There is scarcely a subject that women may not talk about to men in the most direct way, nowadays.

But about the question of championship----" Here the door of the room was thrown open and Mr.Herbert Courtland was announced.
"I quite forgot to mention that Mr.Courtland was lunching with us to-day, Phyllis," said Ella, while shaking hands with her visitor.

"Now you will have a chance of getting the slave-dealer's account of the whole business.

Are you a slave-dealer, Bertie?
If so, why don't you wear the usual broad-leaved hat of your order ?" "It is I who am the enslaved one," said Mr.Courtland, laying his hand to the left of the buttons of his white waistcoat and bowing the bow of the early years of the century, with a glance at each lady.
"What a pretty reminiscence of the age of artificiality!" said Ella; "and what an apt commentary upon the subject we were talking about, Phyllis! We were discussing the merits of directness in speech and straightness in every way.

We were ridiculing the timid maid--all sandals and simper--of forty years ago.