“I think,” said Mr. Smith to me, one day, “that it is time we re-furnished our parlors.”

“If you can afford the outlay,” I remarked.

“It won’t cost a great deal,” he returned.

“Not over three hundred dollars,” said I.

Mr. Smith shook his head as he answered:  “Half that sum ought to be sufficient.  What will we want?”

“A dozen mahogany chairs to begin with,” I replied.  “There will be sixty dollars.”

“You don’t expect to pay five dollars a-piece for chairs?” said my husband, in a tone of surprise.

“I don’t think you can get good ones for less.”

“Indeed we can.  I was looking at a very handsome set yesterday; and the man only asked four dollars for them.  I don’t in the least doubt that I could get them for three and a half.”

“And a dear bargain you would make of that, I do not in the least doubt.  It is poor economy, Mr. Smith, to buy cheap furniture.  It costs a great deal more in the end, than good furniture, and never gives you any satisfaction.”

“But these were good chairs, Jane.  As good as I would wish to look at.  The man said they were from one of the best shops in the city, and of superior workmanship and finish.”

As I make it a point never to prolong an argument with my husband, when I see his mind bent in one direction, I did not urge my view of the case any farther.  It was settled, however, that we could afford to re-furnish our parlors in a better style, and that in the course of the coming week, we should go out together and select a Brussels carpet, a sofa, a dozen mahogany chairs, a centre table, &c.

As I had foreseen from the beginning, my husband’s ideas of economy were destined to mar everything.  At one of the cabinet ware-rooms was a very neat, well-made set of chairs, for which five dollars and a half were asked, but which the dealer, seeing that he was beyond our mark, offered for five dollars.  They were cheap at that price.  But Mr. Smith could not see that they were a whit better than the set of chairs just mentioned as offered for four dollars; and which he was satisfied could be bought for three and a half.  So I went with him to look at them.  They proved to be showy enough, if that were any recommendation, but had a common look in my eyes.  They were not to be compared with the set we had just been examining.

“Now, are they not very beautiful, Jane?” said my husband.  “To me they are quite as handsome as those we were asked sixty dollars for.”

From this I could not but dissent, seeing which, the cunning dealer came quickly to my husband’s side of the question with various convincing arguments, among the strongest of which was an abatement in the price of the chairs—­he seeing it to be for his interest to offer them for three dollars and three-quarters a-piece.

“I’ll give you three and a-half,” said Mr. Smith, promptly.

“Too little, that, sir,” returned the dealer.  “I don’t make a cent on them at three and three-quarters.  They are fully equal, in every respect, to the chairs you were offered at five dollars.  I know the manufacturer, and have had his articles often.”