Richard Henry Horne

“ During all the time these dresses were being made, my mamma was so impatient and restless that it was quite an unhappiness to see her. I often thought what a pity it was she had not learned to make dresses herself, her mind would then have been employed, and she would have been so much more comfortable. Oh, how different was the happy day I spent among the poor little milliners when Ellen Plummy and Nanny Bell sat under the tent made of a sheet, to make me a frock and trousers! How happy were they over the work, and how impatient and cross was Lady Flora, who had no work to do! ”

“ One of the queer things about grown-ups which boys and girls do not often suspect is that, while we seem so different from you, with our grey heads and bald heads and glasses, our shortness of breath when we run for the train, our strange preference for an easy-chair and a book by the fire rather than the chance to dance all night or to skate all day, inside of us there is something that never grows up. And because a part of us always stays “boy” or “girl,” what we particularly loved when we were children we keep on particularly loving as long as we live. ”

“ Maria Poppet was a doll of character who kept her eyes open and who never neglected an opportunity to learn from every event of her varied life; who was not puffed up by association with rank and wealth nor cast down by harrowing experiences; who valued loving hearts above jewels and titles and the glitter and show of fashion. ”

“ Sometimes boys and girls look rather scornfully upon old-fashioned things. They think that nothing which is not “up to date” can [xi] possibly be as fine as modern shows. Well, I, for one, never saw a Fifth Avenue window display—and I love to gaze into Fifth Avenue shops—more dazzling than the pastry-cook’s window on Twelfth-night; nor a more gorgeous parade than the Lord Mayor’s; nor a play more enchanting than the New Grand Christmas Pantomime which the London Doll saw at Drury-Lane Theatre in the “old-fashioned” days of the story. ”

“ Her Aunt Sharpshins was a very tall, thin, pale-faced woman, who was always dressed in a long gown made close up to the throat, of the color of old nankeen, with a faded bed-furniture pattern round the hem at the bottom. She had a nose like a parrot’s beak, and always spoke through it. She kept fifteen little milliner girls in the house, who were her apprentices, and obliged to work as long as she pleased. ”

“ Living at a doll-shop, and hearing the daughter of the master of such a wonderful shop reading so often, I naturally expected to have heard more about dolls than any other creatures! However, on the whole, I was very well contented, and should have been perfectly happy if they would only have hung me up in the shop-window! ”

“ When they all came back we saw, besides the fine gentlemen, a number of beautiful fat ladies in feathers, with diamonds and rosy cheeks, the fattest of whom, and the most beautiful of course, was the Lady Mayoress in an apricot satin dress with all sorts of embroidery, and lace, and ribbons, and spangles, and precious things, and looking all so stiff and expensive behind the glass, but yet seeming to be alive, although afraid to move in the least for fear of injuring some part of all this dress. ”

“ But will they let me take Maria Poppet in with me?’
‘I should think they would hardly object,’ said her aunt, ‘for I never yet saw a doll left among the walking sticks and umbrellas at the door, however plain the doll might be. They could never object to a pretty doll like Maria—though, to be sure, she might be better dressed. Really, you must make haste with her clothes. I cannot let you take her out any more in that strange dress Mr. Johnson tied round her.’
Mary promised to finish my clothes in a day or two. ”

“ The music was changed to an ugly, broken, hobbling, harsh sound, and at the farthest end of the field we saw a strong-made, little old man, in a dark blue cloak, appear, and come down towards the white shrubs in front, just under us. His hat was the shape of an extinguisher, but with a broad brim. As he approached, we saw that he had a large blue nose, and very large uneven teeth, and blue goggle-eyes! Ugh! how we all shivered, except Lydia’s papa and mamma, who laughed and told us not to be frightened. ”

“ I have a little bed, with white curtains and nice blankets and sheets, in which my mamma lays me every night, after undressing me and putting on my night-gown and night-cap; and in the morning she makes believe to wash me all over, and brushes my hair, and dresses me. When I go out I have a bonnet and cloak put on, and I am always dressed for dinner, and have my hair done. I have also had the happiness to become acquainted with another doll, who lives in a country-house near ours. ”

