ld not put on by any persuasion until her father fell
into a passion of anger. And the sight of him fuming in a short jacket
barely covering his loins, and a pair of breeches so tight the seams
would scarce hold together, so tickled her sense of humour that she fell
into a long fit of laughter, and this ending her sulks she went upstairs
with a good grace and returned in her hated petticoat, carrying her fine
dress in a bundle. But I never yet knew the time when this sly baggage
would not please herself for all her seeming yielding to others, and we
were yet to have more pain from her than she from us in respect of that
skirt. For ere we had got half way through the town she, dawdling behind
to look first in this shop and then in that, gave us the slip, so that
we were best part of an hour hunting the streets up and down in the
utmost anxiety. Then as we were sweating with our exercise and trouble,
lo! she steps out of a shop as calm as you please in a petticoat and
jacket of her own fancy (and ten times more handsome than our purchase),
a red shawl tied about her waist, and a little round hat with a bright
red bob in it, set on one side of her head, and all as smart as a
carrot.

"Da!" says she, "where have you been running all this time?"

And we, betwixt joy at finding her and anger at her impudence, could say
nothing; and yet we were fain to admire her audacity too. But how, not
knowing one word of the language, she had made her wants known was a
mystery, and how she had obtained this finery was another, seeing that
we had spent all there was of her two pieces. Certainly she had not
changed her French gown and things for them, for these in a cumbrous
bundle had her father been carrying up and down the town since we lost
the minx.

"If you han't stole 'em," says Dawson, finding his tongue at last,
"where did you find the money to pay for those trappings, slut?"

"In my pocket, sir," says she, with a curtsey, "where you might have
found yours had you not emptied it so readily for the robbers yesterday.
And I fancy," adds she slyly, "I may still find some left to offer you a
dinner at midday if you will accept of it."

This hint disposed us to make light of our grievance against her, and we
went out of Ravellos very well satisfied to know that our next meal
depended not solely upon chance. And this, together with the bright
sunlight and the sweet invigorating morning air, did beget in us a
spirit of happy careless