Altogether, Anna, on turning, after the departure of her guests, to the consideration of her attire, was very much annoyed.

She was generally a mistress of the art of dressing well without great expense, and before leaving Moscow she had given her dressmaker three dresses to transform.

The dresses had to be altered so that they could not be recognized, and they ought to have been ready three days before.

It appeared that two dresses had not been done at all, while the other one had not been altered as Anna had intended.

The dressmaker came to explain, declaring that it would be better as she had done it, and Anna was so furious that she felt ashamed when she thought of it afterwards.