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“For my part,” said the elder, “I shall wear a velvet cramoisie trimmed à l’Anglaise”—for she had a passion for cramoisie, and could not perceive how ill the colour went with her complexion. “I had thought of cloth-of-gold, but there’s the cost of the underskirt to be considered; and underskirts seem to grow dearer and dearer in these days. What a relief,” she went on, “it must be to have money and not be forced to set one thing against another!”

“I,” said the younger, “must make shift with my old underskirt; that is, unless I can wheedle some money out of Papa”—for so, in their affection, they called their stepfather. “Cinderellacan take out the worst stains to-morrow with a little eau-de-Cologne. I believe that, if she tries, she can make it look as good as new; and, at all events, it will give her something to do instead of wasting an afternoon. I don’t pretend that I likewearing an old underskirt, and I hope to make dear Papa sensible of this; but against it I shall have the gold-flowered robe, on which I am determined, and my diamond stomacher, which is somewhat better than the common. ”

“And I, of course,” said the elder, “must wear my diamond spray. If only it had a ruby in the clasp instead of a sapphire! Rubies go so much better with cramoisie. … I suppose there is no time now to ask the jeweller to reset it with a ruby. ”

“But you don’t possess a ruby, dear,” murmured her sister, who did possess one, and had no intention of lending it. “And, besides, sapphires suit you so much better!”

They sent for the best milliner they could find, to build their mob-caps in triple tiers; and for the best hairdresser to arrange their hair; and their patches were supplied by the shop to which all the Quality went. From time to time they called up Cinderellato ask her advice, for she had excellent taste. Cinderellaadvised them perfectly, and even offered her services to dress their hair for them on the night of the ball. They accepted gladly enough.

Whilst she was dressing them one asked her: “Cinderella,would you not like to be going to the ball?”

“Alas! miss,” said Cinderella,“you are making fun of me. It is not for the like of me to be there. ”

“You are right, girl. Folks would laugh indeed to see Cinder-slutat a ball!”

Any one but Cinderellawould have pinned on their mob-caps awry; and if you or I had been in her place, I won’t swear but that we might have pushed in the pins just a trifle carelessly. But she had no malice in her nature; she attired them to perfection, though they found fault with her all the while it was doing, and quite forgot to thank her when it was done. Let it be related, in excuse for their tempers, that they had passed almost two days without eating, so eager were they and excited. The most of this time they had spent in front of their mirrors, where they had broken more than a dozen laces in trying to squeeze their waists and make them appear more slender. They were dressed a full two hours before the time fixed for starting. But at length the coach arrived at the door. They were tucked into it with a hundred precautions, and Cinderellafollowed it with her eyes as long as she could; that is to say, until the tears rose and blinded them.

She turned away weeping, back to the house, and crept into her dear chimney-corner; where, being all alone in the kitchen, she could indulge her misery.