NEAT, BUT NOT GAUDY. 13 



pox, that the other girls in the village used 

 to call her " Pock -pitted Bet." You never 

 saw any of them keep company with her in 

 going to church (she kept no holidays) ; 

 she was so plain, and she dressed so plain, 

 too, and so neat. And there was something 

 in that ; for any body that passed her and 

 looked back at her face wasn't disappointed 

 at all. It's often set me wondering how 

 ordinary people can be so foolish as to dress 

 so fine, and sometimes outrageously grand, 

 as if to call people to look at their want of 

 beauty ; and many a laugh I've seen at some 

 of the Hall folks on this score. And not at 

 the Hall folks only, for I've often seen the 

 same at other people : if you looked at the 

 things on their backs, and their airs, you'd 

 surely have taken them for quality ; and if 

 you only watched 'em long enough, you'd see 

 'em slip into some little poking place, and 

 no occasion to walk in after them to see if 

 it was clean and all to rights ; for I always 

 noticed, that when people make themselves 

 so fine for the sake of being looked at, 

 they're sure to spend a deal of time looking 

 at other people. Somebody goes by the 

 window, up they jump ; and that look's not 



