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(a society matron, entering her carriage).—You are ten minutes late, James. This must not happen again. Klunder's first.

(touching his hat).—Yes, ma'am.

(daughter of society matron).—Marie says that James's wife is very sick.

.—Yes; I heard something of it. This is the second time James has been tardy in a week. I shall discharge him if it occurs again.

.—What are you going to do at Klunder's?

.—I want to order a basket of roses sent to Mrs. Connaisseur. She is not very well.

.—Why, she was at the Van Ren wick dinner two nights ago.

.—Yes, I know; but she is enough indisposed to warrant the attention, and I want some of her pictures for our Loan Exhibition.

.—Oh, I see. A wheel within a wheel.

.—Of course. You don't suppose, my dear, I would send that tiresome woman twenty-five dollars' worth of flowers otherwise, do you?

.—Oh, here is Plush & Satin's. Sit out, if you like; I shan't be long.

(ten minutes later).—Why, mama, you look quite flustered.

.—Such impertinence! I ordered some heliotrope satin sent Monday to Whalebone, and it was quite two shades lighter than my velvet she is making.

.—Well?

.—Well, I went just now to change it, and the forward young woman insisted that I had selected that particular piece.

.—How absurd!

.—Perfectly so! She even said that I had been undecided Monday, and had remarked it was so difficult to carry a shade in one's eye.

.—What did you say?

.—Oh, I simply looked her over with my eyeglass. Then I said: "You will cut off a yard and a quarter from the piece I did select and send it at once"—and came out.

.—Do you believe she will?

.—Indeed she will! And I hope she will have to rectify the blunder from her wages; she was so impertinent.

.—Yes, indeed!

.—I was very forbearing in the matter, for a word to the floor-walker would have procured her instant dismissal. Plush & Satin are too politic to have any difficulty with me.

.—Where do we go now?

.—I want to show for five minutes at a business meeting of the Society for the Amelioration of the Condition of Shop Girls.

.—Long enough to leave a subscription, I suppose?

.—No, indeed! They use my name at the head of their list of directors, which is quite enough.

.—Your five minutes were nearly ten, mama. Did I hear you tell James to drive to Tiffany's?

.—Yes; I want to order that set of champagnes for Edith Sanger.

.—I thought you did.

.—No; I looked at them, but they are rather expensive—eighty-five dollars—and I wanted to find out, if possible, what the Tolcotts would give.

.—Did you?

.—Yes; a pair of Sèvres plates. That decided me.

.—It would never do to let their present rank yours.

.—Of course not. By the way, while we are out, your father wants me to select a wedding-gift for one of his book-keepers.

.—What do you suppose such people want?

.—Oh, I don't know. I shall not give much thought to it. A syrup-jug, or a butter-dish, perhaps.

.—But suppose they should not be going to set up housekeeping?

.—Well, they ought; it is much more sensible.

.—Now, we must drive up to the Orphanage. As head of the Board of House Managers I must stop the leakage going on in the Commissary Department.

.—Who is wasteful?

.—That matron. I have no confidence in her. Her report shows an excess of one and a half pounds of sugar over last month.

.—Why, mama, I thought you considered Miss Kendall a paragon of excellence!

.—Miss Kendall wasn't appointed. Mrs. Van Courtland got her protégée, that silly little widow, in the place.

.—You give so much time to it I should think you ought to have your wishes consulted.

.—They understand now that I must have my wishes consulted. Mrs. Van Courtland presumes too much on her five-hundred-dollar New-Year's donation.

.—And you sent two great bundles of the children's outgrown clothing at Christmas!

.—Yes; and disposed of boxes for the concert from my house. It's the way of the world, my dear—quiet, unostentatious work is seldom appreciated.

.—Home, James! I'm quite fagged with all I've accomplished this morning.

.—I believe, mama, you may drop me at Kitty's. I want to tell her that I've been asked to stand with Clara; she was so hoping that she would be, you know.