er carts in charge of
courteous peasant women. The flowers of Paris are usually cheap. A franc,
eighteen cents, buys a bunch of pansies, or roses in bud or full bloom,
or marguerites. The latter are similar to the English ox-eyed daisy, a
favorite flower with the French, also with Gertrude, who often pinned a
bunch on May Ingram. In mid-winter Parisian gardeners delight in forcing
thousands of white lilac blossoms, which are sold in European capitals
for holiday gifts.

Gertrude and May hurried back to the hotel as happy as the birds in the
trees of the boulevard. When Gertrude reached her mother, a telegram was
given her from George which read:

City of Brussels.

_Gertrude_,--

We expect to arrive in Paris Saturday evening 6 o'clock. Alfonso and
Leo here. All well. Grand trip. Love to all.

George.

Mrs. Harris and her young ladies planned to give most of the day to the
purchase of Gertrude's trousseau and other needed articles. May Ingram
thought it was "just lovely" to be with Gertrude in Paris, and help her
select the wedding outfit. Earlier than usual on Friday morning the
Harrises left the hotel. All four women were somewhat excited, as Mrs.
Harris and Gertrude led the way, Lucille and May following, to M. Worth's
establishment, located at Rue de la Paix 7.

Lucille said, "It is strange indeed that, in view of the French ridicule
made of the English on account of their lack of taste in dress, the best
dressmakers in Paris should be Englishmen."

Chief among all the Parisian dressmakers is Charles Frederick Worth, who
was born in 1825, at Bourne, Lincolnshire. He came to Paris in 1858, and
opened business with fifty employees combining the selling of fine dress
material and the making of it. Worth now employs twelve hundred persons,
and turns out annually over six thousand dresses and nearly four thousand
cloaks; his sons ably assist him.

Rare fabrics and designs in silk and other choice material are woven, and
artistic ornaments are made especially for M. Worth. Paris, as the center
of fashion, is greatly indebted to him, who gained in his line world-wide
fame, and for nearly half a century he has been universally recognized by
his competitors and the fair sex as master of his art. Kingdoms, empires,
republics, and cabinets in swift succession followed each other, but the
establishment of M. Worth maintained its proud position against all
changes and rivals. He was helped to the highest pede