“Trials might have formed his earthly lot.”
Cherea.—We fancy that you would hear of an Early Rising Society from Miss Isabella E. Kent, Lay Rectory, Abington, Cambridge; but if not, perhaps one of our readers would suggest an address. You might consult our back numbers, where such societies have occasionally been mentioned.
Daffodil.—1. The lines
“I could not love thee, dear, so much
Loved I not honour more,”
are from a poem by Richard Lovelace (1618-1658) “To Lucasta, on going to the Wars.”—2. Joan of Arc was called “La Pucelle,” because it means “The Maid,” and if you read her history, you will see why she, above all others, was called “The Maid of Orleans.” The Italian word for maid is also pulcella; Latin, puella.
Julia Ina Fraser.—1. We believe Pitman’s method of learning shorthand is more popular than the one you name.—2. We have never offered prizes for exactly the sort of thing you describe; but we offer prizes monthly, as you will see, in our “Supplement Story Competition.”
Peter David (Isère.)—We thank you for your kind letter, and are sorry that, as this is a girl’s magazine, we cannot comply with its request. You write English tolerably well. Do not say, “I have already written to you four months ago,” but “I wrote,” and “be so kind as to insert,” not “for inserting.”
Copper Beech.—1. You will find the recitation “King John and the Abbot of Canterbury” in “The Popular Elocutionist,” compiled by J. E. Carpenter, Warne & Co., Bedford Street, Strand. It comes from Percy’s Reliques of English Poetry.—2. The lines of the little girl are fairly good considering her age.
M. H. T.—1. We have inserted your request in “Our Open Letter Box,” and also suggest that you should apply to some London firm where second-hand books can be procured, such as Messrs. Sotheran, Strand.—2. Your writing is good, although a little cramped, and your lines are uneven. With a trifle more care, you would write remarkably well.