' 'What for?' said he, frowning at her. 'Just this,' says
she. 'I mean to leave your circus, unless I get those six character
dresses you promised me; and the lady there can do them up beautiful.
Pull out the ten shillings! for I've made up my mind to appear before
the Bangbury public on Garryowen's back, as six women at once.'
"What she meant by this, sir, was, that she was to have six different
dresses on, one over another; and was to go galloping round the ring on
Garryowen (which was a horse), beginning, I think it was, as Empress of
Roossia; and then throwing off the top dress without the horse
stopping, and showing next as some famous Frenchwoman, in the dress
underneath; and keeping on so with different nations, till she got down
to the last dress, which was to be Britannia and the Union-Jack. We'd
got bits of remnants, and old dresses and things to make and alter, but
hadn't anybody clever enough at cutting out, and what they call
'Costoom,' to do what Peggy wanted--Jubber being too stingy to pay the
regular people who understand such things. The young woman, knowing as
she did about fancy work, was just what was wanted, if she could only
get well enough to use her needle. 'I'll see she works the money out,'
says Peggy; 'but she's dead beat to-night, and must have her rest and
bit o' supper, before she begins to-morrow.
Pages:
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133