Read Ebook: The Girl's Own Paper Vol. XX No. 986 November 19 1898 by Various

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As we have seen, the incomes of our three friends amounted altogether to ?270 a year. In the winter months the accounts for the rent of the rooms, coal, gas, candles, and similar expenses came to ?1 3s. 6d. each week, as the following accounts set forth--

For about a month in the year the three were away, Marion in her own home in Nottinghamshire, and the Orlingburys staying with different friends and relations. Ada Orlingbury had only three weeks holiday in the summer, and not quite a week at Christmas, but was busy with her type-writing all the rest of the year. Jane had a far longer rest from her cookery classes than Ada from her work, and Marion had longer holidays than either. When all were away they paid rent for their rooms just the same, but, of course, had no other household expenses. Marion was a very economical housekeeper and understood how to keep down expenses as low as possible, whilst still having everything comfortable. We must admit that very acceptable "helps" arrived sometimes from their friends in the country. It might be a large box of eggs, or a "hand" of pork, or perhaps a bag of apples, but this did not happen very often. Once a week they had a dinner without meat, but this was no hardship to any of the three, for all liked vegetables, fruit and fish, and this arrangement made things much easier for the housekeeper.

Marion had quite grasped the fact that the best way to keep down the bills was to economise with the butcher's bill, for meat is the most expensive item of all. They had soup very often, as nice soup can be made for so little. They indulged largely in savoury dishes of macaroni and rice, some recipes for which we shall give in the course of this account of the girl-chums and their doings.

Once a week, on Wednesday evenings, they went to a choral society to which they belonged, and, as they had to start at seven o'clock, instead of sitting down to dinner at that hour, they found it more convenient to have a sort of "high tea" on that evening and to have hot milk and cake or porridge when they came back.

We must not forget to say that on alternate mornings they had porridge for breakfast, which Marion cooked the day before in a double saucepan, whilst she was seeing to her other cookery and which was warmed up in the morning. They generally supplemented this with scones, which Jane, with her superior knowledge of food-stuffs, pronounced to be very nourishing. On Sundays they dined at two o'clock. For this meal they often had meat pie, as that could be made the day before and heated, or eaten cold, as they preferred, or they chose something that did not take long to cook, such as cutlets.

Marion found her path made easy by some of the tradesmen with whom she dealt, who were very accommodating to her wishes, and never in the least resented her subtle knowledge of ways and means, as they undoubtedly did in the case of some other of their customers' housekeepers of many years' standing and very much Marion's seniors in years! Mr. Calvesfoot, the butcher, for instance, let her have fat for rendering down at 2d. a pound, and so she was able to have a constant supply of excellent dripping for frying and for pastry at the slightest possible cost. She started her stock with four pounds at the beginning, and by straining it each time after using it, and by rendering down one and a half pounds of fresh fat each week and adding it to the stock, she always had plenty of good dripping. To do this she cut up the fat and put it in a saucepan with a little water, and then let it cook until the water had boiled away and the fat had melted, leaving nothing but crisp little brown bits; the liquid fat was strained off and the crisp brown bits saved for Abigail, by whom they were esteemed a great luxury. To others Mr. Calvesfoot was adamant, and declined to part with the fat under double the sum, but Marion refused to take "No" for an answer, and asked him calmly why he could not let her have it cheaply as well as the soap-boilers whose carts she had seen waiting before his shop early in the morning, and who she knew only gave him a penny a pound for it.

At the exhibition of so much knowledge he was dumb, and fell in with her views with much meekness, as no doubt he would have done for his other customers if they had not allowed themselves to be beaten so weakly.

She always provided a hot dinner as she found that, with proper management, it cost no more than a cold one, and it was infinitely more appreciated. She had learnt just how much was required of any given thing, and so there was no waste. The little that was left over from their dinner was always worked into the next day's meals, or else was finished up by Abigail on the alternate days when she had dinner at "The Rowans."

