tions as these serve to remind us that any comparison between past and present cost of living must be at best a somewhat rough affair, not so much from the difficulty of procuring statistics, as from the difficulty, in fact impossibility, of deciding clearly the principles upon which they are to be applied in a large number of cases.

We will now give a glance at some of the facts. It will be best to divide the total outlay into four or five principal groups corresponding to the main classes of wants. The first of these corresponds to what are often called "household" expenses, viz. food and drink, and the necessaries for procuring and dressing these. In their case, the comparison is for the most part very simple. Nearly every imNearly every important article which we consume now was consumed forty years ago, and there has not been much difference in the quality during that interval. All that we have to do, therefore, is to make a comparative estimate of their values then and now. On the whole, there can be no doubt that they have risen, and risen considerably. Butchers' meat is about double what it was, and the same may be said of its occasional substitutes, such as game, fowls, rabbits, &c. Butter is considerably more than double, and eggs and milk are also dearer. Bread, of course, fluctuates from year to year, but has shown no sign of any permanent fall since the repeal of the corn laws. Some things, no doubt, have fallen; sugar and coffee to some extent, and tea to between half and one-third of its former price. The lighter kinds of wine also have lately become a cheap drink; the choicer wines, on the other hand, remaining as they were, or becoming, like all scarce things, dearer. Of the innumerable remaining things supplied mostly by the grocer we cannot attempt to offer an estimate; some have risen, others fallen, but their aggregate alteration does not amount to very much. Coals are one of those commodities which vary in price with the locality; railway communication, however, has produced such an effect that even now, in the south of England, in spite of the late rise, they are cheaper than they were forty years

When we add up the gain and loss on all these various items, taking into account not only their price but their amount, we find, as might be expected, that the scale in which the butcher and his allies, the poulterer and dairyman, stand, shows a decided tendency to sink. This is readily understood when it is observed that the aggregate of these household expenses runs up to more than a fourth of the total income (in the son's case), and that of this aggregate, meat costs not much under one-third; viz. some 75%. out of 250l. We should not, perhaps, be far from the mark if we were to reckon the loss in this department at from 30l. to 50%; that is to say, the son has to pay that annual sum extra in order to keep his table as well furnished as his father's.

We will next discuss that group of expenses which may be called educational. By this we mean, not merely school and college expenses, but all those which most directly concern mental enjoyment and improvement, such as books, newspapers, lectures, writing materials, and so on. We are here getting on to ground on which some of the sources of error already pointed out are especially likely to mislead. People are very apt merely to think of what they have to pay, and to neglect to consider the quality of what they get for their money. They complain of school charges being higher, but they fail to realise how vastly greater in proportion has been the improvement in the instruction given. Formerly, after a few great old schools had been named (and these with many drawbacks of antique prejudice and barbarous custom), it was quite a chance whether, in a small country grammar school, you got any return worth mentioning for your outlay. You might possibly get a good return, and you might get a bad one, and there were few opportunities of knowing beforehand which was the most likely. We strongly suspect that if any parent were content to put up with an article no better than his father got he might still procure it at the old cost by simply sending his boys to cheap and inferior schools. But he chooses instead, very wisely, one of the now numerous large schools and colleges which in every respect, except social prestige, stand on the level of the old public schools. Much the same may be said of University expenses, though here the rise of price has

