Our stepmother soon came into the room. Tall
and thin, except for her growing belly, she wore a voluminous, high-waisted, blue-striped gown. As
always, her head was covered by a white lacy mobcap.
Her neck was concealed by a ruffled collar called a
“betsy” after Queen Elizabeth, who apparently had
worn gigantic ruffs in her day. Sometimes I thought
such queenly attire suited Prissy, especially when
she made proclamations and expected me to obey.
Sometimes I did feel like her lowly subject, a somewhat
rebellious one. - A Buss from Lafayette
When Priscilla, Clara's erstwhile aunt/new stepmother, first appears in A Buss from Lafayette, I decided she would be wearing a betsy. This made it possible for Clara to reveal some essential facts about their relationship. Later on it becomes clear that this betsy reveals something about Priscilla's self-image as well!
Here's what one version of the betsy looked like:
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