Part 8 (2/2)

As Jeanne pa.s.sed a little girl with hair and eyes as dark as her own and a wistful look, the gray-haired lady sitting beside the little girl stopped Jeanne.

”What a beautiful frock!” she said, and touched the hem of the garment gently.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”WHAT A BEAUTIFUL FROCK!” SHE SAID]

Jeanne and the little girl looked at each other.

Auntie Sue came over to them.

Madame Villard smiled at the dressmaker and asked, ”Do you think that this style would become my little granddaughter?”

Suzanne looked quickly at Margot. Margot's big brown eyes were fastened eagerly upon the child whom she had called a lucky little girl.

”Yes, Madame,” answered Auntie Sue. ”With her brown eyes and slight figure, the little mademoiselle should wear the frock as well as Jeanne does.”

Madame and Auntie Sue then talked for some time about the frock.

Jeanne went about the large audience, with Margot's wondering eyes following her every movement.

At last Jeanne finished showing all the garments. The young model disappeared behind the screen, and the audience began to leave.

Auntie Sue was showing a closet full of clothes to Madame Villard whose many purchases made the pencil of Auntie Sue skip over the page and her heart skip with gladness.

This was, of course, dull for Margot, and Margot was not used to things being dull. She sat in the empty room, while Grandmother talked and looked at clothes and paid no attention to her.

The little girl began to walk about the shop. She peered at the floppy dolls on the tables and at the quaint hat stands and show-cases.

She came to the screen behind which Jeanne had disappeared. She longed to peep behind that screen. She edged up close and tried to look through the cracks to the back.

She heard a tiny sound. Then words: ”Down with the Bastille (b?s-tel')!”

Margot pressed her head against the screen to hear better. The screen began to topple. Over it went. There was a m.u.f.fled sound, and Jeanne stood up and faced Margot.

Jeanne was now in her own simple clothes. She held the Pierrot puppet, who was, however, still grandly dressed.

She stared hard at Margot and then at the fallen screen. Margot stared, too. Then Margot managed to remember her manners.

”Excuse me,” she said. ”I did not mean to knock down the screen.”

Jeanne smiled and picked up the screen, while Margot helped her set it in place. When it again stood erect, Margot found herself outside and Jeanne inside. They were separated as before.

For a few moments there was silence from both sides of the screen. Then came a giggle from one side and a giggle from the other.

And then from the outside, ”May I come back and see you?”

From the inside, ”Yes, do come!”

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