Here we have the list of a week's dinners in February.

On Sunday they had a light supper at half-past eight, consisting of cocoa, boiled eggs, and bread and butter.

Saturday and Sunday were the only days on which they were at home to tea.

The breakfast for the week, on non-porridge mornings, consisted of brawn, which Marion had made a fortnight before, when they had had half a pig's face sent them from the country. The brawn was excellently flavoured.

DINNERS FOR THE WEEK.

Beef and Kidney Pie. Baked Potatoes. Pineapple in Syrup. Rice Mould.

Cabbage Soup. Boiled Beef and Kidney Pudding. Boiled Potatoes. Cabbage. Jam Tarts.

Irish Stew. Apple Pie.

Stuffed Herrings. Scones. Cocoa.

Potato Soup. Curried Fish. Ginger Pudding.

Stewed Rabbit and Forcemeat Balls. Brussels Sprouts. Baked Potatoes. Swiss Roll.

Brown Soup. Boiled Potatoes. Boiled Artichokes. Tapioca Pudding.

The beef pie which they had on Sunday and the beef pudding of Monday were both made out of a pound and a quarter of beef skirt, which, costing only ninepence a pound, makes just as good gravy as rump steak, and if cooked long enough is very tender. The half that was used for the pie was cut into rather thin pieces, and half the kidney was cut in dice; then all was dipped in pepper, flour, and salt, and put into a saucepan to stew gently for an hour before it was used for the pie. Marion always did this now, as she had noticed that if the meat was put raw into the pie, the pastry got overcooked before the meat was done. It was not necessary to do this with the pudding, however, as that could be boiled for a very long while--in fact, was all the better for long boiling.

For the pastry for the pie she used half a pound of flour mixed with a good teaspoonful of baking powder, and three ounces of dripping rubbed in lightly. Her hands seldom got hot, so she made delicious pastry, and as she was careful not to pour in too much water, when mixing the flour and dripping to a dough, it was not tough. She mixed in the water quickly and lightly, using a knife to begin the mixing and finishing with her hands, keeping it as cool as possible while it was being made, and being very careful not to squeeze it, or work it about more than was absolutely necessary. The pastry was rolled out quickly and lightly, and the pie was baked in a good hot oven, and it was voted a great success. The pineapple needed no cooking, being the contents of a sixpenny tin turned on to a glass dish. The ground rice mould was made with a pint of milk brought gently to the boil with two ounces of castor sugar and a bay leaf to flavour, two ounces of ground rice were mixed smoothly with a little cold milk while this was happening, and stirred into the milk on the fire; the mixture was stirred and cooked for a few minutes and the bay leaf taken out, then it was poured into a wetted mould to be turned out when cold.

On Monday Marion made the quarter of a large cabbage do for the soup, and the rest she cooked as a vegetable. The cabbage for the soup was cut up small and put into boiling water for three minutes to take away the disagreeable smell; then it was drained and put with a small onion sliced, a bunch of herbs, a small piece of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, and simmered for twenty minutes; half a pint of warm milk was added, and a beaten-up egg strained in. The soup was then stirred over the fire for a few minutes to cook the egg, but was on no account allowed to boil for fear of its curdling, as happened, alas! on one occasion when Marion left her handmaid Abigail to watch it for a minute or two.

All stews were done in a brown earthenware stewing jar that was one of her most cherished possessions. While the stew within it was cooking, the jar stood in a dripping tin containing water in the oven; by this means the contents of the jar never boiled, though the water outside it might do so, and if the stew cooked long enough it was always perfectly tender. As the heat of the fire did not hurt the look of the jar, the stews were always served in it, which arrangement had the double advantage of saving time and keeping the dish hot. The Irish stew of Tuesday was made with one and a half pounds of scrag of mutton, three pounds of potatoes, and half a pound of onions, all sliced and cooked gently for two hours. There was a good deal over, so it was used on Thursday, with the addition of a few more potatoes, half a pint of water, a gill of milk, and a piece of celery, to make a delicious potato soup. The milk was added last after the soup had been rubbed through a sieve and re-heated. For the apple pie a pound of apples of a good cooking sort were used, and these turned a beautiful amber colour in the pie. They had such a good flavour of their own that no cloves were needed to assist them.