been but little, great as has been the improvement in the instruction. The direct charges for teaching are not much more than they were. The rise in the indirect charges, for living, &c., fall into the same class as those for other persons; whilst in regard to the style of living we have already said all that is needed, and will therefore merely remark that when people on the whole choose to spend a great deal more than their fathers did, they are simply showing that their pockets are fuller, but are throwing no light upon the question whether the cost of living has increased. In regard to the universal instruments of mental improvement, books, papers, &c., the saving of cost is so gigantic that no one who thinks that these things are comparable with beef and mutton should venture to assert without careful inquiry that the total cost of living has risen at all. In respect of standard favorites, for instance, we have every range of cheapened production, from the novel of Walter Scott, which we procure at one sixty-third of the price which it cost our fathers, to the old classics, in which much of the improvement consists rather in the better paper and typography. In the case of newspapers again, the Times, for instance, has halved its price and doubled or trebled its size; whilst in respect of the infinite variety of other daily, weekly, and monthly journals, no comparison can be made, simply because one of the elements of such a comparison is entirely wanting. We now enjoy sources of information which simply could not be procured by any one, at any cost, forty years ago. Somewhat similar remarks apply to pictures. The great rise in the price of original works of art need not be noticed here, since this does not touch one man in ten thousand; but the cheapening effected in all kinds of copies by photography, chromolithography, and the numerous other substitutes for the old engraving process, opens sources of enjoyment to every one. The general expenditure under this head of education is of course very variable, and depends in amount and direction upon the accident of there being boys in a family, or of a son being trained for a learned profession. But we may safely say that the increased payment for schooling is not great, and is more than made up by the improvement in quality; whilst, in regard to literature,

&c. we should be well within the mark in saying that half the old cost is saved, so that any man whose expenditure under this head is large, might be able to recoup himself here for his butcher's extortion, if he likes so to call it.

Another drain upon the purse is found in travelling expenses. These are of course just as much a part of the cost of living as anything else. It needs no great penetration to see that if one man spends 1oo. in entertaining his friends in the course of the year, whilst another spends the same sum in taking his family to Switzerland, these are both ways of enjoying life, and that, therefore, it would be the flimsiest of conventions to include one in the cost of living and to exclude the other. If the former finds that his income, in his own line of outlay, will not go as far by one-half, and the other finds that his goes further by the same amount, these are clearly to be regarded, on any broad and rational view of life, as compensating considerations to be set off the one against the other. The real difficulty in giving even the toughest numerical estimate here consists in the fact that so much of the pleasure derived from this source is not a mere cheapening of what was procurable before, but is the opening out of new satisfaction which could not possibly be attained formerly. A fortnight in Switzerland, we assume, is a better article than one in Wales. A banker's clerk can command the former easily with a three weeks' leave, whilst his father could scarcely have done more than go there and back within the time. Hotel expenses have of course increased abroad, but then the quality of the accommodation has risen too. If people were content now with such inns as their fathers put up at, and chose to go to those parts of the Alps where such inns only are to be found, they would discover that the difference between, say, many parts of the Tyrol now, and the Oberland or Chamouni then, is by no means great, and dwindles into insignificance in comparison with the cost of getting to such places. The only item belonging to this class which has greatly risen is, oddly enough, just the one which was commonly supposed forty years ago to be about to suffer a terrible depreciation, viz. horses. As between the families in question, we find that the father could get a horse to suit him well for 30l., and was quite con

tent with riding and driving horses at 257, and even 20/. The son never had the luck to be offered one of presumably equal value for less than from 40% to 60l. This expense, however, is one that does not concern many people, nor those more than occasionally, so that travelling may safely be included amongst those items in the cost of living which have greatly decreased during a generation and a half. Those who may wish to make a comparison between the cost of travelling in England then and now will not be very far wrong in assuming that the outside places in a coach journey corresponded in price to the present first-class fares. At least this is almost exactly the proportion in some cases, and, therefore, is probably not far from the average. Posting, of course, was vastly more expensive. For occasional trips, a horse and gig did not cost very much less than it would now, for some reason or other; whereas a saddle horse was by comparison a very cheap luxury. It seems that at Cambridge, for instance, one could be procured for the best part of a day for three shillings, whereas now from seven to ten shillings would be the least sum that would be charged for the same.

When we come to house-rent we find, as we need not say, a considerable rise, but the amount of it is subject to many uncertainties, arising from change of fashion, accessibility, and the commercial progress of the particular neighborhood. The father, we find, paid 80l. a year for his house. The son, for a somewhat larger and more convenient house, with a smaller garden, paid 1257. The former, however, was considered rather low and the latter rather high for its neighborhood; the true difference, as regards rent alone, would probably have been more like 30l. Rates and taxes have of course risen; but here we get a quid pro quo, for most of the increase goes to pay for such things as drains, light, and police, luxuries that our fathers had mostly to do without.

