book at any other time, and whose letters have nothing to do with helping on any action in the story itself. With such exquisite skill, however, has Mrs. Gaskell approached her subject, that it is impossible to read untouched the fragments given us of the letters exchanged between the far-away young couple who afterwards became Miss Matty's parents. Moreover, when this delving into the past leads Miss Matty into tell- ing the story of her merry young brother, with his fatal taste for jokes (how well wc can see the high - spirited boy coming home to the Rec- tor}' from school to one demure and one terrific sister, an in- dulgent mother, and an adoring, but Johnsonian father !) one feels that it is amazing that Mrs. Gaskell is not more gener- ally acclaimed a great writer. But although nothing ever happened in Cranford worthy of a newspaper placard in these days, it must not be supposed that life was without its thrills. It is one of the achieve- ments of the book, in fact, that Mrs, Gas- kell makes us enter fully into the enormous excitement felt by the ladies of Cranford when somebod^^'s cousin came to stay, or some- body else's dog died ; and as for 285 THE ARTS She is like a figure carved in cameo, and the tender affection and humour with which she is sketched are among the most admirable things in the book. When she has lost even the slender pittance on which she has lived, she is installed by her friends as a seller of tea, because men do not buy tea, " and it was of men particularly she was afraid ; they had such sharp, loud ways with them, and added up accounts and counted their change so quickly. Indeed, if she might only sell comfits to children, she was sure she could please them." orijrirtal drawing by Geort^i Richtnond, R.A., iSjl the sensation when there was an alarm of burglars, why, the reader is in turn as excited and as alarmed as if he were guarding the Bank of England singlehanded against a band of armed villains. Miss Matty is the heroine of " Cranford." if heroine there be at all. The gentle little lady, absolutely adamant on questions of propriety and conduct, has become a house- hold word with all who have read of her. Miss Matty sets up Shop The account of her setting up in business is too good to be left unquoted. She was provided with " all man- ner of comfits and lozenges, in order to tempt the little people whom Miss Matty loved so much to come about her. Tea in bright green canisters, and comfits in tum- blers — Miss Matty and I felt quite proud as we looked round us on the even- ing before the shop was to be opened. Martha had scoured the floor to a bright cleanness, and it was adorned with a brilliant piece of oilcloth, on which custo- mers were to stand before the table - counter. The wholesome smell of plaster and whitewash pervaded the Matilda Jenkyns, apartment. A very small licensed to sell tea,' was hidden under the lintel of the new door, and two boxes of tea. with cabalistic inscriptions all over them, stood ready to disgorge their contents into the canisters. " Miss Matty, as I ought to have men- tioned before, had had some scruples of conscience at selling tea when there was already Mr. Johnson in the town, who
