MARRIAGE 614 state of absence, heightened with a view of the charms which 1 am denied to approach. In a word, you must give me either a fan, a mask, or a glove you have worn, or 1 cannot live ; otherwise you must expect I will kiss your hand, or, when I next sit by you, steal your handkerchief. You yourselt are too great a bounty to be received at once, therefore 1 must be prepared by degrees, lest the mighty gift distract me with joy. Dear Mrs. Scurlock, I am tired with calhng you by that name ; therefore say the day in which vou will take that of, madam, your most * obedient, most devoted, humble servant." This is the way Daniel Webster proposed. One day, when kneeling before his lady- love, he suddenly dropped the skein of silk she was winding off his hands, and made with a piece of tape half a true-lover's-knot. The lady (a Miss Fletcher) completed it, and a kiss sealed the bargain. Sir Alexander Duff Gordon had been pay- ing attention to the beautiful Lucy Austin, and the customary gossip resulted. One day he said to the young lady, " Do you know people say that we are going to be married ? " And before she could reply, he added, " Shall we make it true ? " Augustus Hare, in the " Story " of his life, tells the graceful way in which a woman known to him behaved herself. Lord Tan- kerville, playing a game in an ante-room with Lady Olivia Montagu, seized this opportunity to offer her marriage. At first she Would not face the question. By-and-by she suggested that it was time they should return to the rest of the com- pany in the drawing-room. The lover pleaded, " But what am I to think ? What may 1 say ? " Thereupon the lady answered, " Say that we have played our game, and that you have won." A HOMEYMOOH IH CORNWALL Sunshine in Winter— Newquay— Concerts— Hotels— The Journey T HOSE who marry in winter can find sunshine and soft air without leaving England. Is there not the Cornish Riviera ? A honeymoon spent at Newquay, for instance, offers beautiful scenery, splendid air, and even amusements, all at a trifling expense as compared with a trip abroad. There are many first-class hotels and houses where rooms are to be had, and charges are very moderate in the winter. The Attractions of Cornwall With regard to Cornwall, one of its great charms, after its liberal allowance of sun- shine, is the wonderful colour of the sea — bright emerald under a sky of vivid tur- quoise, or deepest sapphire, according to the time of day. The land scenery varies from wild and rugged, with sparse trees slanting away from the shore, to hills and dales of greenest verdure. In sheltered places myrtles, fuchsias and geraniums grow into trees, and roses bloom all the year round. In windy weather the seas are grand, breaking over the rocks in great clouds of foam, and tossing delicate wafts of spray high in the air — a splendid spectacle. In Newquay there are two public halls, and good concerts are occasionally held there. The Dance of Flora is an open-air function, and is quite peculiar to Cornwall. A quiet and beautiful little place is St. Columb Forth, this latter word signifying a long stretch of sand out into the sea. Like many other romantic spots in Cornwall, it affords that solitude to which the usual honeymoon couple so markedly incline. There are beautiful walks with fine views all the way, and there are many points of interest to be reached by driving. But should solitude pall upon them, they can go to the Cavern Concerts held in a hall that is Certainly unique. It is an immense cfivem, with an entrance so little hospitably that the visitor has either to crawl in or else be carried to a higher opening above the water line on a boatman's back. The piano has to be lowered over the cliff, and slid into the opening above the water by means of an ingenious arrangement of planks. Visitors are requested to bring their own campstools and candles. The music sounds most beautiful in this Banqueting Hall, as the great cavern is called. Perranporth, equally quiet, is wild and rocky. The sea encroaches there, and two churches have been buried in the sand. Cornish Fare At the hotel here one can have a Cornish tea, a most delectable and satisfying meal, the price of which is ninepence. For this modest sum is provided not only the beverage itself, with bread-and-butter, but also a local dainty known as " heavy cakes," and a liberal allowance of clotted cream. Hidden away between two headlands, East and West Pentire Points, is Crantire, an ancient haunt of smugglers, another quiet village. Apartments can be had in Crantire. In walking from Newquay one has to cross the River Gannel, that at low tide can be forded. About it are to be seen the curious little birds, unlike any others, called " shrikes," and believed by the superstitious to be in- habited by the souls of sailors lost at sea. The cause of this belief is probably the peculiarly plaintive cry of these little brown birds. The journey from Paddington to Cornwall is a pleasant one, lying through pretty scenery. If the honeymoon couple have spent the night in town, as so many of them do, they can catch the lo a.m., and they will be well advised if they ask the guard to order a tea-basket for them at Plymouth. Should they go by the i o'clock, or 3.30, the order would be for a dinner-basket,
