simply to be warmed up. Cakes, too, were outside her repertoire,
having always been 'had in' from the confectioner's, while
'entrys' were in her opinion, and in the opinion of her various
mistresses, 'un'ealthy' and not worth making."

"My experience is that, if a mistress takes an interest in cooking,
she will generally have a fairly efficient cook," said Mrs. Fothergill.
"I agree with Mrs. Sinclair that our English cooks are spoilt by
neglect; and I think it is hard upon them, as a class, that so many
inefficient women should be able to pose as cooks while they are
unable to boil a potato properly."

"And the so-called schools of cookery are quite useless in what
they teach," said Miss Macdonnell. "I once sent a cook of mine to
one to learn how to make a clear soup, and when she came back, she
sent up, as an evidence of her progress, a potato pie coloured pink
and green, a most poisonous-looking dish--and her clear soups were
as bad as ever."

Said the Colonel, "I will beg leave to enter a protest against the
imperfections of that repast which is supposed to be the peculiar
delight of the ladies, I allude to afternoon tea. I want to know
why it is that unless I happen to call just when the tea is brought
up--I grant, I know of a few houses which are honourable
exceptions--I am fated to drink that most abominable of all
decoctions, stewed lukewarm tea. 'Will you have some tea? I'm
afraid it isn't quite fresh,' the hostess will remark without a
blush. What would she think if her husband at dinner were to say,
'Colonel, take a glass of that champagne. It was opened the day
before yesterday, and I daresay the fizz has gone off a little'?