the analogies, and the associations of her beauty: no manner of
dressing can make a woman look more beautiful than she is, though many
a mode may make her look less so.

There was one in the house, however, who was not pleased at the change
from Folter to Mary: Sepia found herself in consequence less necessary
to Hesper. Hitherto Hesper had never been satisfied without Sepia's
opinion and final approval in that weightiest of affairs, the matter of
dress; but she found in Mary such a faculty as rendered appeal to Sepia
unnecessary; for she not only satisfied her idea of herself, and how
she would choose to look, but showed her taste as much surer than
Sepia's as Sepia's was readier than Hesper's own. Sepia was equal to
the dressing of herself--she never blundered there; but there was
little dependence to be placed upon her in dressing another. She cared
for herself, not for another; and to dress another, love is
needful--love, the only true artist--love, the only opener of eyes. She
cared nothing to minister to the comfort or beautification of her
cousin, and her displeasure did not arise from the jealousy that is
born of affection. So far as Hesper's self was concerned, Sepia did not
care a straw whether she was well or ill dressed; but, if the link
between them of dress was severed, what other so strong would be left?
And to find herself in any way a less object in Hesper's eyes, would be
to find herself on the inclined plane of loss, and probable ruin.

Another, though a smaller, point was, that hitherto she had generally
been able so to dress Hesper as to make of her more or less a foil to
herself. My reader may remember that there was between Hesper and
Sepia, if not a resemblance, yet a relation of appearance, like,
vaguely, that between the twilight and the night; seen in certain
positions and circumstances, the one would recall the other; and it was
therefore a matter of no small consequence to Sepia that the relation
of her dress to Hesper's should be such as to give herself any
advantage to be derived in it from the relation of their looks. This
was far more difficult, of course, when she had no longer a voice in
the matter of Hesper's dress, and when the loving skill of the new maid
presented her rival to her individual best. Mary would have been glad
to help her as well, but Sepia drew back as from a hostile nature, and
they made no approximation. This was more loss to Sepia than she knew,
for Mary would ha