How to make a Coat. 29 



that he would only spoil the cloth. However, he was 

 strong in the belief that he could manage it quite 

 well, and at once commenced to open out the coat 

 that he was wearing, taking the precaution to mark 

 the pieces with figures that joined each other. 



Having got the sewing all ripped out and the pieces 

 carefully folded up, he took them to his mistress, 

 and showed her liow easily each piece could now be 

 shaped from the old one. Seeing that he was so 

 determined to do it, and that there was at any rate 

 some prospect of his succeeding, at a convenient time 

 the cloth was brought out, and she helped him in the 

 shaping, each piece being marked as it was cut out 

 to agree with the duplicate of the old coat. This 

 done, new and old were carefully packed up and 

 given wholly into his charge, with a notice that his 

 mistress would have nothing more to do with the 

 matter, and that the responsibility was now wholly 

 on his own shoulders. As he had not calculated on 

 receiving any extraneous help, that information gave 

 him no uneasiness. It being summer-time, his work- 

 shop was the hillside, but, as the time was not all his 

 own, he did the sewing only as fair opportunity 

 offered. By dint of perseverance, he got on bit by 

 bit tolerably well, and within a month he had the coat 

 finished. It might have been done sooner, but that, 

 knowing what criticism would be bestowed upon it, 

 David took great pains to make the work, so far as he 

 could, an exact copy of the original. He first brought 

 it under the notice of his mistress in position upon its 

 maker's and owner's back, and great was her astonish- 

 ment, upon a close inspection, to find it so well done. 



