Now Miss Wimple and Madeline Splurge were examples of how much our views of a person’s character have to do with our notions of his or her stature or carriage.  All Hendrik spoke of the demure heroine of the skimped delaine as “Little Miss Wimple”; and Madeline, though the youngest of the sisters, was universally known as “Miss Splurge,” —­as it were, awfully.  Yet Miss Wimple and Madeline were almost exactly “of a size,” by any measurement, and Miss Wimple’s clothes were a sweet fit for Madeline; the petticoat experiment had discovered that.  So the skimped delaine, Miss Wimple thought, must be promoted to the proud person of the handsome Madeline, and something must be found to take its place.

Now, among store of respectable family-rubbish, scrupulously saved by half a graveyard-full of female relations,—­for the women-folk of the Wimples had been ever noted for their thrift,—­a certain quaint garment had come down to Sally from her great-grandmother.  It was a black “silken wonder,” wherewith, no doubt, that traditionally dear, delightful creature was wont to astonish the streets, in the days of her vanity and frivolous vexation of spirit.

A generous expanse of cape pertained to it, and it was cut much shorter behind than before, in order to display to advantage the pert red heels whereon that antique Wimple aforetime exalted herself.  “With some trifling alterations,” said Miss Wimple to herself, “this will do nicely for me; and my delaine—­which is not so very bad, after all—­a little cleaning will do wonders for it—­will look sweetly appropriate on the Widow Morris, while her outfit is making in New York.”

So Miss Wimple let down the dress behind, by piecing it in the back just below the waist; and from the generous cape she made a basque to hide the alteration; and some stains, like iron-mould, on the skirt, she covered with three flounces, made of some fine crape that was left from her mother’s funeral.

“But, by your leave, where was this ‘silken wonder’ when your unhandy heroine was casting about her for a substitute for the quilted petticoat?”

Anywhere but in her mind.  Of the round-aboutness of her directness you have had examples enough already; nothing could be more romantic than her simplest realities, and that which would seem most out-of-the-way to another woman was often “handiest” to her.  So, when you ask me, Why did not Sally Wimple sooner think of her great-grandmother’s dress? my easiest answer is, Because she was Sally Wimple.

When Miss Wimple first put on the new dress, in Madeline’s presence, Madeline smiled again, for she thought she understood; and Miss Wimple smiled also, for she knew no one could understand.