But Mr. St. Clare could not answer her question . So Miss Ophelia had to go on , as best she could , trying to make Topsy a good girl . She taught her to read and to sew . Topsy liked reading , and learned her letters like magic . But she could not bear sewing . So she broke her needles or threw them away . She tangled , broke , and dirtied her cotton and hid her reels . Miss Ophelia felt sure all these things could not be accidents . Yet she could never catch Topsy doing them . In a very few days Topsy had learned how to do Miss Ophelia 's room perfectly , for she was very quick and clever . But if Miss Ophelia ever left her to do it by herself there was sure to be dreadful confusion . Instead of making the bed , she would amuse herself with pulling off the pillow-cases . Then she would butt her woolly head among the pillows , until it was covered with feathers sticking out in all directions . She would climb the bedpost , and hang head downwards from the top ; wave the sheets and covers all over the room ; dress the bolster up in Miss Ophelia 's nightgown and act scenes with it , singing , whistling , and making faces at herself in the looking-glass all the time . ` Topsy , ' Miss Ophelia would say , when her patience was at an end , ` what makes you behave so badly ? ' ` Dunno , missis -- I ` spects ' cause I 's so wicked . ' ' I do n't know what I shall do with you , Topsy . ' ` Laws , missis , you must whip me . My old missis always did . I a n't used to workin ' unless I gets whipped . '
So Miss XXXXX tried it .
Clare Dunno Ophelia Topsy accidents left missis nightgown pillow-cases spects