[Six to Sixteen by Juliana Horatia Ewing]@TWC D-Link bookSix to Sixteen CHAPTER IX 7/12
"As much as a yard ?" "I'm thinking I will be, my dear," said Elspeth, "for it takes the full width of a coloured cotton to cut me a dress-front, and then it's not over-big." "Are you as broad as two yards, do you think ?" I said, drawing my ribbon to its full length from the castle, and considering the question. Elspeth shook her head.
She was biting the end off a piece of darning-cotton; but I rightly concluded that she would not confess to being two yards wide. "Please, I have measured Elspeth," I announced over the tea-table, "and grandpapa is quite right." "Eh ?" said Mr.Vandaleur, who had a trick of requiring observations to be repeated to him by his wife. "She says that she has measured Elspeth, and that you are right," said my great-grandmother.
"But about what is grandpapa right, my little one ?" "Grandpapa said that Elspeth is as wide as she is tall," I explained. "And so she is, for I measured her--at least, the ribbon would slip when I measured her, so I asked her; and she's a yard tall, but not as much as two yards; and a yard wide, but not as much as two yards.
And so grandpapa is right." Some of the happiest hours I spent at The Vine were spent in Elspeth's company.
I made tiny cakes, and tarts of curious shapes, when she was busy pastry-making, and did some clear-starching on my doll's account when Elspeth was "getting-up" my great-grandfather's cravats. Elspeth had strong old-fashioned notions of paying respect where it was due.
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