THE ARTS incliuled it among his numerous commodi- ties, and, before she could quite reconcile herself to the adcption of her new business, she had trotted down to his shop, unknown to me. to tell him of the project that was entertained, and to inquire if it was lik?ly to injure his business. Mv father called this idea of hers ' great nonsense.' and ' won- dered how tradcs- l^eople were to get on if there was to be a continual consulting of each other's interests, which would put a stop to all competition directly.' And, per- haps, it would not have done in Drumble, but in Cranford it answered very well ; for not only did Mr. Johnson kindly put at rest all Miss Matty's scruples and fear of injuring his business, but, I have reason to know, he re- peatedly sent customers to her. saying that the teas he kept were of a common kind, but that Miss Jenkyns had all the choice sorts." After reading this, no one will be surprised to hear how she conducted business. Miss Matty's Sweets " If a little child came in to ask for an ounce of almond comfits (and four of the large kind which Miss Matty sold weighed that much), she always added one more by ' way of make-weight,' as she called it, although the scale was handsomely turned before ; and when I remonstrated against this, her reply was, ' The little things like it so much ! ' There was no use in telling her that the fifth comfit weighed a quarter of an ounce, and made every sale into a loss to her ix)cket. So ... I told her how unwholesome almond-comfits were, and how ill excess in them might make the little children. This argument produced some effect ; for henceforward, instead of the fifth comfit, she always told them to hold out their tiny palms, into which she shook either jx-ppermint or ginger lozenges, as a preventive to the dangers that might arise from the previous sale. Altogether, the lozenge trade, conducted on these principles, did not promise to be remunerative ; but I was happy to find she had made more than twenty pounds during the last year by her sales of tea ; and, moreov-er. that now she was accustomed to it. she did not dislike the emploN-ment. which brought her into kindly intercourse with many of the people round about." GIBRALTAR TOWER HOUSE, CARNFORTH In the Tower Mrs. Gaskell wrote a great deal, and it is specially associated with " Ruth." The top room of theTower was that used by Mrs. Gaskell It is while Miss Matty is sitting in her shop one day that the long-lost brother of forty years before comes back, and the- reunion is described with just the same qualities which make ■ the whole of "Cran- ford " a classic. An unknown gentle- man comes into the shop. ' ' Apparently he was at a loss how to announce himself, for he looked round at last in search of some- thing to buy, so as to gain time, and, as it happened, his eye caught on the almond- comfits, and he boldly asked for a pound of ' those things.' I doubt if Miss Matty had a whole pound in the shop, and, besides the unusual magnitude of the order, she was distressed with the idea of the indigestion they would produce, taken in such unlimited quantities. She looked up to remonstrate. Something of tender relaxation in his face struck home to her heart. She said, ' It is — oh, sir, can you be Peter ?/ " With him came financial ease, and every- body was given presents who had ever done the smallest service to Miss Matty. The book closes on a note of general good-will and quiet peace. A Different World One wonders what would be the reception of " Cranford " if it came out for the first time to-day in book form, or ran through a magazine, as it originally did. It belongs to a different world from ours of to-day, a world that had leisure to be genteel, to make its own preserves, to pay calls in the morning, and dine at five in the afternoon, if fashionable ; at three if un- fashionable. And yet it is a book that is true of any age because the human nature in it never strikes false, and one can even find in some youthful-minded, middle-aged lady of to-day, belonging to her own club, living her own life, and emancipated from all household cares, the same qualities that Miss Matty had. It is true that we have no Cranford now, but we shall never be without Miss Matty, nor the energetic Miss Pole, nor severe Miss Jenkyns, nor any of the other types that we meet in this fragrant volume. This series will be continued.
