Slasher cut into that gray merino,--and it only just meets,
so to say,--and the breadths are as scanty as possible; and it would
go to my heart to have a beautiful piece of silk spoiled,
flve-and-sixpence a yard, and not a flaw in it."

"If I thought I should spoil your dress I would not undertake it,"
returned Phillis, gently. She felt she must keep herself perfectly
quiet with this sort of people. "My sister and I have just made up
some very pretty silk and cashmere costumes, and they fitted as
perfectly as possible."

"Oh, indeed!" observed Mrs. Trimmings, in a patronizing tone. She had
no idea that the costumes of which Phillis spoke had been worn by the
young dressmakers at one of Lady Fitzroy's afternoon parties. She was
not quite at her ease with Phillis; she thought her a little
high-and-mighty in her manner. "A uppish young person," as she said
afterwards; "but her grand airs made no sort of difference to me, I
can assure you."

There was no holding pins or picking up scissors in this case. On the
contrary, Mrs. Trimmings watched with a vigilant eye, and was ready to
pounce on Phillis at the least mistake or oversight, seeing which
Phillis grew cooler and more off-hand every moment. There was a great
deal of haggling over the cut of the sleeve and arrangement of the
drapery. "If you will kindly leave it to me," Phillis said once; but
nothing was further from Mrs. Trimmings's intention. She had not a
silk dress every day. And she had always been accustomed to settle all
these points herself, while Miss Slasher had stood by humbly turning
over the pages of her fashion-books, and calling her, at every
sentence, "Ma'am," a word that Phillis's lips had not yet uttered.
Phillis's patience was almost tired out, when she was at last allowed
to depart with a large brown-paper parcel under her arm. Mrs.
Trimmings would have wrapped it up in newspaper, but Phillis had so
curtly refused to have anything but brown paper that her manner rather
overawed the woman.

Poor Phillis! Yes, it had really come to pass, and here she was,
actually walking through Hadleigh in the busiest time of the day, with
a large, ugly-looking parcel and a little black bag! She had thought
of sending Dorothy for the dress, but she knew what a trial it would
have been to the old woman to see one of her young ladies reduced to
this, and she preferred ladening herself to hurting the poor old
creature's feelings. So she walked out bravely in her b