I suspect that it requires a great deal of skill to construct a Marsian costume, whether for male or female. They are not altogether dissimilar; the women's stuffs are of a little finer quality ordinarily, but their dress is not usually so elaborately trimmed as the men's garb, which struck me as very peculiar. Both sexes wear white, or a soft cream. The fabric is either a sort of fine linen, or a mixture of silk and wool. After Severnius and I came to understand each other, as comrades and friends, he laughingly compared my dress, in which I had made my first appearance, to the saddle and housings of a horse. He declared that he and his friends were not quite sure whether I was a man or a beast. But he was too polite to give me the remotest hint, during our early acquaintance, that he considered my garb absurd. When, having completed my toilet, I indicated to him that I was ready for the next thing on the program,--which I sincerely hoped might be breakfast,--he approached me and taking my hand placed a gold ring on my finger. It was set with a superb rubellite enhanced with pearls. The stone was the only bit of color in my entire dress. Even my shoes were of white canvas. I thanked him as well as I was able for this especial mark of favor. I was pleased that he had given me a gem not only beautiful, but possessing remarkable qualities. I held it in a ray of sunlight and turned it this way and that, to show him that I was capable of appreciating its beauties and its peculiar characteristics. He was delighted, and I had the satisfaction of feeling that I had made a good impression upon him. He led the way down-stairs, and luckily into the breakfast room. We were served by men dressed similarly to ourselves, though their clothing was without trimming and was of coarser material than ours. They moved about the room swiftly and noiselessly. Motion upon that planet seems so natural and so easy. There is very little inertia to overcome. Our meal was rather odd; it consisted of fruits, some curiously prepared cereals, and a hot palatable drink. No meat. After this light but entirely satisfactory repast we ascended the grand stairway--a marvel of beauty in its elaborate carvings--and entered a lofty apartment occupying a large part of the last _etage_. I at first made out that it was a place devoted to the fine arts. I had noticed a somewhat conspicuous absence, in the rooms below, of the sort of things with which rich people in our country crowd their houses. I understood now, they were all marshaled up here. There were exquisitely carved vessels of all descriptions, bronzes, marbles, royal paintings, precious minerals. Here also were the riches of color.