The consequence is that the former general goodwill and acquaintanceship is no more.  There are no friendly meetings; there is a distinct social barrier between the man and the woman who labours and the one who does not.  These fashionable young ladies could not possibly even go into the hayfield because the sun would spoil their complexion, they refresh themselves with aerated waters instead.  They could not possibly enter the dairy because it smells so nasty.  They would not know their father’s teams if they met them on the road.  As for speaking to the workpeople—­the idea would be too absurd!

Once on a time a lift in the waggon just across the wet turf to the macadamised road—­if it chanced to be going that way—­would have been looked upon as a fortunate thing.  The Misses ——­ would indeed stare if one of their papa’s carters touched his hat and suggested that they should get up.  They have a pony carriage and groom of their own.  He drives the milk-cart to the railway station in the morning; in the afternoon he dons the correct suit and drives the Misses ——­ into the town to shopping.  Now there exists a bitter jealousy between the daughters of the tradesmen in the said town and these young ladies.  There is a race between them as to which shall be first in fashion and social rank.  The Misses ——­ know very well that it galls their rivals to see them driving about so grandly half the afternoon up and down the streets, and to see the big local people lift their hats, as the banker, with whom, of course, the large farmer has intimate dealings.  All this is very little; on paper it reads moan and contemptible:  but in life it is real—­in life these littlenesses play a great part.  The Misses ——­ know nothing of those long treasured recipes formerly handed down in old country houses, and never enter the kitchen.  No doubt, if the fashion for teaching cooking presently penetrates into the parish, they will take a leading part, and with much show and blowing of trumpets instruct the cottager how to boil the pot.  Anything, in short, that happens to be the rage will attract them, but there is little that is genuine about them, except the eagerness for a new excitement.

What manner of men shall accept these ladies as their future helpmates?  The tenant farmers are few and far between that could support their expenditure upon dress, the servants they would require, and last, but not least, the waste which always accompanies ignorance in household management.  Nor, indeed, do they look for tenant farmers, but hope for something higher in the scale.

The Misses ——­ are fortunate in possessing a ‘papa’ sufficiently well-to-do to enable them to live in this manner.  But there are hundreds of young ladies whose fathers have not got so much capital in their farms, while what they have is perhaps borrowed.  Of course these girls help cheerfully in the household, in the dairy, and so forth?  No.  Some are forced by necessity to assist in