Servants' wages, again, have risen, at least those of indoor servants, but to what precise amount is not easy to say, owing to variations in respect of what they are expected to find for themselves. We shall not be far from the mark, however, if we reckon that the housemaids have risen from about 10l. to 157., and the cooks, perhaps, from 10. or 127. to 18. Out

door servants have not apparently profited so much; the father and son each paid his gardener about the same sum, viz., one guinea a week. On the whole, the total rise in this branch of expenditure (amounting to about 150l. a year) cannot be reckoned at more than 357. or 40%.

The only remaining outlay of a regular and unavoidable kind seems to be dress. Here, where fashion reigns supreme, at least in the case of the ladies, we entirely abandon any attempt at figures. That they could dress cheaper if they pleased we have little doubt, owing to the smaller price of cotton and some other cheap goods. Moreover, the women in the poorer classes dress much more showily now, which cannot be more than very partially accounted for by increased incomes on their part. Men's clothing does not seem to have varied much. Some things, hats, for instance, are decidedly cheaper. Those who would not now without compunction pay more than fourteen or sixteen shillings for the modern silk hat, could not have bought the old-fashioned "beaver" for less than twenty-six shillings; and if we may judge by the frequency with which the entry occurs it would not appear that the latter had much more vitality in its constitution than the former. Some things, like gloves, are dearer; but in the most costly part, viz., cloth garments, we cannot detect any dif ference worth taking into account.

We have now taken account of all the principal permanent sources of expense; but besides these there is always a margin, and in households where the circumstances are easy a large margin, of occasional expenses. One year the house is to be painted or the carpenters have work to do; another year a carriage is bought, or the garden altered or added to, or some kind of machine or implement is being constantly wanted. Most men have some kind of scientific, mechanical, or artistic hobby, and the gratification of these, or the procuring of presents for friends, often amounts in the aggregate to a considerable sum. These are far too variable things for us to try to take them individually into account. All we can say is that those which depend directly upon human labor, like house-repairs, have mostly risen considerably, owing to the rise in the workmen's wages; whilst those which involve much machinery in their production, like

most kinds of mechanical appliances, have shown a decided tendency to fall. So these two conflicting influences may to some extent be set off one against another. Amongst the most important of these occasional expenses is furniture. Almost every one has to furnish a house completely at least once during his life, and a year seldom passes without his having also either to replace some old articles or buy some new ones. The outlay, therefore, even if converted into an annual equivalent, will be by no means inconsiderable. We have made the best comparison we can, and conclude that there has been on the whole a considerable saving in this direction. Few things have risen here, and some have fallen very considerably. Amongst the latter, iron and glass are, as might have been expected, prominent. We find that 30%. was paid for a drawing-room mirror, whilst one as good in every respect could not now, at the outside, cost more than Iol. Fire-grates and other metal articles seem to have been nearly double their present value. In ordinary wooden furniture we do not notice much difference. Carpets are cheaper; a good Brussels carpet costing five-and-threepence a yard against the present four-and-sixpence or thereabouts.

On a general review of the whole case, we may say that the three main classes of universal necessaries, viz. food, house accommodation, and servants' wages, have all risen considerably; whilst the fourth, viz. clothes, may be regarded as but little altered. These comprise, of course, a large proportion of every one's income (we find, by a rough estimate, that in one of the cases under discussion, they

amounted to about two-thirds of the total income), and the total loss upon them is not inconsiderable; according to the conjectures we have hazarded, this loss might, perhaps, come altogether to from 50%. to 8ol., or even 100l. On the other hand, of the three occasional and less necessary expenses, viz. culture, travel, and what we have left under the head of miscellaneous, the first two show a vast diminution of cost.

