Year: 1874

anu tne agent SnOWeu himself Qulte as
posed to satisfy my curiosity Chance
had served me well. The lady who had
given me the idea of calling upon him
was one Of the most active of the inter
.mediaries he employed. At
| In France" he said, housekeeping
has become so expensive that most men
hesitate about marrying; at all events,
men no longer marry young IN certain
society. A man must have his position
insured before thinking OF marrying,
and when that is done be is no longer of
the age when men obey the impulses of
the heart at the expense of the head. OF
ten men who think of marrying there
are nine who put the questions in the
following order: Is she rich, pretty,
healthy, of good family2 Then, for
most men, marriage is first money
matter, next matter of self love, aud
finally OF domestic peace. The other
questions come after. Hence men do
not fear to apply to me directly, or to
get themselves recommended to me by a
common friend.


HOW 1T is DONE.


$50 far as the men are concerned,
things are done very simply. receive
my client. When | receive him it is my
business to study him deeply enough to
be aole to say up to what point he IS
elegant, distingue, gallant, and well
bred, or else to what degree be is awk-
ward, innocent, bashful, or ignorant of
the habits Of society. In every marriage
there are two parts-that of the inter
mediary and that of the interested
party; and 1 have always succeeded
better with meu who have no great adj
vantage to offer, but who made personal
efforts in the cause than with men who
could do nothing by themselves.


But it is not so with young ladies
who want husbands A young lady
would never forgive her future husband
for having married her through my
agency. What, sir, she would say to
him, you have married me then only
for my money! Through an agentl
! How horrid And the couple would be
forever unhappy. Hence | vanish so
soon as the first formaIities are accom-
plished. The aspirant signs written
engagement to pay me six Fer cent. on
the dowry Immediately after his mar
riage with a person named in the treaty,
and then am seen no more My place
is then taken by Intermediates such as
the one Of whom you speak, such as
many others you meet everywhere, such
as men whom you elbow in all salons
and who are overwhelmed with tender
care, because they pass for having mum
bers of young men to marry


When have drawn in all the neces
sary information, which | faithfully
communicate to the intermediary who
may use it, he tells me the names of the
young ladies or widows of his acquain
tanee who might suit my client. W.
make our choice, and / in my turn en-
gage to pay my intermediary half the
sum | shall receive The latter then
goes to work He pays a visit to the
family OF the young lady we have il
view. He there learns, for instance
that next evening she will be at a ball
He then by hook 0: by crock procure:
| an invitation to the ball for the aspirant
At the ball, while the intermediary is
talking with the young lady to be mar
ried or with her MOTHER the aspirant
comes up and bows to the intermediary
who is charmed at the meeting, and in
troduces him to the ladies. The aspirani
dances with the young lady whose name
be does not know, nor that of her
family, which only makes him the more
natural. While he is dancing or during
the evening, the lady or gentlemen who
acts as intermediary must find means OF
giving the parents Of the young lady
his or her opinion about the young man
who, on his side, if he likes the project
should naturally try to facilitate thu
task o. the agency.


The intermediary few days Later
becomes the interpreter of the feelings
raised in the young man by the frs
meeting. Other interviews are arranged
and, if marriage follows, neither thu
young lady herself nor her family eve
know that it was all done by matri
monial agency, and when the mothe'
and the bride announce the marriage
the former never fails to observe, Yes
dear madam, people are quite right wheI
they say that marriages are made il
Z baayan