THE girl had been married five or six years, and in the main was happy and still "the Girl." Her intelligence and charm, together with her husband's sincerity and kindliness, had made for the couple a circle of friends and acquaintances that included many of the "best" people in town — which, of course, is too often taken to mean merely the people of most wealth and highest social position. The only flaw in the Girl's happiness was the modest size of her husband's income. To-day she had been one of the guests at a little reception. "The Davises are charming people," she remarked that night at dinner. "I wish we could see more of them." "Well, I don't know why we can't," her husband answered, cheerfully. "Joe Davis was a close friend of mine in our school-days. We'll have them down here." "I don't know what they would think of our house after their elegant place," the Girl replied, doubtfully. "Everything about their home is so beautiful — so nice!" "Why should we care what they think?" "Not in the least. This is our home, not any one else's. It is in keeping with our circumstances, and therefore it is honest, and represents us. My income is twenty-five hundred dollars a year. Joe Davis's is eight or ten thousand. Joe likes and respects me now — at least, I believe he does; but would he continue to if I tried to cheat people into thinking we were richer than we are?" "You are not getting the happiness out of life that you should, my dear. There is too much 'Wait till we get the new dining-room furniture,' or 'Yes, as soon as the floors are done over,' or 'Well, after my new dress is finished.' Aren't we cheapening our friends by assuming that they care more for these material things than for us? If not, aren't we cheapening ourselves by continuing to call them friends?" "The Davises' house is better than ours, but the Mortons' is just as much ahead of the Davises', and I know Morton quite as well as I know Davis. If we try the Davis standard of living now, can we avoid the Morton standard by and by?" "There is too much of this in our American life. I want to keep clear of it. Let us live our own lives, honestly and openly, enjoying the things we can afford and the friends who like us for what we are, and letting the others go their way." The Girl thought at the time that the lecture was somewhat severe, but she could find no flaw in the argument, nor has she found any since.—Selected.