town, whereas in the country, every event is known directly.

Cards now are unostentatious and plain, unglazed, and the simpler the better; the gentleman's smaller than the lady's. Name and address are printed in ordinary type. Married people often have names together on one card, so

MR. AND MRS. CHAMBERLAIN.

Kingshurst.

Unmarried daughters have their names put under their mother's

MRS. BANNISTER. MISS BANNISTER.

The Laurels.

Young men often discard the "Mr.," and simply have their names thus

JOHN FRANKLIN DAVIES.

All official and honorary titles are omitted except for official visits.

Many people are puzzled by the initials P. D. A., or P. P. C. in the right-hand corner of visiting cards; the the former means pour dire adieu, and the latter, pour prendre congé. They are added when a call is made for the purpose of leave-taking, and should be left before any lengthened absence from the neighbourhood.

A would-be "Saviour of society" (not Mr. Browning's) says that he should like different names of different calls. "When a fine lady, having a new-fashioned suit of clothes, finds it necessary to call upon forty or fifty of her friends in one day, I am for an abridgment of the word, and would call it a vis. When a gentleman or lady intends taking a country dinner with country friends, or a dish of tea with a town one, I would have called that

a visit. But when a person proposes spending some days, weeks, or months at a house, I call that a visitation."

A formal call should never last longer than a quarter of an hour. If when you call there are visitors there already, you leave sooner. When the mistress of the house receives her friends, she does not introduce them. She rises and gives a chair near her to the last comer. The gentlemen get up as visitors enter, but the ladies keep their seats. When visitors leave, the lady rings the bell, and a servant should be near to open the door. If the gentleman of the house is present, he accompanies the guests to the door and puts the ladies in their carriage. A gentleman should bring his hat and stick into the room and keep them in his hand.

It is rude to keep visitors waiting, it is much more polite to appear as you are than to keep people waiting while you change your dress. If, however, you have unavoidably kept your visitors waiting, do not "confound yourself" in apologies; if you can, state calmly the reason and then say nothing more about it.

It is rude to take either children or dogs when you go to pay a visit.

When you call with a letter of introduction, which, by-the-bye, should be left open, you should leave your card and the letter, and not go in, as it is awkward to read a letter before the person whom it concerns.

In America, a letter of introduction means much more than it does in England. Here, you give a dinner to the friend of your friend, and you have done with him, but on the other side of the Atlantic they have kept the hospitable customs of their ancestors and yours. They, their houses, their servants, and their carriages are yours while they entertain you. They are careful to entertain strangers; the English often forget that they miss angels as well as bores.

ALL thro' the brightly-broidered hours

That pass with song and story, We sit and dream of fadeless flowers

In far-off fields of glory;

And catch the rhythmic flow of tunes
That chime with love's own calling,

When into happiest of swoons
The golden days are falling.

But in the land that leaneth down
To the eternal river,

Our lives will wear their olden crown
Forever and forever!

And days will come, and days will go, And calmful dreams will reach us, And the life we vainly cry for

God's tenderest love will teach us.

narrow brim, it has no trimming but a black silk ribbon or braid, with tiny bow and buckle round the crown, like a man's hat. In fact, the styles adopted are very different, ranging from widest to narrowest brim, from low square crown to the most overpoweringly high calotte.

Among the made-up and trimmed bonnets we have seen, one of the prettiest is a Charlotte Corday, of Leghorn straw, lined with drawn light rose-coloured taffetas, and a ruche of the same, with a cluster of noisette roses upon the left side. A wide echarpe of rose-coloured and white brocaded lampas ribbon is folded round the crown, and forms a bow of many loops at the side, fastening on a spray of noisette roses.

Another is a Dubarry bonnet of fancy grey straw; the broad, sloped-off border is lined with cerise silk, and bound with grey velvet. The crown is trimmed with tastefully-disposed coques of grey velvet, and grey faille of a lighter shade of grey, with clusters of Pyrus Japonica blossoms over both border and crown.

