"That was very funny," said the little girl; "it made me laugh very much." "It made all the Toys laugh," said the Marionette--"except the Hansom-driver himself. And, perhaps, he might be excused for not doing so." "He _was_ a vain thing," said the little girl. "He was," the Marionette agreed. "However, we must not be too severe on him. He had his good points after all. He was not bad-tempered, for example, like poor Claribelle, who at one time was quite unbearable, and made herself disliked by everyone. Though in the end, poor creature, she became, it is true, an altered character." "'Poor Claribelle!' Who was she?" "A young lady doll whose bad temper, unfortunately for her, brought her great sorrow. "I should like to hear about her," said the little girl. The little Marionette mused a moment. "I should not do wrong to tell you," she remarked. "The story of this poor, proud creature may perhaps serve as a lesson and warning to some other haughty and fanciful young lady. Yes, you shall hear to-morrow evening of Claribelle." And so the next evening, in a grave voice that befitted the tale, she told the story of "Proud Claribelle." PROUD CLARIBELLE Claribelle was a very haughty doll. She was very beautiful, with great brown eyes and a mass of dark hair that fell to her waist. She had fine clothes, too; a pink silk dress, a large straw hat trimmed with lace and pink roses, pink silk stockings and bronze shoes, and round her neck a string of pearls, which were the envy of every lady doll in the toy-shop. She held her head very high indeed, and would not speak to this doll because it was "frumpish," or that doll because it was not in the same set as herself. The China Doll she really could not be on intimate terms with, because she had a crack across her cheek. Fancy being seen walking with a cracky person! Also, she must really decline being introduced to the Farthing Doll. A very good, worthy person, no doubt, but really she and a doll worth a farthing could not possibly have many tastes in common. As to the Rag Doll, she was a pushing person. At a tea-party at which they had both been present, she had asked Claribelle if she didn't think that skirts were fuller. To think of discussing clothes with a creature of rags! The idea was really too comical! It was thus, and in this proud spirit, that Claribelle talked about the other and more modest Toys. There were, indeed, very few that she would take the slightest notice of. As a matter of fact, when she walked down the counter she held her nose so much in the air that it was very rarely she saw anyone. She did not care in the least whether she trod on other people's toes or not.