The herrings on Wednesday were boned, spread with veal stuffing, rolled up, brushed with milk and rolled in brown crumbs, then packed in a greased dripping tin and baked for twenty-five minutes. They made a substantial meal; on the next day there were one and a half one over, which were sliced up and put into the curried fish. The scones were mixed with milk that was slightly sour, as they are always lightest when so made.

The forcemeat balls that went with the rabbit on Friday were made of veal stuffing, fried separately, and served on a hot plate instead of going in the jar with the rabbit. The Swiss roll was made in the morning before the rabbit was put to cook. The brown soup of Saturday was made by frying lightly some pieces of carrot, onion, turnip and celery in a little dripping, and then pouring in the gravy from the rabbit, and adding any pieces or bones that were left. The lid was put on, and the soup simmered an hour and a half; then it was rubbed through a sieve, returned to the fire, brought to the boil, and thickened with an ounce of flour mixed with a little cold gravy.

When Marion looked through her accounts on Saturday, she found that her food expenses had been as follows:--

With this account of her expenditure she was perfectly content. Her aim was to keep the money spent on food below ten shillings a head, and this week she was well within the margin.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

MEDICAL.

ESTHER.--Feed the child on milk diluted with an equal quantity of barley-water. Do not give her any patent foods, as these are one of the most fertile causes of rickets. A little meat gravy or a very small amount of chicken or hashed mutton might be given to her occasionally with advantage. A teaspoonful of rich cream twice a day is useful as a preventive from rickets.

TORQUAY.--Why concern yourself with troubles which may never occur? How can you tell that you will have such anxieties as you suggest? The chances are very much against it. Again, the measures you mention are exceedingly prejudicial to your own health, for many of the most intractable cases of hysteria can be traced to this cause.

A LOVER OF BEAUTY.--You should try either brilliantine, cantharidine pomade, or a hair-wash made of rosemary to make your hair soft and wavy. You must not, however, be disappointed if you find that no preparation will produce the kind of hair that you desire.

NELLIE.--You cannot expect a physician to know what is the matter with you if you make a point of hiding your symptoms. We can only tell you that your trouble is probably either due to diabetes or to some local ailment. For the rest you must go to your doctor and tell him all about yourself. Your trouble may be one which a very little simple treatment may readily cure, but you may be suffering from an extremely serious disease, which you are allowing to run its course unheeded from a silly conventionalism. If you do not like to tell your own doctor about yourself, go to a stranger in a distant part. But pray get someone to treat you!

A WORKING WOMAN.--It is never easy to be sure as to the cause of noises in the head. So many unhealthy conditions may produce this most distressing symptom that it is quite a long work to exclude all possible causes save one, and so to come to a definite conclusion. You ask us whether the noises that trouble you proceed from the ears or head, but there is another possible cause of the trouble that you have not considered; that cause is anaemia. This is very commonly indeed associated with noises in the head, usually surging, rushing, or hissing noises. Moreover, the noises are always more pronounced after exertion or fatigue. This agrees well with your own account, and we therefore think that as your general health improves, as it will do with proper treatment, the noises will gradually decrease and eventually disappear. The fact that your hearing is not at all affected, is a strong point against the noises being due to disease of the auditory nerve. It is not, however, an absolutely certain test of the condition of the nerve. When noises in the head are due to brain disease, they are almost invariably accompanied with severe and frequent, if not constant, headaches. The treatment that we advise is for you to attend to the general laws of health and diet. As regards drugs we think that you would derive most benefit from tabloids of bone marrow. These can be obtained from any chemist. The dose is one tabloid crushed up in a little milk three times a day after meals. They must be taken with great caution at first; on the appearance of trembling, headaches or profuse perspiration, the use of the tabloids should be discontinued for three days. If taken with care, this remedy is exceedingly efficacious and is perfectly safe.

