The door-steps were, however, not as white and clean as they might be, and that circumstance pressed upon Caddy's mind.

She therefore determined to give them a hasty wipe before retiring to dress for the evening.
Having done this, and dressed herself to her satisfaction, she came down stairs to prepare the refreshments for tea.

In doing this, she continually found herself exposing her new silk dress to great risks.

She therefore donned an old petticoat over her skirt, and tied an old silk handkerchief over her head to protect her hair from flying particles of dust; and thus arrayed she passed the time in a state of great excitement, frequently looking out of the window to see if her father and their guest were approaching.
In one of these excursions, she, to her intense indignation, found a beggar boy endeavouring to draw, with a piece of charcoal, an illustration of a horse-race upon her so recently cleaned door-steps.
"You young villain," she almost screamed, "go away from there.

How dare you make those marks upon the steps?
Go off at once, or I'll give you to a constable." To these behests the daring young gentleman only returned a contemptuous laugh, and put his thumb to his nose in the most provoking manner.