Chapter Synopsis

Memoirs of a London Doll
February 2, 2009

Chapter 6: The Little Lady

Maria is destined to lose her kind mamma and become the dear doll of another. One day at the park while feeding the geese, Aunt Sharpshins and Ellen are approached by a footman who told them that the Countess of Flowerdale would like to speak with them. The young lady with the Countess has been looking longingly at Maria. The Countess inquires if Ellen will part with her doll. Ellen clutches Maria closer to her but Aunt Sharpshins looks down at her under her bonnet with such a look, and the little girl in the carriage has one tear starting to come down her cheek, and the lady in the carriage was so sweet, that Ellen had no choice and immediately kissed Maria and handed her up into the carriage. Lady Flora shall be Maria’s new mama. The Countess, Lady Flora, and Maria drove off in the carriage to Hyde Park and on the way met many elegant carriages and exchanged warm greetings. Maria is excited to be in this new world where there is much respect, admiration and love.

DISCUSSION:

Poor little Ellen, losing her beloved Maria. Even though the Countess made sure to ask if Ellen would part with the doll, I believe old Sharpshins was thinking of herself. With that mean look she gave Ellen such a scare that there was no question that she was expected to give the doll to the Countess. I think Maria was about the only happiness there was in Ellen’s little life, except for her friend, Nanny. How sad for her to go back home and live that horrible lifestyle and not have her beloved doll. The Countess said she would provide her with a new doll and cradle, but it won’t be the same as having Maria, and her brother worked so hard to get the doll for her.

Speaking of brothers, nothing has been mentioned about her brother unless I overlooked it. I wonder if she gets to see him anymore.

In Sharpshins’ defense, perhaps she was a woman afraid of what would happen to her if her business failed. She certainly didn’t want to end up in a poorhouse. She needed her customers and the doll was nothing to her so she forced Ellen to give the doll up. She probably thought the doll was foolishness anyway. Then again, maybe she was very greedy and wanted all the business she could get. She had a bunch of young girls working from dawn til dusk so she could take in all the business she wanted. Maybe, too, when “someone of quality” makes a request to a tradesperson, that person feels he or she must comply with the request for fear of some type of retribution.

Odd, too, that Maria never expressed any sadness or longing for Ellen as she was being taken away, but she probably didn’t dare to express any feelings in front of old Sharpshins.
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I guess this was a plot device to move the story along, but it seemed a bit strange to me. I wondered why the Countess would ask the 'poor' child to part with her beloved doll? I can understand Aunt Sharpshins though. To be a woman with a business in that time would have been hard.
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Yes, you can see both sides. The Countess seemed nice enough but I think it was a lot to ask of a little girl (of obviously a different class of person) even though the Countess did say she would replace the doll.

Still Aunt Sharpshins was sure watching out for herself by letting the Countess take the doll. She probably thought there would be retribution if she didn't hand up the doll. Still, I do hate to see one grovel to those of "quality".
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The same thought here, about the aunt. For her it was good business, and a way to move the doll along to a different owner.

Perhaps the mother herself was young and grew up the same way she is raising her daughter? Anything she wants she gets? It’s hard to break a pattern like that when you never see how others live.
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I think not only was Miss Sharpshins mean but the Countess thought nothing of asking for the doll when I'm sure her daughter had plenty. I think the Countess spoiled her daughter.
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You are absolutely right. I didn't think of it from that angle. Even though the Countess was nice about asking for the doll, she should have understood that a little girl in Ellen's situation would most likely not have another doll. It was selfish of her to even ask even though she said she would purchase another doll for Ellen. Seems to me she should have asked where Ellen acquired the doll and gone to the dollmaker's shop.
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I think I spotted the real reason why Ellen gave up her dolly. It wasn't Aunt Sharpshin's nasty look, it was the little girl! "...out rolled on large, proud tear. But she did not cry or say a word." I think Ellen was moved by this little girl's need not to have everything (because she is rich) but to have that particular dolly, because something in her struck a cord.
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Yes, this sounds right. A doll must make that connection and that's how she moves on to the next girl; and you have to give credit to the fact that she was replaced with extras.
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We know that Ellen is a kind child, it is easy to see that she would be more moved by the tear than fear.
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I am sorry she had to lose her dolly--but maybe she grew from the experience.
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I know the story is about a doll, but I hate the way the characters come and go and we never know what happens to them, like Ellen and her brother, and what about the Spratts? The story moves on but I'm left wondering. It's like a movie with an ending where you don't know what happened with the characters. I NEED ANSWERS!!!!!

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