“You made a mistake,” she said. “Mademoiselle Cerise’s dress is very pretty, but it is not precisely like mine; the pattern is larger and a little louder, and the color is lighter and a little harsher.”
“Well, perhaps,” said the Sailor-Lad. He spoke very cheerful now, he felt in such good spirits.
“I am very glad that the Sailor-Boy was happy at last,” said the little girl. “I was afraid Belinda never meant to open her eyes.”
“It certainly looked like it at one time,” answered the little Marionette. “However, it was all right in the end, for she opened them in time to prevent her Sailor-Boy’s heart from breaking.”
“I wonder why she kept them closed so long.”
“I wonder,” reflected the little Marionette. And she smiled.
“Force of habit, I suppose, as she herself said,” she remarked after a pause. “We all have our little ways. Now what sort of story would you like to-morrow?”
The little girl thought deeply for a few moments. Then she said: “You have told me a story about a sailor, so I should like the next one to be about a soldier.”
“A soldier—a soldier—” the Marionette answered. “I don’t think I know one about a soldier—Yes, stay; there is the story of the Officer and the Elephant. That is about a soldier.”