“ The old Jew considered a long while, and then said he could give no money for the poor little pug, but he would give him something that would be better for him, because it would help him to make money. So saying, he offered me to the boy, in exchange for the monkey. The Italian boy hesitated at first; he said he wanted a little money. But his sister exclaiming, ‘Oh, do, brother, let us have the doll!’ he consented; and fitting on me the red jacket, he stuck me upon the top of the organ, and off we went into the street, to the tune of ‘I’d be a butterfly!’ which he immediately began to play. ”

“ Here I lay hearing all sorts of noises of trumpets and drums, and singing and dancing, and tumbling about, and calling out, and laughing, and fireworks, and the great rolling of many wheels, and loud sounds of distant applause from the audience. When all was over, I was taken home by the Columbine and her grandmother. It was a wet night, and they walked through the rain in shawls and clogs, and holding up a great umbrella [168] with three slits in the top. They lived in the back parlor of a small green-grocer’s, near Covent Garden. ”

“ As the ugly, thick-limbed little Dwarf said this, he stamped one foot,—a loud wind was heard, and in a moment he went straight down through the earth, and was quite gone! At the same moment we heard a sweet voice singing in the air, which said:—
‘He thinks he makes what mortals see;
It seems so—but it shall not be.’
Before we had time to recover ourselves, we saw that the whole scene of frost and snow was changing into a bright summer. ”

“ One day my mamma Ellen and Nanny Bell were sitting alone together in the back parlor after dinner, to talk a little, as Aunt Sharpshins had gone out to take some dresses home. ‘Ah,’ said Ellen, ‘I do so wish to go back to my grandfather’s, he was such a kind pastry-cook; and my [39] brother Tom was so very fond of me always. I am so sorry to be a milliner; and although my aunt says I am to be her partner, perhaps, when I grow up, yet I do not like it.’
‘But then,’ said Nanny Bell, ‘you would be much kinder to all of us than your aunt is. You would not make us work so long every day, would you? ”

“ In the morning, as the children lay in bed, looking up, they could see the light through the chinks in the tiles; and when they went to bed in the evening, they could often feel the wind come down, and breathe its cool breath under their night-caps. Along the wall on one side of the room, farthest from the windows, the beds were laid upon the floor; the largest was for the poor, sprat-faced doll-maker and his wife; the next largest was for the two boys, and the smallest, up in the corner, [3] was for the little girl. ”

“ No doll in the world, and particularly a wooden doll, could have wished for anything softer. At the same place were also many articles of furniture, such as dolls of the higher class are accustomed to have, and some of these were bought for me. That which I was most pleased with was a doll’s wardrobe made of cedar wood, with drawers for clothes in the middle, and pegs to hang dresses upon at each side, and all enclosed with folding doors, and smelling so sweet. ”

“ Ashbourn thanked her, and said her little girl would be delighted to have such a pretty doll; and so I was placed in the soft little hands of my present dear mamma, Lucy Ashbourn; and then, after a few minutes’ more talking, in which a great many flattering things were said of me, pretty little Columbine took leave, and left me in the house where I now am.
Here I feel that I am settled for life. Only yesterday, my mamma, as she was sitting on her papa’s knee, told him that when she grew too old to play with me, she would give me to her little sister. She takes the greatest care of me. ”

“ Presently we heard all manner of sounds going on behind the curtain—all manner of voices talking and calling, and buzzing and humming. The moving of boards, and hammering, and the placing of planks and beams, and pushing and pulling about of heavy things; and [148] now and then through one side of the curtain we caught a glimpse of something so bright that went by, like tall flags on painted poles, and tops of spears, and parts of mantles of people’s dresses; and once, underneath the bottom of the dark green curtain, we saw run along a little pair of bright silver feet. ”

“ There is no better in all the world. You see how heavy it is; what a quantity of plums, currants, butter, sugar, and orange and lemon-peel there is in it, besides brandy and caraway comfits. See! what a beautiful frost-work of white sugar there is all over the top and sides! See, too, what characters there are, and made in sugar of all colors! ”

“ There’s Maria Poppet engraved upon it—and you’ve brought it back to young missis. Oh, how pleased she will be!’
‘Yes, my dear,’ said the Jew, putting it back into his pocket. ‘You can tell them what you’ve seen, and say that I have no objection to selling it, to oblige them—and it’s pure gold, you know, my dear, and I’ll come again to-morrow morning. Clo’! clo’! clo’!’ and away he went, leaving the poor nursery maid calling out after him in vain.
Well, this was the talk of the whole house. Everybody was so much interested about it. Next morning the Jew came, and asked to see Mrs. Thomson. ”

