Hamilton stretched forward his wooden sceptre to
the queen with benignant haste and dignity. Daisy, only too glad to
shrink away, closed her eyes and lay back in the arms of her attendants
in a manner that was really very satisfactory. But the attendants
themselves were not in order.
"Jane, you must not laugh--" said her brother.
"I ain't laughing!"
"Yes, but you were."
"The queen is fainting, you know," said Mrs. Sandford. "You are one of
her maids, and you are very much distressed about it."
"I am not distressed a bit. I don't care."
"Nora, do not forget that you are another attendant. Your business is
with your mistress. You must be looking into her face, to see if she is
really faint or if you can perceive signs of mending. You must look very
anxious."
But Nora looked very cross; and as Jane persisted in giggling, the
success of that picture was not quite excellent this time.
"Nora is the most like a Jewess--" Theresa remarked.
"O, Nora will make a very good maid of honour by and by," Mrs. Sandford
replied.
But Nora had her own thoughts.
"Daisy, how shall I be dressed?" she inquired, when Daisy was disrobed
of her magnificence and at leisure to talk.
"I don't know. O, in some nice way," said Daisy, getting into her corner
of the couch again.
"Yes, but shall I--shall Jane and I have bracelets, and a girdle, and
something on our heads too?"
"No, I suppose not. The queen of course is most dressed, Nora; you know
she must be.
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