Whitewashing of Mr. Justice Shallow
The performance of the Second Part of King Henry IV has stirred Mr. Henry Warren to the white-washing of Mr. Justice Shallow as a good countryman. Did he not say: " Nay, you shall see mine orchard, where in an arbour we will eat a last year's pippin of my own grafting "? Quite how long his pippins had kept I do not know ; but I fancy my West Country host recently went one better than Mr. Justice Shallow. He regaled me on a variety of apple still in quite perfect condition, an apple which I had never heard of and cannot discover in any catalogue. Its name is Scotch or Scottish Bridget, a yellow pink- flushed rather ugly apple, but excellent either raw or cooked ; and on shelvesful of it I did not detect any decayed specimen. Why is such a valuable fruit so little bruited? I suppose the reason is that the English prefer a good look,.r to a good eater. They prefer white bread, red apples, ruddy eggs and unclouded cider solely because the appearance pleases. That white bread and clear cider lose flavour is of no concern.
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