All the evening before, through part of the night,
and ever since she had been awake that morning, she had been
racking her brain to arrive at an effective combination of colors
and materials. And at the cost of a terrible headache, she had at
last conceived one of those toilettes which are sure to make a
sensation, and which the newspaper reporters will mention as
noticeable for its "chic." "Picture to yourself," she said, all
ablaze with enthusiasm, "picture to yourself a robe of tea-flower
silk, trimmed with bands of heavy holland-tinted satin, thickly
embroidered with flowers. A wide flounce of Valenciennes at the
bottom of the skirt. Over this, I shall wear a tunic of pearl-
gray crepe, edged with a fringe of the various shades in the
dress, and forming a panier behind."
But how much trouble, time and labor must be expended before such
an elaborate chef-d'oeuvre could be completed! How many
conferences with the dressmaker, with the florist, and the
embroiderer! How many doubts, how many inevitable mistakes! Ah!
there was not a moment to lose! Madame de Fondege, who was dressed
to go out, and who had already sent for a carriage, insisted that
Mademoiselle Marguerite should accompany her. And certainly, the
General's wife deemed the proposal a seductive one. It is a very
fashionable amusement to run from one shop to another, even when
one cannot, or will not, buy.
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