"There now; hold back your head a little," says she; "shut your eyes."
Here she began to rub my face and neck and arms with the handkerchief till they looked white as her own. Then she changed boxes, and I could feel her making soft dabs at my cheeks, which tickled a little.
"Now open your eyes," says she.
I opened them wide, she astonished me so; and, as true as you live, she began to tickle them with a tenty-tointy brush. After that she titivated my hair a little, washed her hands with some Cologne water, and snatching up my pink silk dress, which lay across the bed, just buried me in it. I declare it was scrumptious to feel the silk a-rustling round me, and a-settling down on the floor, wave on wave. Well, the bill was a damper, but I couldn't help enjoying it for all that.
"Now," says E. E., a-drawing on her long, white gloves, "just take a look, and let us be off—Dempster is waiting."
I did take a look, right straight in the glass, and couldn't help doing it again and again, the lady I saw there seemed so much like a magnificent stranger to me—so white, so blooming—so—. Forgive me, sisters—I forgot that modesty is a tender blossom that should be encouraged—and I will say no more, only this, Cousin Dempster's neck had a good deal more of it than mine, and that French dress-maker had given me a little chance of sleeves, while her's left them out altogether.
When she spread out my skirt, it half covered the room. All at once she saw just one little spot of rain on it, and held up both her hands.
"Why, you haven't worn this before? Good gracious! no lady in our set ever wears the same dress twice. The idea!"
I felt myself wilting, for she was sarcastic in her speech. Then I up and spoke for myself.
"Yes, I wore it once," says I; "but it was tucked up under my waterproof cloak, with the lining turned inside out, and nobody saw it—especially the great Grand Duke, who didn't come out of his own vessel."