148
Winny’s clear insight which would have enabled
her at once to perceive the divergence between
their views. She did not see that Edward wished
to salye over the wounded vanity which he imputed
to her, and only wondered that he did not under-
stand her meaning better. It was not the first
time that she had been conscious of this inability
on his side to enter into her views, but with the
unquestioning loyalty of her nature, she attributed
the fault to herself.

When Flora found an opportunity of a private
talk with Edward that evening, she began—“ What
a pretty little poem that was of Nest’s! But do
you know, I think you were quite right to let
it end there, Mr. Anderson: I am sure it would
have spoilt it to go on with it. Authors are not
always the best judges, even when they are so
clever as Nest, are they ?”

Edward made some little response, and Flora
went on “I do so envy Nest her cleverness. It
quite makes up for her dreaminess, which is only a

charm in her, is it not, Mr. Anderson, whatever it |

might be in some people ?”

“Tt is a pleasure to me, of course, to see how all
Nest’s friends value her,” said Mr. Anderson.

“ Ah, but if you want to hear her praises sung,
you must go to my father. He thinks her per-
fection, and is always exhorting me to be like her
—which I could not be, however much I tried.”

“Tt would be a pity for you to change, I think,”
said Edward: “individuality is a great gift.”

“TJ like your friend extremely,” he said warmly
to Nest in their next téte-w-téte conversation: ‘ but
I am sure it is as I suspected. Her father must be
an old martinet: she seems so much to enjoy the
relief of being here without him.”

“Then it is her fault,” said Nest indignantly:
* Colonel Armyn is one of the best and noblest men
who ever lived, and if she can’t appreciate him, she
has no business to go about the world saying so.”

“What an explosion I have drawn down on my
innocent head!” said Edward shrugging his
shoulders and laughing. Nest laughed too, and
said, “But really I can’t have your mind poisoned
by Flora against my dear Colonel Armyn. Pro-
mise me that you won’t believe her, Edward: she
is prejudiced.”

“J will believe every thing you wish,” said
Edward in a tone of mock humility: but in his
heart he thought, ‘‘ Thank you, my little lady, but
in this case I prefer judging for myself. Who
would have given my good, virtuous little Nest
eredit for jealousy ? But women are all alike:
they can’t bear each other to be praised.”

And men, Mr. Edward Anderson, never mis-
understand women so much as when they generalize
concerning them.

(Lo be continued.)

; and to members of his body.

| titles.

/measure of some substance of

THE YARD MEASURE.

THE YARD MEASURE.

of weight take a high place in
the category of man’s elementary
= wants. Co-needful almost with lan-
guage itself is a notation of dimensions and quan-
And the first essential of a measurative
system is a standard or identifiable unit of length ;
not only because the size of objects, the length of
journeys and the like, are among the earliest
measurements that call for expression, but also
because linear measures are the bases of all others.
They are obviously the foundation of superficial
and cubical ones. Less obviously, but as truly,
are they the origin of liquid measures, for the
accurate definition of a standard for fluid measure-
ment is by its cubical contents. Thus the standard
gallon of early times was a vessel of the content of
a half-foot or six inches cubed; and the legal
bushel was at one time declared to be a vessel of
eighteen and a half inches diameter and eight
inches depth. More often, however, the gallon
has been fixed by reference to weight, ten pounds
of distilled water defining the present imperial
gallon measure. But accurate weight units are
based upon linear units, inasmuch as a_ cubic
definite specific
gravity (usually water) is used by scientific men
to represent an identifiable standard of weight.

Tt is perfectly natural that man should at first
have referred the size of objects to his own stature,
And there is not
the least doubt that he did so, and that, moreover,
the primitive measures thus employed have formed
the bases of our existing linear standards. The
cubit is one of the most universal of these ancient
corporeal measures. It is the length of forearm
from the elbow to the point of the middle finger.
Its frequent use in sacred writings will be familiar
to all readers of this article, many of whom
will also be familiar with the differences of opinion
that have been expressed regarding the actual
length of the measure, and with the evidence in
favour of the supposition that there were more than
one cubit, probably derived from high personages of
different stature. The span is another scriptural
measure, not so common as the eubit, but still
frequently mentioned: its length is plainly from
the end of the little finger to that of the thumb
with the hand extended. The palm, or hand-
breadth, which has usually been taken across the
middle finger joints, was a smaller measure : and
still smaller was the finger-breadth ; the metal of
the hollow pillars of Solomon’s temple (Jer. lii. 21)
being defined as “ four fingers” in thickness. |

In more modern times we meet with the same

reference to bodily members as standards of length: |
4