laced about the room, in order to
dry. In a few days it is fit for use. As it is both wholesome
and nutritious, it ought to be much more used by all classes in
England than it is. It generally accompanies Parmesan cheese to
the tables of the rich, but is also used for thickening soups
and making puddings.

SOUP MAIGRE (i.e. without Meat).

136. INGREDIENTS.--6 oz. butter, 6 onions sliced, 4 heads of celery, 2
lettuces, a small bunch of parsley, 2 handfuls of spinach, 3 pieces of
bread-crust, 2 blades of mace, salt and pepper to taste, the yolks of 2
eggs, 3 teaspoonfuls of vinegar, 2 quarts of water.

_Mode_.--Melt the butter in a stewpan, and put in the onions to stew
gently for 3 or 4 minutes; then add the celery, spinach, lettuces, and
parsley, cut small. Stir the ingredients well for 10 minutes. Now put in
the water, bread, seasoning, and mace. Boil gently for 1-1/2 hour, and,
at the moment of serving, beat in the yolks of the eggs and the vinegar,
but do not let it boil, or the eggs will curdle.

_Time_.--2 hours. _Average cost_, 6d. per quart.

_Seasonable_ all the year.

_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

[Illustration: LETTUCE.]

THE LETTUCE.--This is one of the acetarious vegetables, which
comprise a large class, chiefly used as pickles, salads, and
other condiments. The lettuce has in all antiquity been
distinguished as a kitchen-garden plant. It was, without
preparation, eaten by the Hebrews with the Paschal lamb; the
Greeks delighted in it, and the Romans, in the time of Domitian,
had it prepared with eggs, and served in the first course at
their tables, merely to excite their appetites. Its botanical
name is _Lactuca_, so called from the milky juice it exudes when
its stalks are cut. It possesses a narcotic virtue, noticed by
ancient physicians; and even in our day a lettuce supper is
deemed conducive to repose. Its proper character, however, is
that of a cooling summer vegetable, not very nutritive, but
serving as a corrective, or diluent of animal food.

MILK SOUP (a Nice Dish for Children).

137. INGREDIENTS.--2 quarts of milk, 1 saltspoonful of salt, 1
teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon, 3 teaspoonfuls of pounded sugar, or
more if liked, 4 thin slices of bread, the yolks of 6 eggs.

_Mode_.--Boil the milk with the salt, cinnamon, and sugar; lay the bread
in a deep dish, pour over it a little of the milk, and keep it hot ov