I set to work. The buttons, the darning, went fast and smooth. I saved the dress for last, a treat for myself, wanting my fingers limbered up before I tackled it. I put it on the curved, dress form. It was wonderful, perhaps the finest dress I had ever seen; never had I worked on such a garment. It was nothing like the simple, rough-clothed dresses I had learned to make by my mother's side. It was a frock like those that filled my daydreams; the fantasies where I designed and made such dresses. For more moments than I should, I simply stared at it, walking round it to see all its glory. I circled it as I would a great piece of art.
It was all silk, lace, beads, and pearls. It hugged the form tightly through the bodice and the upper legs, then flared wide and long, draping the floor. The p
