Lay in a darkened room,
But the sweet texts she uttered
Seemed to dispel the gloom.”
Did she mean this description of an invalid to apply to herself?
Mary.—1. The town named by you, Altrincham, in Cheshire, is usually spelt “Altringham,” and pronounced accordingly. 2. We say “crocuses,” not “croci.”
Lonely Girl writes her nom de plume so illegibly that we cannot decipher it, so do not know what she wrote about on the first occasion that she addressed us; but she may feel happy in the assurance that we do not think, judging from her second letter, that she could have written anything needing the apology she now makes on the chance of having done so.
Anti-Ant.—You may keep the ants from shelves by keeping the latter washed with a strong solution of alum and water. You should also sprinkle insecticide powder over the floor, only be careful if you have a cat. Should this prove insufficient, apply to a chemist. Without doubt, Sir John Lubbock would appreciate his pets’ all-pervading presence as little as you do were he a guest in your house and found them, as you say, in his “meat, bacon, bread, cheese, pastry, sugar, plate, and cup” at all times and seasons!
Gwendoline R.—1. We could not condense into two or three lines all the rules of lawn tennis contained in the manuals of instruction respecting the game. You should buy one of these. 2. Eat no more sweetmeats if you wish to cure your complaints.
Geranium should write to our publisher. The editor’s department is perfectly distinct from his.
Feathers.—Curl the ostrich feathers by gently drawing every filament between the edge of a blunt penknife and your thumb.