LITTLE VILLAGE DOCTOR.--Your friend is suffering from one of those nondescript diseases which are so common, so difficult to clearly understand or explain, and so very refractory to treatment. We are not all born with the same amount of vital energy, and some of these indefinite illnesses which last for so long a time may simply mean that the suffering individual has not been endowed with sufficient life. We can only, therefore, give you some general information which may or may not prove of value to your friend. In THE GIRL'S OWN PAPER many articles have appeared on the subject of healthy living; and during the present year we hope to publish several more papers on the chief laws of health. It is obedience to these laws which is of utmost value in cases such as that of your friend. It is doubtful whether any drugs are likely to do her good. Those drugs which partake more of the nature of food may be useful. Cod-liver oil, maltine, thick cream, or possibly bone marrow, might be worth a trial.

JESSIE.--Probably you are suffering from flat-foot, and your doctor wished to take an impression of your foot to decide what form of boot you should wear. For the treatment of flat-foot is chiefly a question of well-made boots which bear some resemblance to the human foot. You will find an account of flat-foot in an article on "clothing" which appeared in last year's GIRL'S OWN PAPER. Puffiness of the ankle is very common in kidney disease; but as the ankles may swell from very many causes, of which kidney trouble is one of the least common, it would be rather rash to conclude that your kidneys were affected because your ankles were weak and swelled slightly.

STUDY AND STUDIO.

A ROSE FLOWER.--We are sorry we cannot praise the verses you send. What is the meaning of

"If all His love I fully earned, He'd guard me every hour"?

No one can be said to "fully earn" all the love of God. "Saw" and "fro" do not rhyme, and "lightning" is not spelt with an "e."

ASPHODEL.--"Memory" is the better of your two poems. You have much to learn as to rhythm and metre. Also you should keep your verbs in the same tense. "The spring is breaking" and "The earth looked forth" do not correspond. It is difficult to draw comparisons, but we are afraid your verses are not quite up to the average of those sent us, although we have read much worse attempts.

SMILLOC.--We should advise you to write to the Secretary of the Welsh Male Choir, enclosing a stamp for reply. We do not know the song sung at High Wycombe. If you cannot trace the Welsh Choir to any address, write to the Secretary of the Flower Show, High Wycombe, asking where you should direct your inquiry.

C. A. M.--There are a great many classes for correspondence. We have mentioned in this column that R. G. P., Fairview, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, gives correspondence lessons at 1s. per lesson. Particulars of instruction by correspondence can be obtained from the Secretary, Association for the Education of Women, Clarendon Building, Oxford. There are also the Queen Margaret Correspondence Classes; apply Hon. Secretary, 31, Lansdowne Crescent, Glasgow; and the St. George's Correspondence Classes; apply to the Secretary, 5, Melville Street, Edinburgh. We applaud your wish to improve your arithmetic, and hope you will try in one of these directions.

WYMONDHAMITE.--Many thanks for your suggestions. We have already received answers concerning "The Doctor's Fee," but are grateful to you for your kind letter. Your answer and inquiry appear in "Our Open Letter Box."

VIOLET wishes to know the author of two verses beginning,

"It is in loving, not in being loved," "The heart is blest."

We cannot find them among Dr. Bonar's "Hymns of Faith and Hope," though Violet suggests they are by him.

BRIAR ROSE asks for a book of recitations containing "The Little Hero" and "The Sioux Chief's Daughter."

"Alas! how easily things go wrong. A sigh too much, or a kiss too long, And then comes a mist and a weeping rain, And life is never the same again.

Alas! how hardly things go right. 'Tis hard to watch on a summer's night, For the sigh will come, and the kiss will stay, And a summer night is a winter day."

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