A man came to me just before Christmas, and said, “Do tell me something to give my wife.  I cannot think of a thing in the world she hasn’t already.”  I asked, “Is she a lady of habits?” “What!” he said, astonished.  “Does she enjoy being comfortable?” I asked.  “Well, rather!” he smiled.  And so I suggested a couvre-pieds for her chaise-longue. Now I am telling you of the couvre pieds because I know all women love exquisite things, and surely nothing could be more delicious than my couvre-pieds. Literally, it is a “cover for the feet,” a sort of glorified and diminutive coverlet, made of the palest of pink silk, lined with the soft long-haired white fur known as mountain tibet, and interlined with down.  The coverlet is bordered with a puffing of French lace, and the top of it is encrusted with little flowers made of tiny French picot ribbons, and quillings of the narrowest of lace.  It is supposed to be thrown over your feet, fur side down, when you are resting or having your hair done.

[Illustration:  MISS MORGAN’S LOUIS XVI.  DRESSING-ROOM]

You may devise a little coverlet for your own sofa, whether it be in your bedroom, your boudoir, or your dressing-room, that will be quite as useful as this delectable couvre-pieds.  I saw some amusing ones recently, made of gay Austrian silks, lined with astonishing colors and bound with puffings and flutings of ribbon of still other colors.  A coverlet of this kind would be as good as a trip away from home for the woman who is bored and wearied.  No matter how drab and commonplace her house might be, she could devise a gay quilt of one of the enchanting new stuffs and wrap herself in it for a holiday hour.  One of the most amusing ones was of turquoise blue silk, with stiff flowers of violet and sulphur yellow scattered over it.  The flowers were quite large and far apart, so that there was a square expanse of the turquoise blue with a stiff flower at each corner.  The lining was of sulphur yellow silk, and the binding was a puffing of violet ribbons.  The color fairly made me gasp, at first, but then it became fascinating, and finally irresistible.  I sighed as I thought of the dreary patchwork quilts of our great-grandmothers.  How they would have marveled at our audacious use of color, our frank joy in it!

Of course the most important thing in the dressing-room is the dressing-table.  I place my dressing-tables against a group of windows, not near them, whenever it is possible.  I have used plate glass tops on many of them, and mirrors for tops on others, for you can’t have too many mirrors or too strong a light for dressing.  We must see ourselves as others will see us.

My own dressing-table contains many drawers, one of which is fitted with an ink-well, a tray for pens and pencils, and a sliding shelf on which I write.  This obviates going into another room to answer hurried notes when one is dressing.  Beside the dressing-table stands the tall hat-stand for the hat I may be wearing that day.