s, would
you?"

"Hum,--that's a different matter," said Fairy more thoughtfully. "He
hasn't wanted to yet. You see, he's a man and can go by himself without
having it look as though nobody wanted to be seen with him. And he's a
stranger over there, and doesn't need to get chummy with the girls. The
boys here all know me, and ask me to go, and--a man, you see, can just
be passive and nothing happens. But a girl's got to be downright
negative, and it's no joke. One misses so many good times. You see the
cases are different, Prue."

"Yes, that's so," Prudence assented absent-mindedly, counting off ten
more threads.

"Then you would object if he had dates?" queried Aunt Grace smilingly.

"Oh, no, not at all,--if there was any occasion for it--but there isn't.
And I think I would be justified in objecting if he deliberately made
occasions for himself, don't you?"

"Yes, that would be different," Prudence chimed in, such "miles away" in
her voice, that Fairy turned on her indignantly.

"Prudence Starr, you make me wild," she said. "Can't you drop that
everlasting hemstitching, embroidering, tatting, crocheting, for ten
minutes to talk to me? What in the world are you going to do with it
all, anyhow? Are you intending to carpet your floors with it?"

"This is a napkin," Prudence explained good-naturedly. "The set cost me
fifteen dollars." She sighed.

"Did the veil come?" The clouds vanished magically from Fairy's face,
and she leaned forward with that joy of wedding anticipation that rules
in woman-world.

"Yes, it's beautiful. Come and see it. Wait until I pull four more
threads. It's gorgeous."

"I still think you're making a great mistake," declared Fairy earnestly.
"I don't believe in big showy church weddings. You'd better change it
yet. A little home affair with just the family,--that's the way to do
it. All this satin-gown, orange-blossom elaboration with curious eyes
staring up and down--ugh! It's all wrong."

Prudence dropped the precious fifteen-dollar-a-set napkin in her lap and
gazed at Fairy anxiously. "I know you think so, Fairy," she said.
"You've told me so several times." Fairy's eyes twinkled, but Prudence
had no intention of sarcasm. "But I can't help it, can I? We had quite
settled on the home wedding, but when the twins discovered that the
members felt hurt at being left out, father thought we'd better change
over."

"Well, I can't see that the members have any right to run our wedding.
B