THE HOUSE OF LYME.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—The reviewer of Lady Newton's House of Lyme in your issue of the 21st ult. states that " there are still a few phrases which may be said to be common to the `territorial' classes and the ' lower ' classes, but not to exist in between." This is very tantalizing to those of your readers—and they must be many— u ho are interested in a subject so fascinating as the history of language, and who would doubtless be as grateful for instances
[The old-fashioned collocation of words "he didn't use to do" such-and-such a thing may be found in the speech of Dukes and agricultural labourers, but has a very small vogue among the Professional classes. Of course, all classes overlap to some extent, and it is impossible to make hard-and-fast definitions. But with this reservation it may be said that another word ,,hared by the " lower " classes and the classes with old territorial associations is the word " ain't." " My word! " is an expletive common to squires and their stablemen, but not so commonly used among the clegants of our Intelligentsia. There must be many others, but those above will serve as examples.—ED. Spectator.]
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