At first I pretended stupidity, and inquired, “what pantry?” and “what bread?” but Jane soon discovered that I knew very well; and while she looked at me so searchingly I could not possibly frame a plausible story—­so, from sheer necessity, I told the whole truth, “and nothing but the truth.”  My curious attempt at getting thin excited great amusement; but Mammy told me that she knew of a better way than that, which was to run up and down stairs as much as possible.  I followed her advice until I became tired of it; and during that period I was universally acknowledged to be the most obliging child in the house, for I was quite indefatigable in running on other people’s errands.  I became discouraged, though, when I found that I remained as fat as ever; and began tasking my brain for some other expedient.

I had gone to Ellen Tracy’s to enjoy a holiday; and, quite mad with spirits, we roamed hither and thither, scarcely knowing what to do with ourselves.  At length Ellen proposed that we should go to “the boys’ room,” and go we accordingly did.  We would have recognized it as the sanctum of two or three noisy urchins of the male gender, even had we not known it beforehand.  On the dressing-table stood a top, half-a-dozen marbles, and a fishing-line; while the walls displayed various quaint devices of their own drawing.  There was a something which, Ellen informed us, was intended for a ghost; but if so, he had a most undue proportion of flesh on his bones, and looked far more like a giant.  We concluded to equip ourselves in male attire, for the sake of variety—­being heartily tired of frocks and petticoats; and Ellen’s pretty curls having been tucked up under a round cap, she looked so fascinating that I felt quite ambitious to rival her—­but in attempting to draw on one of Charles’ jackets, I found that it would not meet round my waist.  Oh, mortification unspeakable! to find myself larger around the waist than a boy a whole year my senior!  I could scarcely refrain from bursting into tears; forgetting that I belonged to the dumpling order, while Charles was as slender and straight as a young birch tree.  My pleasure for that day was gone; in vain Ellen displayed her whole stock of worldly possessions to tempt my admiration.  I scarcely bestowed a look on anything, and returned home perfectly miserable.

For days I kept my ears wide open in hopes of catching something that might relieve my distress, and at length I met with some success.  I overheard a visitor telling my mother of some young lady, whose figure they had been admiring, that she was nothing at all without her corsets—­a complete dumpling; and then followed a long digression on the impropriety of imposing upon the public in this manner; but for that I did not care—­I determined to impose upon them too, as soon as I got a chance.  Soon after, a school-mate encased me in a remarkably tight pair, during an afternoon’s visit; and having, as she said, ’made me look quite genteel,’ I departed for home with the delightful consciousness of being ‘something of a figure.’  Before bed-time I had a romp in the garden with my wild brother and Charles Tracy; I experienced a feeling of suffocation, while running through the paths, that became quite insupportable.