LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 385, 6 September 1875, Page 4

LITERATURE.

NELLY’S VALENTINE. There is little doubt that most pretty women like what is called ‘innocent llirtation.’ It is nut at all necessary to visit the ball-rooms of the aristocracy to find flirts or coquettes : they are quite as numerous amongst the rural lanes and villages of the country district; and, in spite of the danger of incurring the imputation of being an encourager of such pert damsels, we must confess that your regular coquettish village beauty is a very amusing and attractive individual. Human nature is much the same, whether in court or cottage, and beauty and a certain sort of espieglerie, are quite as common or uncommon in the one as the other. To many sparkling and lovely women, a power of fascination and desire of admiration are as natural as to look in the glass ; to others they are imparted by degrees, as the knowledge of their capabilities dawns upon them. This is like all other learning, and to be acquired gradually. Sweet is the consciousness of the first conquest to the coquette ; but it is not until she has conquered all around her, that the coquette is satisfied. Of course this is very naughty. We would not for worlds uphold such a system, but here and there there are such delightful, open, mischievous little flirts, that whilst you scold them, you cannot help loving them. Still there is a nice distinction to be drawn between, the flirt and the coquette, but we must be pardoned for not diving into the metaphysics of the subject in this sketch of a village damsel, who possessed a fair share of the attributes of both. When, where, and how Nelly Morris first learnt her early lessons in this abstruse art, it seems impossible to say. It may be that she was one of those with whom it was born. If not, she must have picked up instruction from the streams, birds, and insects, that murmured, warbled, and buzzed their teaching in her ear, for she was bred in the very heart of the woods and fields. The cottage of her parents stood quite alone, on the brink of a clear little stream, at the bottom of a meadow, and they had half a mile’s walk, through broken foot-paths and lanes, to gain the tum-pike road. Her father was a labourer of steady, regular habits; her mother a quiet, homely body. But Nelly, when she was grown up to woman’s estate, came to reside in our town. The change from a cottage by a brook, in the midst of fields, to a small country town, was as great to Nelly as would be that of a sudden transportation of a country-town belle to the metropolis. A stray caller or foot passenger going by the house had been a person of vast importance to her, her mother, and younger brothers and sisters, for they rarely saw a stranger, except on market-days and Sundays; but in her new position, she had but to stand at the door to behold at least three or four people at once ! Astounding gaiety ! It must have been a very wet day indeed, when that number was not visible and she was not long in attracting nearly as many to herself, whenever she made her appearance. Nelly began her career as nursemaid in a small tradesman’s family; but that did not quite suit her: carrying a baby was decidedly disagreeable, and bad for the figure. She preferred trying her fortunes in a decent public-house, where she might find remuneration and amusement at the same time : so she scrubbed the floors, washed the dishes, drew the ale, lighted the fires, and flirted to her heart’s content at the Half Moon for about a twelvemonth. But she was a girl of an aspiring turn of mind. In spite of the real enjoyment she had in her new place, she did not think it genteel enough for her; she must get into respectable service, So she went as maid-of-all-work to a very strictminded old lady, who resided a little way out of the town. Here she was tolerably demure for some weeks, and a miracle of cleanliness. But, alas for human patience ! she was in a house where “followers” had never been allowed. Nelly without beaux, was Nelly without more than two-thirds of her nature, Her mistress watched one, two, three, four —she was tired of counting them—young men talking to this forward girl. In short, no one passed the house that had not a pleasant word or a compliment for “ Mrs Jones, the Cottage’s ” smart servant. Mrs Jones spoke out her disapprobation loudly, and said she expected her servant to be steady, and always in the house ; not standing at the back door, gossiping with -whomsoever chanced to pass that way. Nelly wondered whether Mrs Jones expected to get anyone who would shut themselves out from society and have nobody to talk to but herself and her cat. For her part, she had been used to see people, and could not live in such a melancholy way ; so if Mrs Jones expected it, they had better part. She ! the minx ! whohadbeenbredandbornin the country! ButTomHowels, and Samuel Jenkins, and Mat Lewis, and various others quite agreed with her in thinking she was not a girl to be shut up with an old lady in the country—at least on the turn-pike, out of the town, so, after a few lectures from Mrs Jones, and retorts from Nelly, the pair separated, not without many warnings from the former, touching the impropriety of a young girl’s talking to young men of an evening, at the back door or through the kitchen window. Nelly had a great mind to try an inn again, it was so amusing; but, then, her newly acquired gentility ! She was too ambitious to retrograde in the world. It so happened that we wanted a servant, and Nelly, hearing of the chance of taking another step in life, came to offer. We shall not forget the first appearance of this young damsel and her mother. Mrs Morris entered, followed by her daughter, each curtseying in time and tune to the measure of the other. The mother was rather tall, thin, upright, of bronzed complexion and of great seriousness of countenance. The daughter was exactly the reverse. Rather short, plump, of pink-and-white complexion, and of the utmost jollity of countenance. They were dressed much alike, which made the contrast still more remarkable. The smooth black hat, red and black striped flannel gown, full bordered cap and small shawl, seemed identical until you analyzed them a little. The elder’s were scrupulously plain, and put on with an exemplary neatness and precision that told of prudence and sobriety at a glance ; the younger’s had a more jaunty air, that you felt but could not describe. There were a few most becoming pink loops of satin ribbon in the border of the cap, that looked in the presence of the prim head-gear of the parent, half ashamed of themselves. There was a splendid red and yellow border to the kerchief, that quite cast into the shade the sober browa of its companion, Moreover,

there was a bow of pink ribbon confining a small plain collar, that evidently did not know whether it ought to appear or not, and which we perceived Nelly trying to hide under her shawl. The petticoats of the daughter were also much fuller, and fell more gracefully than did the scanty, tuckedup skirts of the mother, and they were moi’eover less unfashionably short, and did not display quite so much of the foot and ankle. You perceived the hand of progress in the attire of the maiden, which the matron, like many otheis of her age and country, utterly disdained. (To be continued.')