does not like her. I hope that you
know how to behave; you grew up in the capital. Though you have been
living two years hereabouts, you have not yet completely forgotten St.
Petersburg. Well, Zosia, make your toilet; get the things from my desk,
you will find ready everything needed for dressing. Hurry up, for at any
minute they may come home from hunting."

The chambermaid and a serving girl were summoned; into a silver basin they
poured a pitcher of water, and Zosia, fluttering like a sparrow in the
sand, washed with the aid of the servant her hands, face, and neck.
Telimena opened her St. Petersburg stores and took forth bottles of
perfumes, and jars of pomade; she sprinkled Zosia over with choice
perfume--the fragrance filled the room--and smeared her hair with ointment.
Zosia put on white open-work stockings and white satin shoes from Warsaw.
Meanwhile the chambermaid had laced her up, and then thrown a
dressing-sack over the young lady's shoulders: after crimping her hair
with a hot iron they proceeded to take off the curl-papers; her locks,
since they were rather short, they made into two braids, leaving the hair
smooth on the brow and temples. Then the chambermaid, weaving into a
wreath some freshly gathered cornflowers, gave them to Telimena, who
pinned them skilfully on Zosia's head, from the right to the left: the
flowers were relieved very beautifully against the light hair, as against
ears of grain! They took off the dressing-sack; the toilet was complete.
Zosia threw over her head a white gown, and rolled up a little white
handkerchief in her hand, and thus, all in white, she looked like a white
lily herself.

After adjusting once more both her hair and her apparel, they told her to
walk the length and breadth of the room. Telimena observed her with the
eyes of an expert; she drilled her niece, grew angry, and grimaced;
finally at Zosia's curtsy she cried out in despair:--

"Unhappy me! Zosia, you see what comes of living among geese and
shepherds! You stride along like a boy, and turn your eyes to the right
and left like a divorced woman! Curtsy! see how awkward you are!"

"O, auntie," said Zosia sadly, "how am I to blame? You have locked me up,
auntie; there was nobody to dance with; to pass the time away I liked to
feed the birds and to pet the children. But just wait, auntie, till I've
lived among other people for a little while; you'll see how I improve."

"Well, of the two evils," said her aunt,