"I'm glad you've come" said Mrs. Smith flinging down a Magazine with some asperity, "I'm so out patience with the silly article I've been reading. Hark at the woman:—1
When still I prefaced my name 'Miss,' none but my intimates thought of engaging me in conversation about the qualifications of my laundress and the amount of her weekly charge; acquaintances did not ask me if I found it well-nigh impossible to secure satisfy ing food at a reasonable price, ani anyone would have blushed to inquire whether or not I made my own clothes. But once I had changed Miss for Mrs., the veriest strangers began to take a surprising interest in the domestic machinery of my 3 commonplaces assumed astounding conversational importance. And it is not that I resent kindly inquiries about the brand of macaroni we prefer or whether we burn soft coal or briquers, but that I deplore the passing of a time when people talked about interesting, impersonal things, I am quite sure that in both material and practice I am much better fitted for participation in worthy conversation than was two years ago. But, unfortunately, I seem not only to have exchanged my name for that of my husband, but to have given my right 10 any ideas on any worth-while subjee "to boot.' Does a matron call, she settles herself with, Dear me, how you've changed this house! Didn't you have a great deal of trouble getting help?" Then follow the usual questions about the butcher, the grocer, the laun-dress, the coal.
Tf John passes through the hall, and I ask him to come in and greet' our neighbour, her face brightens and she cries, with genuine enthusiasm, 'Oh, Mr. 'B—, I've been wanting to meet you! Please tell me what to give m little ten-year-old girl to read'; and, Do you approve of profusely illustrated books for children? "This happens to be a subject which has claimed my profound interest, and about which 1 have well-defined opinions; but it never occurred to the mother of the ten-year-old to ask my advice.
Nor at aut Fussy.
"No, I don't think its delicious at all. Any one could write a tirade like that if facts didn't trouble them at all. What about our clubs? Most of our members are married but they write real booky articles and even the special Mothers Sections take up_ Child Psychology. This sounds like the Mrs, Brown who used to write. She came in at tea time yesterday when I had just come back from town with my head full of fashions. Her ideas were about contemporary with Mrs, Noah's so we left that for domestic science, calories and those stupid things you know. That bored her too and the conversation was difficult till she started off on the influence of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.