_Modiste._ Well, no. I shall not charge more for them than velvet or brocade. And, of course, if you choose to wear your dresses more than once, your maid can get them renovated with new flowers at an almost fabulous reduction. _Lady._ I do not think a gown ever looks well when worn a second time. _Modiste._ Quite so, Madame; quite so. Well, would you like a charming dress of pink hyacinths, with bishop's sleeves of Gloire de Dijon roses? The skirt would be of variegated lilac. _Lady._ But could you get the material for the floral combination? _Modiste._ Oh dear yes, Madame! Since the fashion for real flowers has come in we are supplied daily from all parts of the world, and have a large stock always at hand on the premises. Why, our greenhouses are the finest in London. Will you want any other costume to-day? _Lady._ Only one for a small dance to-morrow. I want something cool and quiet. _Modiste._ You can scarcely do better than wear a costume _d'Eden_, or as it is facetiously termed in England, "a dress for EVE." It is an arrangement in oak leaves and apples _à la mode de la première femme du monde_. _Lady._ Very well. Let me have it home by eleven. _Modiste._ You can depend upon my punctuality, Madame. If you are careful not to dance too much it will last until 2 A.M., and permit of your partaking of supper. I would not say this with confidence of all the gowns I turn out, but in this instance you will find leaves stronger than flowers. And now, Madame, permit me to take your measure. [_Scene closes in upon mysteries of the toilet._ * * * * * AFTER THE CONGRESS WAS OVER. (_A Strange Fragment dealing with a Mystery._) Every important question that could be considered had been thoroughly examined and decided. The delegates, who had come from North, South, East and West, had expressed their satisfaction with everything they had seen in London. As for the British Empire generally, their admiration knew no bounds. "It was magnificent." "It was beautiful." "It was grand." And yet when they prepared to take their departure there was a shade of disappointment upon their expressive countenances. "I wish I could have understood it," said one. "It would have been a triumph of ingenuity to have comprehended it," observed another. "The queries of the Egyptian Sphinx were the easiest of conundrums in comparison," added a third. And others chimed in to the same effect. But to the very last the delegates tried their best to solve the problem. At length the company departed. The hall in which the great assembly had been held was empty. There was one striking object in the deserted apartment. It was a book--a yellow-covered book. Evidently it had been much read. But, in spite of the fingering, there was no distinct evidence that the full meaning of its contents had been grasped by anyone. In the quiet of the night the moonbeams illuminated the title-page.