"IN LOVE":- The fancy of a little girl of fourteen could not be regarded in the light of the sobriquet she has selected. Is there no "amusement" for you but "going out with a fellow"? Have you no girl companions approved of by your mother? Are there no interesting books, no indoor and outdoor games, no delightful pursuits for leisure hours? You ought to be much occupied with your studies, so far as we can judge from your modes of expression, preparatory for your entering some business or clerkship. Some of your time should be devoted to your mother and sisters, if you have any. Trapesing about the streets with a "fellow" at the age of fourteen is a deplorable beginning in life.
OCTAVO:- To "play gooseberry" means to make a third, for respectability's sake (in lieu of a chaperon), when a girl walks out with or receives her lover at home. A person who has the toil and trouble of gethering a fruit protected by innumerable thorns - or goosebery-picker - for the delectation of others is selected to represent the friend who kindly makes a third, and accepts the dullest of positions to do a service to another. The name chaperon is that of the mantle worn by Spanish duennas, with which they are supposed to cover and shield the young girls under their care. Your second question has been frequently answered in our correspondence column.
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