t.

A capital pose for a girl with dark lines under the eyes, is that of
"the girl-with-a-past." These lines, which are mostly the result of
liver, are commonly accepted as evidence of soul. The dress should be
sombre, trailing, and rather distraught: there is a way of arranging
a _fichu_ which of itself suggests that the heart beneath it is
blighted. If you happen to possess a few ornaments which are not
too expensive, distribute them among your girl-friends; say, in a
repressed voice, that you do not care for such things any more. Let
it be known that there is one day in the year which you prefer to
spend in complete solitude. Have a special affection for one flower;
occasionally allow your emotions to master you when you hear music.
The hair-ornament belongs exclusively to the lower middle-classes, but
wear one article of jewellery, a souvenir, which either never opens or
never comes off. Smile sometimes, of course; but be careful to smile
unnaturally. On all festive occasions divide your time between your
bedroom and the churchyard.

Both these types demand some personal attractions; if you have
no personal attractions, you must fall back upon one of the
philanthropical types. The plainer you are, the more rigid will be
your philanthropy. Your object will be to disseminate in the homes
of the poor some of the luxuries of the rich; and, on returning, to
disseminate in the homes of the rich some of the diseases of the poor.
Everything about you must be flat; your hats, hair and heels must be
flat; your denials must be particularly flat. Always take your meals
in your jacket and a hurry, never with the rest of your family; never
have time to eat enough, but always have time to brag about it.

I cannot understand why any girl should object to the assumption of
a pose; and yet a girl told me the other day that she preferred to be
what she seemed to be. She was an exceptional case; I disbelieved in
her protestations that she was perfectly natural, and managed to get
some opportunities for observation when she did not know that she was
observed. I must own that she was quite truthful; she also managed to
get married--suburban happiness and no position--but, as I said, she
was exceptional. Personally, I feel sure that I should never have been
married if I had seemed to be what I really was. I cannot understand
this desire to be natural--it _is_ so affected.

My correspondence this week is not very interesting. In spite