Ruperts Land Girls School - Eagle Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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24 RUPERT'S LAND COLLEGE MAGAZINE to a miniature placed beside an oil painting, the former, complete in its small way and possessing a certain charm, yet lacking the rich warmth of colour and the perfect detail of the canvas. I do not think that Eliza for Common is a book which would appeal to everyone, and decidedly not to those who desire stirring action or brilliant conversation among the characters. The book cannot be described as outstanding except for a certain quiet charm. It is a book with which to spend a quiet evening, to laugh a little at the wholesome fun of the characters, and finally, to close the book, feeling that you have been a temporary member of a very jolly family. JEAN MACNAB '! X !' Tl-IE CHASE , Around the corner towards the left, hurry, hurry, hurry! Men and women in scarlet and black came racing by on horses steaming with sweat. Over fences and through meadows of frightened fowl and scuttling rabbits came the sound of the hunting horns, the deep baying of the hounds, the shoutings of men and women, the slash of deep grass under the horses' hoofs and the scattering of rocks. A cloud of smoke was left behind the sweating hunters and foaming horses. Fat men and women ran to open farm gates, farm dogs joined with the hounds, and lads on plough horses galloped along a little way with them. ' The poor vixen, who had just been out to get food for her cubs, was suddenly aware that the hounds were at her heels. Off she flew, never looking back to see the handsome hounds slowly creeping up to her. The sweat was pouring down her body, her tongue was hanging out, her eyes were look- ing in front of her, her only thought was, I must get away from the hounds, back to my beautiful cubs. The fox had gone--where? Down her cleverly concealed SHEILA FLORANCE -1- -1- -1- POEM OF SPRING Grey buds, snowy buds, Coming in the spring. Glad to see the sunshine, Golden dust they bring. GRADE I and KINDERGARTEN . hole-to her cubs.

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RUPERT'S LAND COLLEGE MAGAZINE 23 admitting a guest, and by the time she had piloted the embarrassed visitor as far as the drawing-room door, she was so completely doubled up with mirth as to be quite unable to announce him. Eliza's aunt and uncle are queer characters, living in London, and both with unconquerable Scotch accents, their strong determination is to be thought English. Eliza's cousin Kate, who is her direct opposite, her brother, who becomes a successful playwright, and his friends, are the young people in whom the interest of the story lies. The scene of the story is a manse, in post-war Glasgow. The manse has the quaint name of Blinkbonny, and its ugly and well-worn but nevertheless friendly and homey interior is the background for most of the action in the book. The family's summer home, Corhope, was a farm on the border, which lay amongst the heather in a hollow in the hills, and it was here that the family and visiting friends spent the summer. The author did not attempt to describe Oxford, where Eliza visits, in any detail, but she managed nevertheless to convey a clear impression of the city through the conversation of the characters. Eliza's stay at The Cedars in London, with its ordered luxury and stiff charm, is in sharp contrast to the life at Blinkbonny , and different again is the picture of King John's Lodge, the home of her future husband, with its beautiful gardens and stately rooms, though to Eliza it lacked a feeling of home. Perhaps the least important, and certainly the least interesting thing about this book is its plot, for its charm lies in the simple lives and conversation of the characters rather than in any outstanding actions upon their part. The plot is not in the least original, and is merely a record of the everyday lives of a minister's family. The book is of course chiefly concerned with the life and development of Eliza, her travels to Oxford and London, and her ultimate marriage. The plot will admirably suit those who like plausibility, and is a pleasing record of a pleasing family. The story is told in a humorous and attractive way, chiefly notable for the easy and charming manner in which the characters converse, thus giving us such clear pictures of themselves through the medium of their own speech, rather than by actual word description. The author is certainly not given to prolonged descriptions of either the characters or their surroundings, and limits these to a few remarks which give one fairly clear mind pictures. For instance, one reads in description of Oxford: Oxford and its spires, the green meadows, the river and the bells, the roofs that are pure Middle Ages. ln comparing this type of description with that of Scott, Eliot or other writers of the last century, one might liken it

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RUPERT'S LAND COLLEGE MAGAZINE 25 CHARACTER SKETCH OF A BOARDING-HOUSE-KEEPER Miss Sarah Biggs is an imaginary lady, the owner of a respectable boarding-house in Winnipeg. She is fairly tall and rather thing she has long bony hands with which she is usually fumbling nervously. Generally she wears a grey house-dress with a high collar that she keeps in place by a large sombre pin. Over this she wears a spotless apron, which has the appearance of engulfing her. Her face is long, and she has high cheek-bones, her nose is slightly aquiline, but her eyes, her one redeeming feature, are clear and bright. They are grey, half- hidden by queer little rimless glasses perched on the arch of her nose. Her hair is fair and stringy, done into a knob on the top of her head. Little wisps of hair seem perpetually to escape the captivity of the magnificent hairpins. Her boarding-house is situated near the Canadian National Railway Station, so she gets many applicants for rooms from out of town. She is very kind to strange young men and women who are unfamiliar with the city. She would turn out half a household of good-for-nothing men to let one struggling, out-of-town girl have a chance of a room. She is very kind to all, if they keep the few strict rules of the household. At nine o'clock every evening she locks the front door, and the boarders who are left outside must go around to the back door and ring violently, if it is a first offence she scolds profusely but lets them in, but, alas! if it is a second or third offence, she fines them for unpunctuality. At ten all lights must go out-fMiss Biggs keeps an alarm clock in the hall for all boarders to hearl- for at ten-fifteen she turns them out from the main switch, so the house is engulfed in darkness. In the morning, breakfast is at seven-thirty, those who want it earlier or later must go elsewhere. She allows no smoking or drinking orgies on the premises, and only five visitors are allowed each person per month. One of her tiresome faults is her sharp temper. Some- times, no matter what anyone does, he gets nothing but reproof from Miss Biggs. The tradesmen are in perpetual awe of her, in case they are late, or have the wrong parcel for her establishment. At these times her tenants usually go early in the day, stay away for meal-times and come in at nine sharp! One of her good points is her fondness of animals. She is usually feeding half the neighbourhood's animals, for she puts scraps and milk outside the back door. She keeps all the stray cats and dogs in her house, in an unused barn