re you going to be married in a black gown?"

"Black! No; but I do not care what kind of a gown it is, further than
that."

"I don't think you care much about the whole thing," said Mrs.
Starling, looking at her. "If I was you, I wouldn't be married just to
please somebody else, without it pleased myself too. That's what _I_
think."

Poor Diana thought of Mr. Masters' face as she had seen it the last
time; and it seemed to her good to give somebody else pleasure, even if
pleasure were gone and out of the question for her. This view of the
question, naturally, she did not make public.

"What _are_ you going to marry this man for?" said Mrs. Starling,
standing straight up (she had been bending over some work) and looking
hard at her daughter.

"I hope he'll make a good woman of me," Diana said soberly.

"If you had a little more spunk, you might make a good man of him; but
you aren't the woman to do it. He wants his pride taken down a bit."

"But what about the day, mother?" said Diana, who preferred not to
discuss this subject.

"Well, if you haven't thought of it, I have; and I'm going to ask all
the folks there are; and we've got to make a spread for 'em, Diana
Starling, so we may as well be about it."

"Already!" said Diana. "It's weeks yet."

"They'll run away, you'll find; and the cake'll be better for keepin'.
You may go about stonin' the fruit as soon as you're a mind to."

Diana said no more, but stoned her raisins and picked over her currants
and sliced her citron, with the same apathetic want of realization
which lately she had brought to everything. It might have been cake for
anybody else's wedding that she was getting ready, so little did her
fingers recognise the relation of the things with herself. The cake was
made and baked and iced and ornamented. And then Mrs. Starling's
activities went on to other items of preparation. Seeing Diana would be
married, she meant it should be done in a way the country-side would
not forget; neither should Mrs. Flandin make mental comparisons,
pityingly, of the wedding that was, with the wedding that would have
been with her son for the bridegroom. Baking and boiling and roasting
and jellying went on in quantity, for Mrs. Starling was a great cook,
and could do things in style when she chose. The house was put in
order; fresh curtains hung up, and the handsomest linen laid out, and
greens and flowers employed to cover and deck the severely plain walls
and fur