et me a few little things. I have made out a list, so it won't be
any trouble to you."

"No trouble at all. Glad to do it."

"That white ribbon should be medium width. And before I forget it, have
you written yet to your friend De Forest about his standing up?"

"No, I forgot it. I'll drop him a line to-morrow. But what do you want
that ribbon to be so long for?"

"That is to be held across the aisle by the ushers, you know, to keep
off the _ignobile vulgus_. You and Bessie will march up _here_, you see,
preceded by the four ushers and the bridesmaids and groomsmen, who will
then range themselves off this way. The members of the families and the
friends will be separated from the other people _thus_. It's very
pretty. Belle Graham was married that way at St. Thomas's, and everybody
said it was splendid."

This is the kind of talk I had to listen to for weeks, and is it any
wonder that I grew thin and had sleepless nights?

I was now a mere puppet in the hands of Mrs. Pinkerton, and came and
went as she pulled the wires. She had arranged that the affair was to
take place in "her church"--and a very fashionable temple of worship it
was. Her rector was to officiate, assisted by the vealy young man who
had just graduated from the theological seminary. There were to be four
bridesmaids and an equal number of groomsmen and of ushers. I should
have liked to have something to say about who should "stand up" with us,
as Mrs. Pinkerton expressed it; but when I timidly suggested that some
of my friends would be available for the purpose, I was taken aback to
learn that the entire list had been made up and decided upon without my
knowledge, and that only one of the groomsmen chosen was a friend of
mine,--De Forest,--the others being young men whom the worthy Mrs.
Pinkerton had selected from her list of society people. One of the young
men was a downright fool, if I must call things by their right names,
but he dressed to perfection; the remaining two I scarcely knew by
sight, but I did know that one of them had seen the time when he aspired
to occupy the place I was now filling in respect to the Pinkerton
household: need I say more concerning my sentiments regarding him?

The ushers,--well, of course, they were the four young gentlemen who
knew everybody who was anybody, and I could not object to them,
considering that they charged nothing for their onerous services.

The bridesmaids were all old school friends of Bessie's,