow very fast, and in a few weeks you will be none the worse for the accident.

ENQUIRER.—By an “enlarged neck” you probably mean enlarged glands in the neck, a condition extremely commonly due to decayed teeth.

HARRY’S GIRL.—Sugar is fattening, and very probably you are getting too fat because you eat too much sugar. There is no necessity for you to give up sugar altogether, but be more moderate in the amount you eat.

MIGNONETTE.—We published a long article on blushing and nervousness a short time back in which you will find all the information you require.

MISCELLANEOUS.

PRIMROSE.—We do not think a stone could be set in a small wedding-ring. You had better consult a jeweller about it, as we have not seen it and cannot give a reliable opinion.

DODO.—The distinctions between the heterodox beliefs of a Deist and an Atheist are considerable. The former believes in the existence of a God, but rejects the divine revelation of Him given in the Holy Scriptures. He also believes in the immortality of the soul, and in the suitable reward of virtue and the punishment of vice. The latter denies the existence of a God, or Divine Providence, and holds no religious belief of any description. An infidel, or unbeliever, is one who denies the Jewish and Christian religions, and may be of any unorthodox belief.

H. H.—Much depends on your finances. There is a good rule which tells you to “be just before you are generous.” Of course, it would be best to take nothing that you can help (by self-denial) from the contributions you usually make in church; but the money required for restitution of fraudulently-acquired money, it should be your first duty to make good (see St. Matt. v. 23 and 24). This precept would apply to such a case as yours. Of course, “there is hope while there is life.” Our blessed Lord says “He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through Him”—His blood-shedding—and “Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out.”

OLIVE.—That the Celts are a branch of the great Aryan family is regarded as beyond all doubt, by their language, which bears a close resemblance in grammatical structure and vocables to Sanscrit. They were the first of the Aryan settlers in Europe. Herodotus (B.C. 450) speaks of the _Keltai_. By this name the Greeks called them, and the Romans _Galli_, and a very numerous branch of them called themselves _Gael_. They settled in most of the European countries, and in the British islands, notably in Scotland and Ireland, but more in England than is generally supposed. Your own aboriginal family name is clearly Celtic.

SUNFLOWER.—The fact that your copy of the Bible is 100 years old is not the only question to be considered. If one of the several editions named after typographical errors, such as the “Breeches Bible” or the “Vinegar Bible” (published in 1727), and others, then there would be a fixed value for it. The celebrated “Bowyer Bible,” illustrated with 7,000 engravings, etchings, and original drawings, was sold to a Mrs. Heywood, of Bolton, for £500. It was one of the Macklin Bibles. You had better send a particular account of yours to some large library, and discover its value from the manager.

QUEENIE B.—Fringes, if worn, are short and encroach little on the forehead. You should look at the dummies in the hair-dressers’ windows, and get a hair-dresser to cut your hair properly, or it will not curl. A situation as “companion” is rarely to be obtained. A girl should have a good address and good manners, should be a good reader, and write a good legible hand, be well-informed, sing, or play; have a sweet temper, and a great store of patience, with tact. As to the salary, that would vary, and must be left to private arrangement. If you possess all these qualifications, then advertise.

OUR NEW PUZZLE POEM.

⁂ PRIZES to the amount of six guineas (one of which will be reserved for competitors living abroad) are offered for the best solutions of the above Puzzle Poem. The following conditions must be observed:—

1. Solutions to be written on one side of the paper only.

2. Each paper to be headed with the name and address of the competitor.

3. Attention must be paid to spelling, punctuation, and neatness.

4. Send by post to Editor, GIRL’S OWN PAPER, 56, Paternoster Row, London. “Puzzle Poem” to be written on the top left-hand corner of the envelope.

5. The last day for receiving solutions from Great Britain and Ireland will be August 17, 1899; from Abroad, October 16, 1899.

The competition is open to all without any restrictions as to sex or age.

TO THE READERS OF “THE GIRL’S OWN PAPER.”

DEAR GIRLS,—I have received a number of letters on the subject of my last story, “About Peggy Saville,” all expressing the kindest interest in the heroine, and a desire to know more about her.

These letters have been a great pleasure to receive, for, to tell you the truth, I myself am very fond of “Peggy Pickle,” and should much enjoy spending a longer time in her company.

Your kind Editor has expressed his desire to gratify you by publishing a sequel to the story, and we have arranged that if all goes well, the first chapter shall appear in October, or early in the spring.

For the next two months, then, you can think of me sitting in my summer-house every morning with Peggy for my companion, and I will think of you, and, I hope, work all the better for your kindly appreciation.

Your friend, JESSIE DE HORNE VAIZEY.