MIGNON
that would have been too wonderful to believe. But, like some of our accomplished dollies of to-day, Mignon could say “Mamma!” when you squeezed her gently.
The proudest thing about the Queen’s wonderful doll was her clothes. There never was seen such a beautiful dress as Mignon wore when she came in her fine satin-lined box, on the Queen’s eighth birthday. She was all in white satin and velvet and the richest lace, copied from the Queen’s own coronation robe, with a long train; and she had a crown on her head. Moreover, the crown was of real gold set with the most beautiful jewels,—rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds. In the front was a great white pearl, worth the price of a hundred such dollies as you can buy to-day. And up and down the white velvet train was embroidered in gold and silver and precious stones; so that this was the most splendid birthday doll which any little girl ever had.
But that was precisely the trouble. Mignon was too splendid for a real play doll. One would always be afraid of hurting her fine clothes. Be-3
