fining Americanisms as they occurred in the book. Indescribably delicious were these comments by an un-seeing editor. Just glance over some of the definitions, and you will understand that our journey between Shrewsbury and Worcester was a diverting one, as the Little One read them aloud to us!

"Maple syrup. A favourite American sweet, the saccharine juice obtained from the rock maple tree.

"In America, ladies frequently speak of children as being cunning,' when we should say, sprightly, winning or pretty. 'Cunning brackets' here means pretty, neat, effectivelooking brackets.

666

Rig,' a vulgarism not common to Americans only, signifies to dress ostentatiously, or beyond one's means.

"A Buggy is a light four-wheeled family carriage or chaise, generally built with a top that can be raised or lowered.

"Servant girls are frequently called Biddies' in America, a familiar rendering of the Irish Bridget.

"If she's mad with her,' means, if she is annoyed with her.'" (This particularly amused us, for, as most people know, the English use this word only in its correct sense, and

indeed overwork it; they speak of a person having "gone to a mad house" if they have retired to a sanitarium for a week's rest!)

"Chewing Gum. The forbidden, not to say forbidding, gum here spoken of, is a gelatinous sweetmeat, variously flavoured, and somewhat larger than a jujube, which used to be much in favour with a certain class of American young lady."

To turn from the consideration of Miss Alcott's editors, let us see what comment Evelyn made on the twenty-second of September, 1651: "Arrived the news of the fatal battaile of Worcester which exceedingly mortified our expectations." Worcester battle-field is visible from the window of the train we must get out. Perhaps it is not the battle-field- we shall know later.

Worcester does not rank high among the cathedrals of England, but we are not making a specialty of cathedrals—or, as the English say, a "speciality." The cloisters are delightful. Each bay has on the inside a kind of flyingbuttress with an opening through which an inspector could look straight down the length of the aisle, and see anything that might be transpiring in the shadow or niche. Probably it was used to observe the illuminators at work, and

to see that they did not waste their time. A very exquisite chantry is a memorial to Prince Arthur of Wales, son of Henry VII. In the crypt is a quaint old stone figure of this prince, holding in his hand a leek instead of the prince's feathers usually associated with Wales. The Norman details at Worcester are fine, wherever they occur, and the carved spandrels of a wall arcade in the transepts are very spirited. The misereres, as at Malvern, are also clever and unique. The crypt is of unusual interest, being full of little closely set pillars instead of the big round drums usual in such Norman works, and the apsidal termination is all carried out underground, for Worcester has an apse with chapels instead of the usual English east end, and the central column in this crypt-apse is groined out towards repeating circles of columns, as is customary in round chapter houses. The outside of Worcester Cathedral is not at all striking.

Of Worcester Dr. Johnson writes: "The cathedral is very noble, with many remarkable monuments. The library is in the chapter house. We went to the china warehouse." On the north side, according to Defoe, "lies the unfortunate King Edward II in an Alabaster Tomb."