The Doll’s House
Week of February 18, 2008

Chapter 13:

It is winter and Tottie has returned to the dolls’ house. Charlotte, Emily and Tottie are off to Mrs. Innisfree’s to pick up the sofa and chairs for the dolls’ house. The family is excited about the new additions to their home, except Birdie said she should have been quite content with cotton reels to sit on.

On the way to Mrs. Innisfree’s the girls began talking of Christmas, and Tottie suddenly thought that she would love to give Birdie a little parasol for Christmas. She started wishing. She would like to get a marble for Apple; a tiddlywinks plate for Darner, a big purple one; and a toy post office for Mr. Plantaganet. Tottie knew he would be happy to go to business every day.

Upon arrival at Mrs. Innisfree’s, the girls and Tottie stared at the sofa and chairs, not recognizing them. The wood had been carefully sandpapered and polished. The petit-point seats and arms and backs had been fastened over new cushions. Mrs. Innisfree had worked the cream background with tiny roses and leaves, even working their shadings, though the flowers were scarcely bigger than knots or dots. Tottie declared it was worth going to the Exhibition. Emily declared that “Even the Queen’s dolls’ house hasn’t a better set than that.”

Mrs. Innisfree surprised the girls with two pairs of fine white lace curtains, each curtain six inches long. She had found the perfect piece of lace for the curtains and had enough left over to make an apron for Tottie. The lace was worked with ferns such as their Great-Grandmother’s drawing room might have had. Emily says, “We shall keep them always, we shall never change them. Nor will our children’s children.”

Mrs. Innisfree and Emily did an account of the cost of the curtains, the polisher and upholsterer and of the silks and canvas for the furniture. It came to just what the girls had had in their savings – eight and ten pence. They could not pay Mrs. Innisfree for her time in working the furniture covering “nor for the thinking.”

Charlotte wonders what makes thinking and thought it funny how one thing begins another. There is no knowing where it leads to, or when it will end, or where.

DISCUSSION:

Chapter 13 is a sweet little chapter. Tottie is home, the family is happy, and there is much excitement about the new furniture to come. Christmas is on the way, and the girls’ and Tottie’s thoughts are on Christmas presents. Tottie is always thinking of her family. I know she is happy to be away from Marchpane.

Emily and Charlotte are obviously children who take care of their things. They are so careful with Tottie and the Plantaganet family and the dolls’ house. Emily declares that they shall keep the furniture and lace curtains always and “shall never change them nor will our children’s children.”

And wouldn’t everyone love to have a Mrs. Innisfree in their family!!! Actually, I had a Great Aunt like that. Her name was Helen but she was always called Aunt Shonnie. She did so many “Mrs. Innisfree” type things for me and my sisters while we were growing up. She is long since passed away but I have so many happy memories of her as do my sisters. My Aunt Shonnie is Mrs. Innisfree!
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I liked this chapter too. Especially when Emily catches on to the fact that the bill comes to exactly the amount of money Mrs. Innisfree thinks they have, and Mrs. I. says--"And if I enjoy it?" Too nice. I think we do need a Mrs. Innisfree in out lives! Or maybe, we all ought to strive to BE Mrs. Innisfrees! You were lucky to have one in your life, too!