a half sheet of
white paper and writes the words "One Hundred Pounds" on it, then five
other blank half sheets, and wraps each tight round a little roller of
wood tied with a narrow green ribbon. The knot of each is then firmly
sealed with red sealing-wax, and all the rolls formally deposited in
a large canister placed on a small table in the middle of the
room. There is nothing else on the table except a candle in a small
candlestick, to be used in sealing the rolls. The treasurer stands by
as each candidate draws, and when all the rolls are drawn the girls go
up to the chairwoman (generally the rector's wife), at the upper end
of the room. She then cuts the ribbon of each and returns the roll to
its owner. It is not long before the fortunate one is recognized. The
scene is full of interest even to a stranger, and was evidently one of
great pleasure to the founder himself, as appears from the wording of
his will, in which he exhorts his nephews to buy four thousand pounds
of stock for the permanent provision of these portions. "I doubt not,"
he says, "but my nephews would cheerfully purchase the said stock if
they had seen, as I have, six poor innocent maidens come trembling to
draw the prize, and the fortunate maiden that got it burst into tears
with excess of joy." It is likely that even before he had founded
and endowed the Asylum, Henry Raine had often given away portions to
deserving young girls. That drawn on May Day is not given until after
the wedding on November 5, and that drawn in November is given in May.
The dowry consists of gold pieces in an old-fashioned silk purse,
and is formally presented to the young couple at the committee
dinner which takes place after the drawing. Of course, the husband's
character is quite as strictly inquired into as that of the bride,
and unless this is perfectly satisfactory to the rector, treasurer
and trustees the portion is withheld--a wise provision against
fortune-hunting. A wedding-repast is also provided for the bridal
party at the same time, but in a separate room, and to neither of
these banquets are the public admitted: a few personal friends of the
trustees are sometimes asked. The dinner is a pretty sight, the girls
of the lower school waiting on the committee. The treasurer, the
rector and a few others accompany the presentation of the portion with
kind and congratulatory speeches, and the girls sing appropriate hymns
in the intervals.

The building called Raine