This is perhaps the place in which to say that there is nothing more difficult than to determine what forms the line of demarcation between the sentimental and the non-sentimental girl. There are persons who assert that a girl who uses the interjection Hullo! may be safely termed non-sentimental, but that is so far from being true that among the girl-readers of this paper there will be one with whom Hullo! is a favourite expletive, and who said, this summer, as a full-blown rose which she was presenting to a person greatly loved by her fell in a shower of petals to the ground, "Even the roses fall at your feet."
That was surely the language of sentiment.
Others assert that girls who wear men's collars with men's neckties may safely be dubbed non-sentimental, but it was a girl in boy's attire to the waist whom the writer of this paper heard say in reference to a beautiful woman to whom she gave the whole homage of the girl's heart that beat under the boyish garb that she favoured, "She is ordered by her doctor to Buxton to drink the waters. Happy waters!"
That was surely the language of sentiment.
If there be aught in a name, it is to be regretted that Angelina is no longer a name much given in baptism, and that no poet of this day follows him who sang in praise of "the dear Amanda." Not that Angelina or Amanda is the best possible name for a sentimental girl. No; such a girl should be called Delia. Mr. Henley has given the reason why—
"Sentiment hallows the vowels in Delia."
To return to the sentimental girl as writer. Misspellings, it has been stated, are legion with her. Of other marks by which you shall know her a leading one is that she has a tendency to write all abstract nouns, starting with "love," with capital initials; she writes impassioned postcards, favours such obscure phrasing as "farewell, but not good-bye," has been known to bring a letter to a close with the words, "Ever yours always lovingly," and to send "much best love."
To sum up, however, the sentimental girl must not be too harshly condemned. To one and other of us she has signed herself "Yours ever" and has been ours for a day; this has made us feel bitter. To one and other of us she has said, using words which are used by Shakespeare, who, one feels quite certain, heard them from a girl-sentimentalist, "I love thee best, oh, most best, believe it," and, having said that to us, has been heard by us saying that to another; this has made us feel jealous. In bitterness and in jealousy we are apt to misjudge the girl-sentimentalist, thinking hard thoughts of her, saying harsh things of her, instead of being right happy to be of those to whom she makes her Shakespearian protestations. Shakespeare is very good in print, but he is very much better from young lips.
Some people are greatly alarmed by the spectacle of a girl who appears to be without sentiment. This girl's heart is wrapped in a cool outer shell, like the world, but, like the world, it has, be sure, a hot nucleus. One could not be a girl, worth the name of girl, and this thing be different. To have a heart full of love in one's body is not to be sentimental. To be sentimental is to have a heart full of loves and likes, and to wear it on one's sleeve.
(To be continued.)