LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 387, 8 September 1875, Page 4

LITERATURE.

NELLY’S VALENTINE, ( Continued.') At last Nelly stood before the table, her head drooping, her dimples in full play, and a huge letter in her hand. ‘ Please, ma’am ’ a pause. ‘ What, Nelly—a letter?’ Here a little laugh broke out, and the white teeth were visible. She fidgeted awhile with the letter, and at last, making a great effort, said she had received it that morning, but had not been able to read it. « A valentine, Nelly ?’ we asked maliciously. The dimples and white teeth were again displayed. , T ~ < f[ e ; He : Yes ma am, miss. I wasn t chqosing for any of them girls to read her. She is very pretty.’ , We must here state, that although N elly s English was improved, she had not yet learnt the neuter gender. To her everything was still either masculine or feminine. Before we unfolded the large letter, we glanced, with ill-dissembled curiosity, at the address. It was in a line clerky hand, written with due care and thought, and with splendid flourish. Nelly evidently considered that we did not know how properly to free the letter from its envelope, and moved restlessly as we began. ‘ She too large for the cover, she said at last, as we found it difficult to extract the kernel from the shell. Now Nelly was a picture for an artist. We should have liked a sketch of her at that moment. Fun and bashfulness strove together in her face, and made cheeks and eyes glow like Christmas fires. She was, as usual, playing with her hands, or rather with a smart bit of lace that adorned her sleeve band, When we fairly opened the letter, she gave a surpressed titter ; but we were soon lost in admiration. Nothing vulgar greeted us ; none of the common herd of valentines full of red cupids and redder hearts, but the most elegant of designs in lace paper and gold. A border of flowers and leaves and birds, all snow white, and in the centre what looked to be a square of gold and green. We wondered what hidden meaning lay under this type, and began to fear ‘ green and yellow jealousy.’ But Nelly came to the rescue. ‘He, He. She do open, she do,’ she volunteered, touching the centre piece reverently. To our great admiration, the green and gold proved two folding doors, which, when unclosed, revealed a painting of the loveliest of damsels with most graceful of youths at her feet. We glanced up at Nelly, who was looking at us to watch the effect produced by this wonder of art. Giving us an expressive nod, she said, ‘ That isn’t all, for there’s reading by here.’ She pointed to a piece of silver paper still left in the envelope ; we drew it forth, and found enclosed an embossed card, on which was a copy of verses, entitled ‘Forget me not.’

We began to read them aloud, and Nelly began to titter. We read on, and she laughed outright. ‘Deet, and that’s fullish,’ she exclaimed. ‘They are very pretty verses, Nelly,’ we remarked.

‘Will you just be reading him again, please, ma’am, that I may recollect,’ she said.

We read, and Nelly laughed merrily. • Shall yori remember them ?’ we asked, finishing our second reading. ‘ If you would be pleased to read them only wanst more ?’ she suggested. We repeated the lection, much to her satisfaction.

Again the depths of the big envelope were searched, and lying perdu in one corner was something that felt like a crown piece, but turned out to be a gigantic white pepper - mint drop, with a red-lettered but not illuminated surface, ‘ I love you well was- the motto we had the pleasure of reading to Nelly, which caused a laugh more exhilirating than ever, and a blush so bright that one fancied morning was about to dawn upon our lamp-lighted world. But Nelly was not yet satisfied. She took up the now empty envelope and turned it round. ‘ Is this a B ma’am?’ she asked at last.

The post-mark was ill-stamped, and it was no wonder she was puzzled. We examined it well, and, after much patience, found it to be‘Aberdare.’ She laughed again, and we had every reason to suppose the voluminous valentine had come from the right person. We conjectured him to be one of the two beaux who had so suddenly disappeared. Whether we were right or wrong, Nelly was gay as a lark henceforth. The finery that had been partially, and we had hoped, penitently, laid aside, was reproduced and re-arranged. A propos of this finery, we must confess that Nelly was no longer the plainly-dressed maiden she was when she came to us, with only one bit of half-con-cealed ribbon. She was now almost as smart as any of the smart serving-women in the place. Every piece of ribbon or lace, every collar or handkerchief, that we had thoughtlessly cast aside, reappeared refreshed. What she did to them we could not imagine, but they looked almost new. No more Welsh flannels and strong, sensible shawls, but merinos or paramattas, or some still slighter material. We winked at all this, but when it came to a change of caps we could bear it no longer. Be it understood, that, in those parts servants really wore caps. In the first place, Nelly’s strings disappeared, together with the kerchief that was wont to conceal the white neck, so that the very snowy portion of her person, her throat was fully revealed. ‘ We have a very 'decided objection to fly-away caps without strings, Nelly,’we remarked, severely. ‘ Deet, ma’am, them strings do cost money, and do get so dirty,’ was the reply. But we would not give up our point, so a narrow bit of ribbon was substituted for the previously broad strings. This did not last long. One evening we perceived Nelly unusually attracted by the mirror as she crossed the room. She was continually on tiptoe, glancing at the charming reflection of her own face. We looked at her, and beheld one of those flat crown-piece abominations, just covering her crown and touching her back hair. We dared not attack this nondescript article at once, lest we should lose temper ; but we were dismayed to perceive how becoming it was, displaying her rich brown hair and bringing out the espiiglerie of her countenance. We nerved our ourselves to address her the next morning, when she was clad in (Uncreeter costume.

