MIDDLEWICK 
 
 
Melrose, a girl without a penny, but he 
preferred Violet, an heiress.-H. J. Byron, 
Our Boys (1875). 
 
   Midge, the miller's son, one of the com- 
 panions of Robin Hood. (See MucH.) 
 
   Mlidge (The), a well-born but friendless 
 waif, thrown at the age of thirteen upon 
 the charity of Dr. Peters, an eccentric 
 bachelor. She cares for his house and for 
 him in quaint, womanly fashion, very be- 
 witching, until she is grown. The suit of 
 another and a younger man, makes the 
 doctor know, to his cost, how well he loves 
 her. He holds his peace, and marries 
 Midge' to her lover. 
 "Then he went into the big pantry. In the 
 corner on the shelf, still lay the crock in which 
 the Midge had hidden her head, heavy with 
 childish grief, years before. The old stool stood 
 before it. He sat down on it and rested his hot 
 forehead on the cool rim of the jar. 
 "And that's the end of the story."-H. C. Bun- 
 ner, The Midge (1886). 
 
 Midian Mara, the Celtic mermaid. 
 
 Midlo'thian (The Heart of), a tale of 
 the Porteous riot, in which the incidents 
 of Effie and Jeanie Deans are of absorbing 
 interest. Effie was seduced by Geordie 
 Robertson (alias George Staunton), while 
 in the service of Mrs. Saddletree. She 
 murdered her infant, and was condemned 
 to death; but her half-sister, Jeanie, went 
 to London, pleaded her cause before the 
 queen, and obtained her pardon. Jeanie, 
on her return to Scotland, married Reuben 
Butler; and Geordie Robertson (then Sir 
George   Staunton) married  Effie.  Sir 
George being shot by a gypsy boy, Effie 
(i.e. Lady Staunton), retired to a convent 
on the Continent.-Sir W. Scott, Heart of 
Midlothian (time, George II.). 
 
 
   Midshipman Easy. (See EASY.) 
 
   Midsummer Night's Dream. Shake- 
 speare says there was a law in Athens, 
 that if a daughter refused to marry the 
 husband selected for her by her father, 
 she might be put to death. Eg~us (3 syl.), 
 an Athenian, promised to give his daugh- 
 ter, Hermia, in marriage to Demetrius; 
 but, as the lady loved Lysander, she refused 
 to marry the man selected by her father, 
 and fled from Athens with her lover. De- 
 metrius went in pursuit of her, followed 
 by Helena, who doted on him. All four 
 came to a forest, and fell asleep. In their 
,dreams a vision of fairies passed before 
them, and on awaking, Demetrius resolved 
to forego Hermia, who disliked him, and 
to take to wife Helena, who sincerely loved 
him. When Egeus was informed thereof, 
he readily agreed to give his daughter to 
Lysander, and the force of the law was not 
called into action (1592). 
  1** Several of the incidents of this com- 
edy are borrowed from the Diana of Mon- 
temayor, a Spaniard (sixteenth century). 
 
  Midwinter (Ozias), the alias of another 
Allan Armadale. His father has murdered 
the father of the real Allan, and the son 
of the homicide resolves to keep his own 
identity a secret, while trying to atone to 
Allan for the wrong done him. He loves 
and marries the perfidious governess of 
Allan's betrothed.-Wilkie Collins, Arma- 
dale. 
 
  Miggs (Miss), the handmaiden and 
"comforter" of Mrs. Varden.     A  tall, 
gaunt young woman, addicted to pattens; 
slender and shrewish, of a sharp and acid 
visage. She held the male sex in utter 
contempt, but had a secret exception in 
favor of Sim Tappertit, who irreverently 
called her "scraggy." Miss Miggs always 
                                   III 
 
 
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MIOGS