When a family of three persons has to live upon an income of three hundred a year, and, nevertheless, makes some pretence of going into society, it has to be very mindful of small details, even though that family may consist only of ladies.

Of this Mrs Dale was well aware, and as it pleased her that her daughters should be nice and fresh, and pretty in their attire, many a long hour was given up to that care.

The squire would send them shawls in winter, and had given them riding habits, and had sent them down brown silk dresses from London,--so limited in quantity that the due manufacture of two dresses out of the material had been found to be beyond the art of woman, and the brown silk garments had been a difficulty from that day to this--the squire having a good memory in such matters, and being anxious to see the fruits of his liberality.

All this was doubtless of assistance, but had the squire given the amount which he so expended in money to his nieces, the benefit would have been greater.

As it was, the girls were always nice and fresh and pretty, they themselves not being idle in that matter; but their tire-woman in chief was their mother.
And now she went up to their room and got out their muslin frocks, and--but, perhaps, I should not tell such tales!-- She, however, felt no shame in her work, as she sent for a hot iron, and with her own hands smoothed out the creases, and gave the proper set to the crimp flounces, and fixed a new ribbon where it was wanted, and saw that all was as it should be.