A Chloé bonnet is of white tulle, beaded with white jet and trimmed with white blond. The border is very high in the middle of the front, and lower at the sides, but sloped off very much all round. A handsome white ostrich feather is curled round inside this border over a torsade of pale blue silk. A cluster of pale pink roses is placed on the top of the crown, and a torsade of pale blue silk goes round the crown, and is veiled over with white-beaded blond. Two long white feathers droop over the crown. This bonnet is suitable for the theatre or concert-room, or for very ceremonious visits. It will be less dressy, but still very tasteful, of black-beaded tulle and blond, trimmed with flowers of any colour to match the dress.

A Trianon bonnet is of white English straw, trimmed across the front, with a strip of rose-coloured brocaded ribbon, and at the back with a bow of several wide coques of the same. All the front part of the crown and sloped border are covered with clusters of white and pink May blossoms, delightfully true to nature.

A Watteau, of rice straw, is lined with pale blue taffetas, and turned up at the side with a spray of monthly roses. An echarpe of blue crepe de chine is tastefully draped round the crown with a wreath of rose-buds, which is finished at the back with a large cluster of the

same.

And a capote of mauve crepe lisse is trimmed with white blond and clusters of Parmese violets. A bow of white lace and mauve taffetas completes the trimming at the back, and there are mauve taffetas strings edged with white lace.

As for hats, we will merely describe the three following:

First, a chapeau de courses, of bronze-coloured straw, trimmed with faille and velvet of two shades of bronze, relieved by a crimson aigrette. This hat is in the Directoire shape.

Then a hat for promenade au Bois, in the Louis Quatorze shape, of black straw, turned up with bright blue velvet, and trimmed with two feathers, one blue and one black.

And thirdly, a Henri III. hat of grey faille turned up with a darker shade of grey velvet. A long plume naturelle is curled over this hat quite in the style of the period, and fastened with a jewelled agraffe. This elegant chapeau was destined to be worn with a costume of cashmere and faille in two shades of grey to correspond.

As the season advances, other models of hats, for travelling, for the country and garden, will be introduced. At present they are only worn by youthful ladies at the spring races, or in the Bois. They should, as nearly as possible, be matched with the costume, for to dress en suite is still the great test of good taste in modern fashions, and this assortiment of every item of the toilette one with the other has become a still more difficult and complicated affair since so many shades of colour are used in each part of the dress, for each shade must reappear in bonnet, dress, confection, and even chaussures, without forgetting gloves and sunshade.

The striped and à carreaux materials, of which we have already spoken, make a nice change in the trimmings of the toilette, or as a combination with selfcoloured tissues, both new and pretty.

Thus a very tasteful, simple, but stylish spring costume is of self-coloured, fawn-coloured beige, and the same material à carreaux in softly graduated tints of the same colour. The skirt is of the self-coloured beige with one deep flounce of the same, above which there is a narrower flounce of the checked beige, cut on the cross, and but very slightly gathered. A tablier of the checked. beige is trimmed with a bias of the same. This tablier is draped very high at the side, and finished, being in two shawl lappets. The cuirasse bodice is of the same pattern as the tablier, and open en chale in front with a fluting of the self-coloured material, finished by a bow of ribbon to match. The sleeves are also of the plain material, with double frillings and bows at the wrists.

Another beige costume is partly self-coloured and partly striped. The self-coloured material is steel grey, the stripes are of two shades of grey, divided by streaks of bright blue. The grey skirt is trimmed with a flounce cut on the cross, and above this with five narrow coulisse bouillons, each divided by stitched bias; all this trimming is of the striped material. Watteau polonaise of the self-coloured grey beige, very long in front, but caught up very high at the back, with lappets of the striped beige; a bias of this same striped material goes round the edge of the polonaise. This long-waisted, tightfitting polonaise is trimmed all the way down in front with a very narrow bouillon and frilling of the striped beige. The sleeves are also striped; they are cut on the cross, and trimmed round the wrists with narrow bouillons and frillings of the self-coloured beige. The cuirasse-shaped bodice is finished round the throat with

a small striped collar. There is a large square pocket, trimmed with striped bias, upon the right side of the polonaise.

