'Two ladies are holding' a court of very unusual charader' at St. James's Palace. 'They are Mile La France and Mile Marianne, the dolis given to' Princess Elizabeth and Princess" Margaret in connection with the King and Queen's visit to France, with their trousseaux, the like of' which was surely never seen before. The catalogue. of exhibits contains 147 items, in which sets of loves, handkerchiefs, stockings, ete. Feekon as one item. "Each little lady has Hor own sillclined cat, perambulator, motor car trunks, dressing eases and hat box, beside a complete set of dressing. table and Leauly requisites. 'They have eight far coats between them, dresses. in-lurrierable for every possible ocston, underwear io match, and Jewellery. 'The gloves are' em-Droldered with diamonds, sprays of flowers, golden bees, Some of the lotics' are embroidered with the Royal arms. All the greatest custumiers. in France combined to make the trousseaux and nothing 4 Tacking which a lady of fashion could conceivably. want. The exhibition Femains open till Christmes Eve, the proceeds to be divided between a English and French charity, and there will probably be even more grown ups than children to see It.
An olfcial is quoted as saying that £6,000 would not buy the dolls and heir out." But it it "were. con= <elvable that they could be sold, one imagines they would fetch far more than tha For they are in fact a unique historical document. A few years ago when the waxen orgies in Westminster Abbey were cleaned and done up, rear interest was taken their underclothes, all as perfect as their robes, which showed exactly how a lady oF gentleman of Charles T's day was dressed. 'La France and Mirianne will have the same value, only on a much wider scale, in times to come. From this point' of view ft Is Interesting to note that their heads are made of china, not wax. Of course they are far too valuable to be played with. Like Paganin Guarnerius violin at Genoa, they will be slorilized in perpetual silence in the big stores are not yet banking nearly as much as they did at. this time last year and the year before.
The plain fact is that with a 5s. Gd, "income tax, rates continually rising, and heavy indirect taxation (as the whiskey-drinker says, "life costs 125. Gd. a bottle nowadays") People are cutting down alli round.
And yet a German said tome a few days ago, "Oh, if only we were a3 comfortable as you are, we: should be happy." So the governments the world keep us all in trepidation and "inconvenience fora pack of ambitions about which the ordinary citizen does not care two straws.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.