. Formerly it was
a tortoise-shell comb, a silver needlecase, a silk handkerchief,
ear-rings, finger-rings, gloves, etc. Now-a-days nothing is left but
rings and a certain silver arrangement to support the hair, and called,
like the ribbon above mentioned, _'ntrizzaturi_. In Milazzo and its
territory the fiance makes a present of a small gold cross for the neck,
an engagement-ring and a dish of fish.

The fiancee returns the gift, usually with under-clothing,
handkerchiefs, etc. During the betrothal, while the lovers are enjoying
their love, the fiance does not let the principal festivals of the year
pass without expressing his affection by suitable presents--at Easter, a
piece of pastry containing an egg, or a little wax lamb; on the feast of
St. Peter, keys made of pastry, with honey or confectionery or cinnamon,
according to the ability of the giver. On All Souls' Day he gives candy,
fruit, etc.; on St. Martin's, a kind of biscuit named after the saint;
at Christmas, cakes and pastry containing dried fruit; and finally, for
his fiancee's birthday, something still finer.

We have now reached the eve of the wedding, and the time has arrived for
the valuation of the bride's trousseau--a ceremony known by different
names in different parts of Sicily, but usually termed _stima_. Let us
enter for a moment the house of the bride. Everything is in a pleasant
state of confusion. Friends and relatives of the betrothed have been
invited to the ceremony, and take part in it with an air of satisfied
curiosity. Upon the large bed of the bride's mother is displayed the
trousseau, sorted according to the various articles composing it, while
from lines stretched across the room hang the dresses and suits of
clothes. Near by are tables, chairs and chests of drawers. A woman
called the _stimatura_ ("appraiser") examines each article of the outfit
and appraises its value, announcing the approximate price, sometimes
publicly, sometimes secretly to the accountant. The appraisal is final,
and generally in favor of the fiancee, for the value of the trousseau
goes to increase the dower. Not infrequently the mother of the fiance
complains of the exaggerations of the _stimatura_, and disagreeable
recriminations follow. Finally, the parents of the bride bestow on her a
certain number of "ounces,"[17] which the _stimatura_ announces in a
solemn tone. If the parents have anything else to give their daughter in
the way of money or silver, they an