‘ Nelly, if you wear those ridiculous caps you had on last night, we cannot keep you in our service. They are not respectable. ’ ‘ Law, ma’am, all the girls do wear them. They are cheaper than them old-fashioned borders.’ . But we stood our ground, and discomhted her for three whole days. The fly-aways were abandoned, and she was very unhappy, on the fourth, the head was adorned as before.. Fashion and becomingness got the better of obedience. ’ She looked bashful when we glanced at her. ‘So you are determined to wear those caps, Nelly. Then - ’ ‘ Oh, ma’am, please ! I ask your pardon. The others is all dirty, and seure this is very purty, and everyone do say she do suit me better than them old things.’ ‘ You will wash the others, and wear them,’ we said imperatively. After tliis, old and new alternated, until at last the old one only appeared under the Sunday hat —for Nelly still wore the becoming W elsh beaver. We were obliged to yield or give warning, and we could not part with Nelly. To return to our valentine. Some days after Nelly received it, the postman’s rap sounded and no letters reached us. ‘ Where are the letters, Nelly ?’ \fe inquired. ‘ None for anyone but me, ma’am, she replied, with conscious dignity, proud of the receipt of a second epistle. In the evening, Nelly again appeared with a letter in her hand. ‘ Beg your pardon, ma’am, but —if missus don’t mind ’ ‘ You would like to hear your letter read, Nelly ?’ . , ‘ The girls do make fun and laff, if they are reading him.’ ‘ I will read it with pleasure.’ We took the letter —delightful sight ! _ A genuine and discreet love-letter, containing assurances of devotion till death, and so on. It was too much for her, as it was for us. We all laughed together, as she exclaimed, ‘ Well, now, there’s fullish he is !’ It w r as, nevertheless, a sensible letter; containing much less nonsense than many we had chanced to see of the same kind, written by abler penmen. There was a promise to return and claim his dear Eleanor—he did not use the abbreviated ‘Nelly,’ which probably sounded vulgar and familiar —and a hope that she was constant, and would marry him on his return. ‘ I hope you are constant, Nelly’ we said.

‘ beet, miss—ma’am—and I am not seure. Name o’ goodness, does he think I be con stant always ? For a little bit, maybe.’

‘ Oh, Nelly!’ ‘ Ask your pardan, miss, but ’ould you be saying a few lines for me ? I am thinking Thomas ’ould not be liking them girls to know.’

We were in for writing a love-letter. It was very amusing. ‘What shall I say, Nelly ?’ ‘ Oh, you do know very well, Miss, fetch. Just as you do please. You do euse to write.’

‘ But not your letters, Nelly. What do you wish me to say ?’ ‘ On my deet I’ve nothing to say, but that I’m very well, and not in no hurry to be married.’

‘ But perhaps he won’t like that.’ ‘ He, indeed ! What matter ? She must like it. I don’t care.’

It must be said that we wrote a sufficiently matter-of-factletter,'considering the occasion. We assured the lover of Nelly’s health and happiness, and of her satisfaction that he was prosperous, then drew rather abruptly to a conclusion. We read it to Nelly. ‘ That’s famous ! Dear ! and there’s clever !’ she exclaimed.

‘ How would you wish to end the letter, Nell ?’

‘Just as you do please. You are knowing best.’ ,

‘ But I don’t know the sort of ending. Is it to be affectionate ?’

‘ He, he ! no seure. He’d be proud. Yours treuly, But you are knowing best. We compromised it by putting “ yours sincerely,” and so the matter ended for the present. We thought that if there were more such love-letters, there would be less evidence in breach of promise cases. In course of time there came another epistle. It greatly praised Nelly’s ‘ beautiful writing and polite letter,’ which made the little flirt show her white teeth.

‘ They did know at the post that you did write that letter. They are knowing your writing, miss—he, he !’ ‘ How could they know my writing ?’ We were getting rather ashamed of our part in the plot, but were not allowed to get out of it. We were trepanned by Nelly’s smiles, her obliging temper, and good servantism, into writing and reading many more love-letters, all singularly discreet, the last of which announced the tailor’s intended return to his native valleys. (To ie continued,')