uth,' the tragical
story of a pretty young milliner's apprentice; 'Sylvia's Lovers,'
whose scene is Monkhaven (Whitby), at the end of the last century;
'Cousin Phillis,' a simple story of a farmer's daughter, which
appeared first in the Cornhill Magazine in 1863-64; and 'Wives and
Daughters,' also contributed to the Cornhill, and left unfinished by
her death in Manchester, November 12th, 1865. By many persons the last
novel is considered her best work, owing to its strength of
characterization. Molly Gibson, the heroine; Cynthia, a heartless
coquette; Squire Hamley and his sons Roger and Osborne, of Hamley
Hall; and the Earl of Cumnor and his family at the Towers,--all are
treated with impartial skill. Her famous 'Life of Charlotte Bronte'
appeared in 1857. She became acquainted with Miss Bronte in 1850, and
they were friends at once.

A collected edition of Mrs. Gaskell's works, published in seven
volumes in 1873, includes the short stories 'The Grey Woman,' 'Morton
Hall,' 'Mr. Harrison's Confessions,' 'A Dark Night's Work,' 'The
Moorland Cottage,' 'Round the Sofa,' 'The Old Nurse's Story,' 'The
Well of Pen-Morfa,' 'The Sexton's Hero,' 'Lois the Witch,' and others.
Cranford is identified as the town of Knutsford. Its population
consists of widows and maiden ladies, in bonds to their ancient
gentility. With deft touch Mrs. Gaskell brings out the humor and
pathos of these quaint characters, her finest creation being Miss
Matty Jenkyns.

OUR SOCIETY

From 'Cranford'

In the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the
holders of houses, above a certain rent, are women. If a married
couple come to settle in the town, somehow the gentleman disappears;
he is either fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the
Cranford evening parties, or he is accounted for by being with his
regiment, his ship, or closely engaged in business all the week in the
great neighboring commercial town of Drumble, distant only twenty
miles on a railroad. In short, whatever does become of the gentlemen,
they are not at Cranford. What could they do if they were there? The
surgeon has his round of thirty miles, and sleeps at Cranford; but
every man cannot be a surgeon. For keeping the trim gardens full of
choice flowers without a weed to speck them; for frightening away
little boys who look wistfully at the said flowers through the
railings; for rushing out at the geese that occasionally venture into
the gard