CONBUCTOES^ AN^D THEIK WIVES. 
©i* coMenfcj I kave bouglifc a new dress, which of 
oourseyou have got to* pay for. B-ib when tbe wo- 
man says- ® Take me/ depend upon it, she will sferiv©^ 
to make herself worthy of her offer, so tliat it might, 
not be cast upon her afterwards^ you said take me,, 
and deceived me.” 
Well, well, but what has this gpt tO‘ do with the 
subject! what a very extraordinary man. ‘^I see you 
are tired sir. But you will recollect I said Hake 
me/ as a conductor, and I hope, if you do me tiie 
favour to engage my services, you will find I will do 
my best to uphold my own recommendation ; that is* 
just what I was trying to practically explain.” We 
now say,, very good, but how long have you had 
this wife,^ that- said, * Take me’* who made use of 
such plainness of speech, and, indeed, for a woman, 
very indelicate speech."’ Indelicate speech/ not so^ 
sir, he replied, we say yes or no, and there is an 
end of it, while all you European people go on with 
what you call flirtatious, the woman^ by her actions 
and demeanour just as plain as possible saying ‘ Take 
me." The man by encouraging her, on his part,^ 
indirectly insinuates, yes, I will take you, but he 
never does, and the lady being always in expectation 
of these two little words being softly whispered into* 
her ear, which being long of forthcoming, she tries to 
draw them out by many charming blandishments* 
in her manner ; if unsuccessful, he does not pro- 
mise these fascinating words, she feels herself very 
ill-used, and as if her affections had been trifled 
with. Now, if instead of going on in this way for 
mDnths, and even years, without any certainty on either 
side, that either really meant anything,” beyond a 
temporary amusement, or if the woman suspected 
the man who was backward and bashful, as really 
a great number are, however bold and headstrong they 
may be in ordinary matters of life, would it not be much 
better for the woman to say plump and plain on some 
fitting opportunity, not perhaps - Take me/ but just 
something milder. ** Do you intend, wish or incline, 
to take me, if not the sooner this silly nonsense is* 
ended the better/" ^'Very plain sense, and very practically 
and reasonably expressed^ we reply, but the whole 
argument may very briefly be concluded by calling in 
the aid of a never-failing, and infallible authority, 
against which there is no appeab and that authority 
is, ‘It is not the custom.” ‘‘Well” says he/" and 
yet you always tell us our customs are bad,, and w© 
should change them, and are very angry when we reply 
to any of your proposals, which we very often do, by 
saying, “it is not our custom,” but we see, it is just 
the same with you. We can make no reply, we feel 
there is some truth in which the man says. So as many 
