“But Providence—­for wise purposes no doubt!—­has seen fit to spare him three years.

“And there he sits, all day long, a-reading the Illustrious News.”

Now I must stop....

Your loving niece,
JULIANA HORATIA EWING.

TO A.E.

Grenoside. Advent Sunday, 1881.

* * * * *

On one point I think I have improved in my sketching.  I have been long wanting to get a quick style sketching not painting.  Because I shall never have the time, or the time and strength to pursue a more finished style with success.  Now I have got paper on which I can make no corrections (so it forces me to be “to the point"), and which takes colour softly and nicely.  I have to aim at very correct drawing at once, and I lay in a good deal both of form and shade with a very soft pencil and then wash colour over; and with the colour I aim at blending tints as I go on, putting one into the other whilst it is wet, instead of washing off, and laying tint over tint, which the paper won’t bear.  I am doing both figures and landscape, and in the same style.  I think the nerve-vigour I get from the fresh air helps me to decision and choice of colours.  But I shall bore you with this gallop on my little hobby horse!...

November 30.

...  I have sketched up to to-day, but it was cold and sunless, so I did some village visiting.  I am known here, by the bye, as “Miss Gatty as was”!  I generally go about with a tribe of children after me, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin!  They are now fairly trained to keeping behind me, and are curiously civil in taking care of my traps, pouring out water for me, and keeping each other in a kind of rough order by rougher adjurations!

“Keep out o’ t’ leet can’t ye?”

“Na then!  How’s shoo to see through thee?”

“Shoo’s gotten t’ Dovecot in yon book, and shoo’s got little Liddy Kirk—­and thy moother wi’ her apron over her heead, and Eliza Flowers sitting upo’ t’ doorstep wi’ her sewing—­and shoo’s got t’ woodyard—­and Maester D. smooking his pipe—­and shoo’s gotten Jack.”

“Nay!  Has shoo gotten Jack?”

“Shoo ’as.  And shoo’s gotten ould K. sitting up i’ t’ shed corner chopping wood, and shoo’s bound to draw him and Dronfield’s lad criss-cross sawing.”

“Aye.  Shoo did all Greno Wood last week, they tell me.”

“Aye.  And shoo’s done most o’ t’ village this week.  What’s shoo bound to do wi’ ’em all?”

“Shoo’ll piece ’em all together and mak a big picter of t’ whole place.” (These are true bills!)

Mr. S——­ brings in some amusing ana of the village on this subject.