Whether the saving under this head will suffice to make up for the loss under the other depends of course upon the circumstances of the individual case. It is easy to see what these circumstances are. Those whose incomes are but moderate, or who have large families, for instance struggling professional men, will find, of course, that the necessary expenses make up a very large proportion of the whole. They will, therefore, suffer by the rise of prices in these things, that is to say, they will not find that a given annual income will procure them as many and as good things as it would procure their fathers. On the other hand, men with large incomes, and small families, will find that in such things as travelling and the various forms of mental gratification, they have a large and in some cases more than ample opportunity of indemnifying themselves. The person who is best off of all is the literary bachelor. His losses are but very small; much of what the butcher has put on, the tea-dealer and tobacconist have probably taken off; whilst in nine out of ten of the things which he wants to purchase he will find a saving, sometimes small, often considerable, and in some cases enormous.-Cornhill Magazine.

Andrew say that he was grieved for the terrible wrong he had done to the girl he loved, and to her mother. Jonathan could not understand the love that could ruin its object.

"It should be called by a worse name, I reckon," he said to himself as he walked along the white chalk road between the cuttings, and past the elm wood, and then past the tan-yard, and the workhouse, and the brewery, and the little villas outside the town, and reached at length the High Street and the Hospital.

He had timed himself purposely to arrive there only half an hour before the time for admitting visitors was over. It was the first time he had ever known the feeling of unease in Andrew's company; it was the first time he had ever shortened an hour that was to be spent with his mate. Yet how could he be at ease with Andrew now? Afraid to excite him or give him pain when he was already ill and suffering, and so afraid "to have it out," as he had with Andrew in every trouble they had got into before.

The sickly smell of chloride of lime and medicines in the clean, airy ward seemed sicklier than ever to Jonathan.

At the first sound of his foot on the boards, Andrew's face was turned and looking at him.

"I thought you'd come," he said. "I'm a deal better. The doctor says I'm gittin' on first-rate."

How could he look so pleased and cheerful? Why did his eyes seem so clear and honest, as if there was no stain upon his conscience-as if he had done no wrong ?

Perhaps most of us look ashamed only when others are ashamed for us, not before; then the veil is torn down, and the real man we have known so long ourselves, has taken the place of the seeming man in the world's eyes. Then we think we are ashamed; but it is of the shame -not of the sin. And how does that stand in God's sight, who loves righteousness ?

Jonathan sat down beside the bed, but he pushed the chair back against the wall, so that he sat beside Andrew, not facing him, as he had done before. You would have thought that Jonathan was the culprit to have seen them ;-he felt like it himself when he became conscious that he could not bear to meet Andrew's eyes.

They sat there and talked of little or nothing. Jonathan asked questions about the other patients in the beds on either side. It wearied Andrew very soon. He wanted to hear about home and 'Scilla. He had not forgotten that Jonathan had told him she was 'sorry for him, and for what had happened. Forgotten it? how should he? He had dreamt about it all the night, and thought about it all the day.

"You haven't seen 'Scilla again, have you?" he asked shyly, after a silence, broken only by Jonathan's playing with the little medicine glass on the small table beside the bed.

"Not again," said Jonathan.

Andrew was silent again for a few moments. Then he said

"I has a deal o' time to think, I has, here. I thinks a deal about the old place-and her. I'd like to see Muster May, I would. I've often been hard when he's spoken kind to me. Now I've thought sometimes maybe my trial had come, and that it 'ud go hard with me. It's a thing to make a chap remember the wrong things he's done, and the right things he's left without doin.' But I'm feared I thinks most of 'Scilla; she's hardly never out of my mind, day nor night. I suppose she couldn't come to see me, could she? I'd take it so kind if she could. I sometimes keep on a-thinkin' I'd get round quicker if so be as I could see her face."

"She's not like to come just at present," said Jonathan. Andrew must be prepared for something like the truth; his sin was lying at his heart, plain and sure enough.

"She's not ill?" said Andrew, straining his neck to catch a sight of Jonathan's face. "She's been out o' evenin's in the wet, I warrant, and me not there to look ar'ter her and see her home."

Jonathan did not answer. dread leapt up in Andrew's heart.

66

A fearful

'My God!" he said, and the sweat stood out upon his forehead. "Naught's happened to 'Scilla? My girl's not dead ?"

The truth would be less hard to Andrew than what he feared. He that was father of 'Scilla's child could not be so troubled or surprised to hear it had come into the world, as he seemed now thinking that 'Scilla had died. Andrew had put the fact of the child's expected birth and