arried,
Lilias? What is the date?"

"My dear, I've no notion! I am not even properly engaged yet, so how
could we begin talking about marriage? I believe we are to be put on
probation for some months, so it will certainly not be this year at any
rate."

"What a bore! I'm longing to stay with you in your own house. It's my
idea of happiness to go and stay with you girls when you are married.
You will ask us all in turns, won't you? I'd like to come with
Chrissie; and then, if you and Ned get too affectionate, we can amuse
ourselves in another room. It will be lovely having no grown-up person
in the house. Oh, well, of course, you are grown-up, if it comes to
that, but only young grown-up, and that makes all the difference. You
won't make us do things because they are `good for us'--send us a walk
when we don't feel inclined, for instance, or to bed early, or make us
eat `good plain food.' When I come to stay with you, I should like
never to go out unless I have something special to do, and to have tea
for lunch, and nice rich cake, and laze about from morning till night,
just as I felt disposed."

"And you'll ask people to meet us, won't you, Lil, and take us about,
and give us all your old gloves and ribbons? Marie Elder's sister is
engaged, and he won't let her wear any gloves that are the l-east little
bit soiled; so Marie gets them all. I hope Ned will be fussy about your
things, too. What shall you call your house? I hope it's a nice one.
Florrie Elder is going to have a blue drawing-room, and Marie is working
her a cushion of the most ex-quisite ribbon-work you ever did see.
Florrie says she would quarrel with her nearest and dearest if he dared
to lean against it. If you like, I'll ask her for the pattern, and do
one for you. It wouldn't matter having them the same, when you live so
far apart."

"What will Jim say? Ned and he vowed that they would be bachelors all
their lives, and live together when they were old. Now he will be
obliged to marry himself, in revenge. How I shall detest the girl! She
won't be half nice enough for him, and he will like her better than us,
and that will be horribly exasperating. I don't envy her when he brings
her to see us, that's all! Six sisters all glaring at her in a row, and
saying to themselves, `I don't like her nose!' `I don't like her eyes!'
`What a hat!' `However could he fall in love with her!' And mother
all icy kind, and father smirking behi