Sir  Fitzwater  Ingham  was  splendid  as  Don  Quixote.  Verena
came  as  Columbine;  Claribel  was  a  gypsy,  which  she  thought
an  original  note.  The  town  made  wonderful  things  out  of
curtains,  chair  covers,  gilt  cardboard,  and  called  itself  Harle-
quins, Italian  brigands,  pierrettes.  I  wanted  to  come  as  a
harem  favorite,  in  a  loose,  sleeveless  coat  of  red  velvet,  gold-
braided  at  the  edges,  over  a  white  crepe-de-Chine  shirt,  with
a  green  sash,  lots  of  sequins,  and  pink  trousers.  When  the
clothes  arrived  mamma  merely  said,  "Ursula,  you  aren't
going  to  wear  that!"

"Why  not?"

"But,  my  dear  . . .  really  . . .  trousers^


42  URSULA   TRENT

"There's  nothing  indecent  in  trousers,  is  there?  They
clothe  one,  in  fact,  considerably."

Mamma  evaded  me.  She  always  did.  "Oh  no,  no!  It
really  wouldn't  do.  People  wouldn't  like  it."

We  had  a  long,  rambling  discussion,  during  which  I  first
tried  to  find  out  why  people  would  mind.  I  at  last  managed
to  discover  that  mamma  didn't  mind  my  trousers,  and  that
she  was  sure  that  Lady  Edderton  didn't  mind  my  trousers.
