As the world grows older the price of many of its good things seem to advance with amazing rapidity. Rents, beef steak, fish, and game, champagne and seal-skin sacques have gone clean up out of the reach of about everybody but contractors or bank managers. But it has generally been supposed that ordinary human affections were rated at about the average price one year with another. But the people who have been promised happiness and then seen some other charmer come between them and their coveted bliss, set the highest price upon this article, which they think they ought to have, but somehow fail to obtain. In the old days when the world-re nowned case of Bardell v. Pickwick thrilled the British bosom, £1,000 was considered even by the plaintiffa attorneys to be heavy damages for a case of aggravated unfaithfulness. But mark the contrast of our high pressure times. A few days ago a Miss Mary Alice Livingstone appeared before the County Court, and alleged that her maiden affections had been injured to the amount of -£15,000 by one Henry Fleming, and to show that this is not an isolated case, jt Miss H. A. Engly lately sued one Dr Levi- Wilson, of Uxbridgo, for breach of promise of marriage, andjclaimed £10,000 damage*.*. And now conies Edward Schnell and claims £10,000 of his uncle, Frederick Blohm for stealing away from him the tender glances of his own pretty wife. These are all recent occurrences, happening within a week, and all tend ing to show that it is entirely unsafe in this high-priced age to trifle with the affections of lovely women unless the trifler is possessed of a very plethoric bank account.
THEBKDCE HEBALD.
