will hoot after us for a show."—"In|deed," replied my wife, "I always ima|gined that my Charles was fond of see|ing his children neat and handsome about him."—"You may be as neat as you please," interrupted I, "and I shall love you the better for it; but all this is not neatness, but frippery. These rufflings, and pinkings, and patch|ings, will only make us hated by all the wives of all our neighbours. No, my children," continued I, more gravely, "those gowns may be altered into some|thing of a plainer cut; for finery is very unbecoming in us, who want the means of decency. I don't know whe|ther such flouncing and shredding is be|coming even in the rich, if we consider, upon a moderate calculation, that the nakedness of the indigent world may be cloathed from the trimmings of the vain."This remonstrance had the proper ef|fect; they went with great composure, 0