MY FIRST FROCK AND TROUSERS
There were plenty of little odds and ends of silks, and stuffs, and
velvets, and muslins, which Ellen had already collected, and which
her aunt had told her she might have; and with these they knew they
could make me a beautiful dress. They finished their dinner as fast
as possible, and ran upstairs again, in order to be alone for this
pleasant work.
They accordingly began by carefully measuring me round the waist and
round the shoulders; and then across the back down to the waist,
measuring from the right shoulder crossing down to the middle of the
left side, and from the left shoulder across to the middle of the right
side. Their little fingers were busy about me in all directions; they
did so tickle me!
Then they measured my arms; first from the top of the shoulder to the
elbow when bent, and next from the tip of the elbow to the wrist.
Lastly, they measured me from the back of my neck down to the middle
of the waist, just where there is, or ought to be, the most bend in a
doll’s back; and from this they measured for the skirt right down below
my knees, and for the trousers they measured down as low as my ankles.
But how were these two little girls to find time to do all this work
for me? The whole day they were engaged, from six o’clock in the
morning till bedtime. So, as it was now summer, and quite light at five
o’clock, Ellen and Nanny both determined to get up at that time, and
thus have an hour every morning to themselves, in order to make me a
frock and trousers. And they calculated that by doing this for a week,
they could easily finish the task they had set themselves.
But the poor little girls had to work so hard for more than thirteen
hours every day, that neither of them could awake in time. After
several mornings, however, Ellen did manage to wake up enough to speak,
and call Nanny; and Nanny woke up enough just to answer. After which
down sunk their cheeks upon the pillow, and they were fast asleep in a
moment.
The next morning Nanny Bell called Ellen at about half-past five
o’clock, and Ellen made a great effort, and sat up in bed with her eyes
shut. At last she half opened one eye, and then she saw poor Nanny as
fast asleep again as if she had never called her. So back fell Ellen
upon her pillow.
Now, for several nights, they both made great resolutions before
they went to sleep; but when the morning came they could not keep
them, though they tried very much to do so; and one morning Ellen,
directly Nanny called her, rolled herself out of bed upon the floor.
But there she lay, and when the other girls were going past the door
to their work at six o’clock, and came in to see if Ellen and Nanny
were dressed, there they found Ellen fast asleep upon the floor in her
night-gown.
Something, however, happened in consequence of this. Ellen had caught a
bad cold and sore throat with sleeping upon the floor, and the doctor
said she must remain in bed for two days to get rid of it. Ellen was,
therefore, sent to bed again soon after dinner, and as it was necessary
that somebody should be with her to give her medicine or barley water
to drink, Nanny Bell was chosen by her own request. Here was a chance!
Now was the time to work at my frock and trousers.
But there was something to be done first. There was physic to be taken.
It was brought by Aunt Sharpshins in a teacup, and it had a dark red
and yellow color, and oh, such a strong smell! Poor Ellen looked at her
aunt so pitifully, as much as to say, ‘Must I really take this nasty
physic?’--then she looked into the teacup, and made a face--then she
looked round the room making the same face, only sadder--then she gave
a little frown as much as to say, ‘Why should I be afraid? I know it is
good for me--I am determined to take it!’ then she shut her eyes--put
the teacup to her lips--and down went the physic!
As soon as Mrs. Sharpshins left them, Nanny produced some sugar-plums
out of a little paper for Ellen to take after her medicine; and as they
ate the sugar-plums, Nanny laughed at the horrid faces my mamma had
made before she took her physic and just after it was down, and then
they both laughed very much.
Ellen now sat up in bed, and Nanny helped her to prop herself up with
pillows at her back, and covered her shoulders with a large shawl.
Nanny then brought all the bits of muslin, and silk, and stuffs, and
velvet, together with a pair of scissors, and needles and thread, and
spread them out upon the quilt before Ellen. I was placed on the bed
beside her with my head raised high, so that I might see them working.
When all was ready, Nanny got upon the bed and sat down opposite to
Ellen, and to work they both went.
The measurements had already been made, and the slips of paper with
the marks were laid upon the quilt. Then they began cutting out. First
they cut out my under-clothes, and these were all of cambric muslin,
which they said was necessary, in order to be soft to the skin of such
a little creature as I was. I could not help laughing to myself when I
heard them say this, because I was made all of wood, and my skin was
only the fine, hard, polished varnish of the celebrated Mr. Sprat. I
was not quite so tender as they fancied. They next cut me out a small
under-bodice of white jean instead of stays. Then came the trousers,
which were cut long and full, and were of soft white muslin trimmed
with open work. They then cut out a petticoat of fine cambric muslin,
the body quite tight and the skirt very full all round. My frock was
made to fit nicely to the shape, but not too tight. It was of fine
lemon-colored merino, with a sash of violet-colored velvet, and very
full in the skirt, and they said it must have some stiff muslin inside
the hem to make it set out, and not hang too loosely in the folds.
When all was cut out and arranged, my mamma and Nanny both went to work
with their needles, and they worked all the day as long as they could
see. The under-clothes and the trousers were all quite finished, and
the body and one sleeve of the frock was begun.
The next morning, after my mamma had taken her medicine and made the
same horrid face as before, only not quite so bad this time, they went
to work again. But this second morning the weather was not so warm as
the day before; so Nanny went to the bed of one of the other girls and
took off the top sheet, and tied up a bit of it in the middle with a
long and strong tape in a strong knot, and then with a chair upon the
bed she managed to tie the other end to a nail in the wall just over
the head of the bed; she then spread out all the sheet that hung down
so as to cover them both in, like a little tent. And in this pleasant
manner they worked all the second day, by which time my frock was quite
finished.
[Illustration: They Worked as Long as They Could See.]
Besides this they had made me a pair of silk stockings, which were
sewed upon my legs to make them fit better; and as I was naturally from
my birth rather stiff in the ankles and instep, they made the stockings
without feet, but sewed black satin over both my feet in the shape
of the prettiest boots possible, with stitches of cross-work in
front. When all was done, and everything put upon me, nothing would do
but they must take me out for a walk round the room.
Out we all got from the tent; my mamma in her night-gown and shawl,
with a bit of flannel round her throat, and list shoes, and I walking
between the two little girls, each holding me by the hand. But we had
hardly walked twice round the room, talking like ladies who are out
in the park, when suddenly we heard Aunt Sharpshins coming upstairs!
In a moment we were all upon the bed--down came the tent--underneath
the bed it was thrown--into the bed we all three got as quickly as
possible--and when Mrs. Sharpshins came into the room we all seemed
fast asleep!
She stood at the foot of the bed, looking at us. After a minute or two
she went down again.
‘How you laughed and shook the bed,’ said my mamma to Nanny. ‘I
thought she would have found us out, and somehow I wished she had. I
don’t like to have pretended to be asleep.’
‘But,’ answered Nanny, ‘she would have been so unkind if she had seen
us walking in the park.’
‘I wish people would not be unkind,’ sighed my mamma; and then she
added, ‘How dear and kind you are, Nanny; and how you have worked for
me, and nursed me all these two days.’
At this they threw their arms round each other’s necks, and so we all
three went to sleep in reality, quite forgetting the tent which had
been thrown under the bed. But it was a good-natured, merry girl that
it belonged to, and she only gave my mamma and Nanny a good tickling
when she found it, after a long search, at bedtime.
[Illustration]