The tears were
dried, in course of time, and the needlebook, with its yellow
pictures and pink edges, was very neatly finished. Ellen had
been busy, too, on her own account. Alice had got a piece of
fine linen for her from Miss Sophia; the collar for Mr. Van
Brunt had been cut out, and Ellen with great pleasure had made
it. The stitching, the strings, and the very buttonhole, after
infinite pains, were all finished by Thursday night. She had
also made a needlecase for Alice, not of so much pretension as
the other one; this was green morocco, lined with crimson
satin; no leaves, but ribbon stitched in to hold papers of
needles, and a place for a bodkin. Ellen worked very hard at
this; it was made with the extremest care, and made
beautifully. Ellen Chauncey admired it very much, and anew
lamented the uncouth variety of colours in her own. It was a
grave question whether pink or yellow ribbon should be used
for the latter; Ellen Montgomery recommended pink, she herself
inclined to yellow, and, tired of doubting, at last resolved
to split the difference, and put one string of each colour.
Ellen thought that did not mend matters, but wisely kept her
thoughts to herself. Besides the needlecase for Alice, she had
snatched the time, whenever she could get away from Ellen
Chauncey, to work at something for her. She had begged Alice's
advice and help; and between them, out of Ellen's scraps of
morocco and silk, they had manufactured a little bag of all
the colours of the rainbow, and very pretty and tasteful
withal.
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