For more dressy toilettes taffetas is very fashionable this spring, either plain or striped.

Here is a very distingué costume of Grisaille taffetas. The skirt has two flounces, each headed with a narrow bouillon and fluting. The tablier is divided in the middle of the front part by a double trimming, consisting of a coulissé bouillon, with narrow heading on each side; the same trimming goes all round the edge. The tablier is very long in front, but caught up very short at the back, where it is also divided, and then joined together again with a large bow and lapels of taffetas. Cuirasse bodice, with trimming to match that of the tablier round the bottom; same trimming also put on en cœur over the front part of the bodice, which may be worn open or not, according to taste, and finished with a bow.

Another costume is of claret-coloured taffetas. The semi-trained skirt is trimmed with three gathered flounces, the upper one finished with a bias and fluted heading. A long tablier, merely piped round, without

any trimming, is caught up rather low at the back, with a very wide bow of brocaded lampas ribbon to match; this, however, may be exchanged for plain taffetas like the dress, but the brocaded lampas ribbon is very fashionable. The cuirasse bodice, deeply peaked in front and at the back, is perfectly plain. Dresses of mohair or sultane can be made up after the same pattern.

In new confections for the spring we notice the Stella cuirasse of black cashmere, embroidered all over with jet beads, and fringed with the same at the edges. This cuirasse is perfectly tight fitting, with deep gored basque, peaked in front and at the back, and no sleeves.

The Visite, a semi-tight jacket of black faille, made short at the back, with long fronts and dolman sleeves, and trimmed with black guipure, or Chantilly lace, headed with a handsome border of beaded passementerie ; this trimming goes all round the edge and up the middle of the back, and also over the outer seam of the sleeves.

And the pelerine à La Maréchale, a circular of black cashmere or faille, fitted at the waist behind, and loose in front, trimmed with black lace and passementerie, or with plissés and silk fringe.

1. Bride's dress of white faille, or Sicilienne. Trained skirt, mounted in the Bulgarian fold at the back, pleated across the front in pleats which point upwards. The tablier is trimmed down the middle with a coulissé in four rows of gathers. One of the sides is trimmed with a coquillé of white lace. A double flounce of faille and lace terminates the tablier. Bodice, with long point in front and at the back. Sleeves pleated like the tablier, with coulissé down the middle, finished at the wrist with a cuff made of two rows of lace placed edge to edge, with a roll of faille between. Lace collarette and faille ribbon cravat. Wreath of orange blossoms and à la Juive veil, falling to the lower edge of the train at the back.

2. Dress for a young mother in grey faille. Trained skirt with Bulgarian fold, trimmed to half the height of the front, with bouillonnés and coulissés bands, headings

lined and bound with pink. These bands are arranged so that each heading covers the edge of the former band. Flat, square tablier, trimmed with double pleatings, and bias bands, bound with pink. Habit bodice, with flat basques in front, bound with pink and trimmed with two rows of pleatings. The back is in four parts. Consequently, there is a seam in the middle, and each part is continued in long ends, which meet in the middle of the skirt, and are tied in a bow with falling, fringed ends. All the seams of the bodice are piped with pink. The skirts of the habit, as well as the bow, are lined with pink silk. The top of the bodice is trimmed with a turned-down open collar in pink faille. The sleeve has a pink cuff, with grey faille bias and pleatings. Fine white lace lingerie.

The bright spring weather always brings us light and pretty fabrics for new dresses, etc., therefore we cannot do better than give our readers a stylish jacket bodice pattern, suitable for any of the new materials. The great novelty in this pattern is the basque, which is rather deep behind; the side piece is laid over the back,

this latter is arranged in a single pleat at the waist, and carried under the side piece and joined at the extreme end to the seam under the arm. It thus forms a double tab. The pattern consists of six pieces, viz., the front, side piece, half of back, upper and under portion of sleeve, and cuff.