3 APRIL 1886, Page 3

Town has been amused and interested by a suit brought

by the trustees of Madame Mercier, Court dressmaker, for dresses supplied to Mrs. Maxwell-Heron. The luxury revealed in the case, and the charges for it, were alike monstrous. One dress, of white satin, with a train painted by hand, cost £81, but was charged for by the milliner at £210, a profit of more than 150 per cent. Another dress, of sapphire velvet, cost £44 8s., and even with the "regular" profit of 40 per cent. added, ought to have been charged only £62, but was charged £170. There were other accusations of charges for goods not ordered and goods returned, but they were rather evidences of dishonesty or care- lessness than of either luxury or overcharging. The Judge, Mr. Justice Smith, took a tolerant tone, observed that a lady who went to a Court milliner like Madame Mercier must expect to pay, allowed the profit of 40 per cent. as reasonable, and in the case of the white-satin dress granted £150, because Mrs. Maxwell-Heron had offered it. We do not quite see, the argument for this lenity. Court milliners are artists, no doubt, of a kind, and have a right to charge for their skill, but they should either mention their charges beforehand, and adhere to them, or be bound by some recognised custom of the trade. The result of the trial will not greatly encourage the very few husbands who have the courage to fight such charges, while it will encourage every milliner to be yet more extravagant. The trial must be pleasant reading for Socialists, who, however, should be consoled by the thought that in this case the worker pillaged theidler almost at discretion. Bills like Madame Mercier's help "to liquidate society" pretty rapidly.