“ We met a great number of elegant carriages on our way, and nearly all the ladies inside exchanged salutations with the countess, and nodded to my little lady mamma. All who were elegant, and [59] richly dressed, and beautiful, and in fine carriages with rich liveries, seemed to know each other, and to be upon such delightful terms of affectionate intimacy! ‘Oh!’ thought I, ‘here is a new world! Everybody seems to respect, and admire, and love everybody else! ”

“ I believe no doll ever lived who was more anxious to learn and know about all sorts of things—good, pretty, or wonderful—than I was.
I soon had an opportunity of seeing a very different set of things from the cakes, and tarts, and buns, and sugar-plums. We left our abode at the pastry-cook’s. Ellen Plummy was sent to be a milliner to her aunt, who employed a great number [37] of girls in making ladies’ dresses. Ellen was only seven years old, and she cried at leaving her kind grandfather’s ”

“ In a large, dusky room, at the top of a dusky house in one of the dusky streets of High Holborn, there lived a poor doll-maker, whose name was Sprat. He was an extremely small man for his age, and not altogether unlike a sprat in the face. He was always dressed in a sort of tight [2] pinafore and trousers, all in one, that fitted close to his body; and this dress was nearly covered with dabs of paint, especially white paint, of which he used most in his work. ”

“ An immense blast of farthing trumpets announced his actual presence!
[157] ‘Poor people!’ exclaimed he, ‘villagers and people, and things!—ye have dared to harbor among you no less a gentleman than the Prince, my son, the heir of all these bubbles, who has caused us all these troubles,—but what my grief doubles, let me say, is the fact that he has run away, and our Royal Court doth mock——bless my soul! what young man is that in the brown frock?’
The moment he said this, the poor lover, who was just being driven out by the three pitchforks, began to run about and try to hide himself. ”

“ I mean that they are more marked than is common with dolls. [105] She has a good nose; very bright eyes; and what is very uncommon to see in a doll—she has something like a chin. She has, also, a very pretty mouth, and a sensible forehead. But another remarkable discovery I have made is that of her name! This bracelet which I have cleaned and brightened, I find to be gold, and upon it is engraved ‘Maria Poppet!’
Mary Hope received me with great pleasure, and gave Mr. Johnson many, many thanks for his kindness in taking so much pains about me. ”

“ I saw in another box very near us another little lady of about my mamma’s age, who had an opera glass in her hand, and was also leaning over the edge of the box; and I thought, ‘Now if that small lady drops the opera glass upon the head of some gentleman below in the pit, it will only knock a bit of his head off; but if my small lady drops me, I shall be knocked all to pieces!’
[77] I had scarcely finished this reflection when, to my indescribable alarm, I felt the hand that held me get looser and looser. Lady Flora was fast asleep! ”

“ After Lady Flowerdale, my mamma’s mamma, had dined, I heard with the greatest delight that her ladyship intended to take Lady Flora with her this evening to the Italian opera. Lady Flowerdale had often before said that she thought my mamma was at present too young to go to any place where the hours are always so late ”

“ These were followed by the King’s Prime Minister and the other Wise Men of his court, all of them blowing bubbles, which rose into the air and looked most beautiful; and as fast as they burst, the Wise Men blew more, so that there were always a good many floating in the air. Each was attended by two valiant knights in glass armor of bottle-green, the one on the right bearing a bowl of soap-suds, and the one on the left carrying a supply of soap and fresh pipes. ”

“ We get up at six o’clock to work as usual, and go to bed at nine, after bread and butter. I am so glad to think you are happy and comfortable, and that you have no hard needlework to do, and the little lady is [81] fond of you. Don’t you remember the Twelfth-cake my brother Tommy gave for you, and how he laughed all the way we ran home at something that had happened in the doll-shop about Bonaparte and Abernethy biscuits? ”

“ The tops of the beams were also covered with dolls, all of whom, like those on the lines, were waiting there till their paint or varnish had properly dried and hardened. I passed the time in observing what was going on in the room under my line, and also the contents of the room, not forgetting my numerous little companions, who were smiling and staring, or sleeping, round about me.
[9] Mr. Sprat was a doll-maker only; he never made doll’s clothes. He said that was not work for an artist like him. ”