The Women Of Our Time.

She has never married since ; no , not since she gave her maiden heart to Clutterbuck , long years ago ; and "I have never yot , " she often remarks , " seen the man Avho can compare with my Thomas George . " People say this is an illusion of

the good Avoman , but life is foil of illusions ; so let us not find fault with hers . She is still a widoAv , "fair and free , " and is likely to remain so , as despite many good qualities , and many substantial attractions , he would be a bold man who tackled her .

If report be true , she bullied old Clutterbuck manfully , and as she has always had her own Avay in everything she is not likely now to move out of the beaten courseher "track of life "—for sentiment or nonsense of any kind ; not she , and I think

she is right . And as she is a fast friend and a pleasant member of society , an agreeable woman to talk to , and with a true heart Avithin her , she does , on the Avbole , very Avell . But she does not like young married

women , and detests the " girls of the period . " "Never saw such manners , never heard such expressions , never knew such extravagance ; quite shocked at the dresses ; their language is low , their heels are high , and their shoulders are far too bare ; hansom cabs and latch-keys have completely demoralised our younger Avomen . " Thus she will "discoorse" b y

the hour , if only she can get a listener . But woe betide you if you express the slightest sympathy for either of these misconducted classes ; for then her anger is great , her scorn magnificent . Here is poor , faded , thin , sentimental

Mrs . Mortimer , all feeling and point lace ! She is "horrified—actuall y horrified "—as she tells you , " with the ways of the young Avomen—such fast and giddy girls . How any man of sense or taste can think of such for a Avife when he can find a clever

amiable woman of good principles and a far better school . " She is looking out , they say , for No . 3 ! For my part I should prefer Mrs . Colonel Clutterbuck to her a long way . I never did believe in depreciationeven

, though it fell from the lips of a pretty Avoman , and I particularl y dislike it from those who have had their day . But still , Jet us not be too hard upon middle-aged

women . We who have flu-ted Avith them danced with them , drank tea with them , dined with tbem ; we who have laughed and grown sentimental Avith them , should be chary and careful in what Ave say . We know all their good points and living

merits , their warm hearts , and their kindly companionship , and so we who have grown middle-aged ourselves together with them —when upon them falls either doubt or detraction , comment or censure , scandal Or scornwe shouldI venture to think ,

, , come to the rescue , and proclaim them to be like those of olden days , " bonne dames et genereuses , " and avow ourselves still , the gouty and wrinkled , and woe-bygone , andfat aud out of fashion , still " leurs chevaliers loyanx pour tout et en tout . " Don't then

undervalue middle-aged women , they constitute a most agreeable portion of society ; if they have their faults and foibles , so have Ave all , and never let us lose sig ht of the fact , that aswomen , they deserve all that chivalry can avoAVor "bondevoir , " can do . And I

, for one still cling to middle-aged women . It seems but yesterday , that this good stout middle-aged woman I am talking to was a gracious maiden of eighteen "

rayonnante" in beauty and in freshness . And here she is fat and good-humoAired , still pleasant and personable in a IOAV dress and diamonds ad libitum , with a son in the guards and a daughter married , and she herself a grand-mamma . " Madam , do you recollect a certain evening long years

ago , when on a certain night , not very far from Berkeley Square , you and I set out a dance upon the stairs ?" "Yes sir , Ida " " Do you remember , Madam , all the nonsense Ave two talked then 1 "

" Sir , I have not forgotten it . " " Well , madam , I will say then , after all the ups and downs of life , parted years and faded dreams Avhen illusions have vanished and stern experience is here , 1 should really not mmd to be sitting on

those stairs once again , and talking the same nonsense if only for a little space ;" and the good dame , though she says , " what rubbish , " smiles pleasantly and friendly as of yore ! If any of my readers have any sentiment

left in them , in this rough world , they will sympathise , I am sure , with this old-world souvenir of a middle-aged man ! 2 G 2