Melville Bell's father, Alexander Bell, had been a famous elocutionist and stage reciter.

Knit with MC until work measures 3 inches from beg.

[…]the brother had betaken himself to his housekeeperless home;

There was also hairdressing: hairdressing, too, really was hairdressing in those times — no running a comb through it and that was that. It was curled, frizzed, waved, put in curlers overnight, waved with hot tongs;[…].