At last came a message that Lady Caergwent was to be dressed for
going out to make a call with Lady Barbara as soon as luncheon was
over.

It could be on no one but the De la Poers; and Kate was so delighted,
that she executed all manner of little happy hops, skips, and
fidgets, all the time of her toilette, and caused many an
expostulation of "Mais, Miladi!" from Josephine, before the pretty
delicate blue and white muslin, worked white jacket, and white
ribboned and feathered hat, were adjusted. Lady Barbara kept her
little countess very prettily and quietly dressed; but it was at the
cost of infinite worry of herself, Kate, and Josephine, for there
never was a child whom it was so hard to keep in decent trim.
Armyn's old saying, that she ought to be always kept dressed in
sacking, as the only thing she could not spoil, was a true one; for
the sharp hasty movements, and entire disregard of where she stepped,
were so ruinous, that it was on the records of the Bruton Street
household, that she had gone far to demolish eight frocks in ten
days.

However, on this occasion she did get safe down to the carriage--
clothes, gloves, and all, without detriment or scolding; and jumped
in first. She was a long way yet from knowing that, though her aunts
gave the first place to her rank, it would have been proper in her to
yield it to their years, and make way for them.

She was too childish to have learnt this as a matter of good
breeding, but she might have learnt it of a certain parable, which
she could say from beginning to end, that she should "sit not down in