th spirit-lamps
beneath them. Let us look under their covers. Broiled chicken, fresh
mushrooms on toast, and stewed kidney. On a larger dish is fish, and
ranged behind these hot viands are cold ham, tongue, pheasant and
game-pie. On huge platters of wood, with knives to correspond, are
farm-house brown bread and white bread, whilst on the breakfast-table
itself you will find hot rolls, toast--of which two or three fresh
relays are brought in during breakfast--buttered toast, muffins and
the freshest of eggs. The hot dishes at breakfast are varied almost
every morning, and where there is a good cook a variety of some twenty
dishes is made.

Marmalade (Marie Malade) of oranges--said to have been originally
prepared for Mary queen of Scots when ill, and introduced by her into
Scotland--and "jams" of apricot and other fruit always form a part
of an English or Scotch breakfast. The living is just as good--often
better--among the five-thousand-pounds-a-year gentry as among the
very wealthy: the only difference lies in the number of servants and
guests.

The luncheon-hour is from one to two. At luncheon there will be a
roast leg of mutton or some such _piece de resistance_, and a
made dish, such as minced veal--a dish, by the way, not the least
understood in this country, where it is horribly mangled--two hot
dishes of meat and several cold, and various sorts of pastry. These,
with bread, butter, fruit, cheese, sherry, port, claret and beer,
complete the meal.

Few of the men of the party are present at this meal, and those who
are eat but little, reserving their forces until dinner. All is placed
on the table at once, and not, as at dinner, in courses. The servants
leave the room when they have placed everything on the table, and
people wait on themselves. Dumb-waiters with clean plates, glasses,
etc. stand at each corner of the table, so that there is very little
need to get up for what you want.

The afternoon is usually passed by the ladies alone or with only
one or two gentlemen who don't care to shoot, etc., and is spent in
riding, driving and walking. Englishwomen are great walkers. With
their skirts conveniently looped up, and boots well adapted to defy
the mud, they brave all sorts of weather. "Oh it rains! what a bore!
We can't go out," said a young lady, standing at the breakfast-room
window at a house in Ireland; to which her host rejoined, "If you
don't go out here when it rains, you don't go out at all;" wh