A COINCIDENCE
SIR,—I usually attempt the solution of The Spectator " Cross. word "—not always successfully. Two weeks ago I had some trouble in finding the word indicated by the clue—" A favourite fruit of old-fashioned architects." What appeared to be indicated was some kind of carved decoration in stone, such as is common in Gothic art. By cross-readings the last part of the word seemed to be " apple," and in the spaces before that an " i " and an " c " were certain. That looked like " pine-apple," with " lime-apple " as an Unlikely alterna- tive. But reference to handbooks on architecture did not make it certain that either of these fruits was copied in stone by Gothic sculptors.
By the merest chance, close to one of the volumes I was consulting, there ,happened to be a copy of George Eliot's Scenes of Clerical Life which had come into my hands lately. I had never looked into it, and I do not suppose I have read these stories for forty years, so that their details are 'quite unfamiliar to me. After putting the text-book back in its place I took up the other volume,' merely to glance at the pictures, and with no thought of the crossword in my mind. It opened at the fourth chapter of " Mr. Gilfil's Love Story," and the very first words to catch my eye were these: " Howiver, noot deny that the Gothic style's pritty anoof, and it's wonderful how them stoon-carvers cuts oat the shapes of the pine-apples, and shamrucks, and rooses."
The coincidence is striking enough to be worth recording.
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