these she wears a rich wrap. Slippers are on her feet. In
front of her, on a table, are rouge and chalk and a pad of
cotton-wool--already she has made up her face, and her bright
bird-like eyes shine in a painted mask, her strong face, her hawk-like
nose and her expressionless mouth reflect back at her from the mirror.
Beside the rouge pot is a Nuremberg egg watch, quietly ticking in its
crystal case. One of the women brings forward a number of attires of
false hair, golden and red, and from these the Queen chooses one. It
is a close periwig of tight red curls, among which pearls and pieces
of burnished metal shine. With great care this wig is fastened on to
the Queen's head, and she watches the process with her bright eyes and
still features in the great mirror.

Then, when this wig is fixed to her mind, she rises, and is helped
into the privie coat of bones and buckram, which is laced tightly by
the women at her back. Now comes the moment when they are about to
fasten on her whalebone hips the great farthingale--over which her
voluminous petticoats and skirts will fall. The wheel of bone is tied
with ribbons about her waist, and there securely fastened. After some
delay in choosing an under-gown, she then puts on several linen
petticoats, one over another, to give the required fulness to her
figure; and then comes the stiffly-embroidered under-gown--in this
case but a petticoat with a linen bodice which has no sleeves.

[Illustration: A WOMAN OF THE TIME OF ELIZABETH (1558-1603)

Compare this with the other plate showing the opposite fashion.]

With great care she seats herself on a broad chair, and a perfect army
of ruffs is laid before her. As the tire-woman is displaying the ruffs
she talks to the Queen, and tells her that peculiar story, then
current, of the Lady of Antwerp, who was in a great way because she
could not get her ruff to set aright, and when in a passion she
called upon the devil to take it, as if in answer to the summons a
young and handsome gentleman appeared. Together they tried the ruff,
and the young gentleman suddenly strangled the lady and vanished. Now
when they came to carry away the coffin of the lady some days later,
it was found that no one could lift it, so, in the end, it was opened,
and there, to the surprise of everybody, sat a great black cat setting
a ruff. The Queen's eyes twinkle on this story, for she has a great
fund of dry humour--and so, to the business of the ruffs. Fi