Still, the question of her husband remained in my mind. Was it waste of money to teach a girl music at such expense? It is not one in ten of the wives who have Mrs, P s excuse. Yet fully eight out of ten wives who read this narrative can truthfully say they " have not touched a piano for a Ion? time."

There stands the costly instrument, in :nany a parlor, the most expensive article within the four walls, and yet how rarely jpeneo, To be sure, It is a handsome piece of furni- Mire ; but so is a library, and a library is ■'■ad ; a picture worth tbreo hundred and nr ty pounds wonld be often admired ; a oar pet and chairs would be in constant use ; a Hcore of utilised luxuries, of equal cost with the useless ornament, the piano, above men tioned.
I wonder what the astounding ftgu r ei would be, of the idle wealth of Australia in vested in pianos that are not touched a half score times a year ? Let some male curmudgeon, like myself, calculate what the rare and occasional pieces cost; dividing the total invested by the few performances. The notes of our pianos are indeed golden, the rare chords struck out on them literally Bilver. There is a piano in my house whose mußic costs at least —well, I forbear; but no doubt it is the most costly music that I ever hear.
