"No," said Mrs. Radigan. "But it is much more interesting to be an unhappy duchess than a happy common person. Think of the children alone. It must be lovely to have your picture taken holding Lord Algernon Percy Montmorency Fitznit and all that in one hand, and Lady Angeline Mary Maria Fitznit in the other--sounds much better than when Mrs. John Jones is seen with just Jim and Kate. A duke is a duke, Pearl, and even if he is a jibbering idiot, he takes precedence over a mere genius all over the world, even in our common democratic America. Now, if you had married Lord Nocastle----" Poor Pearl! She had already talked a great deal for her and was not disposed to argue with her worldly wise sister, which nettled Mrs. Radigan, who likes to be contradicted if it will give her the opportunity to drive home another point. As she went on and met only a smiling acquiescence to everything she said, or now and then a monosyllabic remark, or a puff of smoke, she became disconcerted and at last angry, as angry as she can become, for at heart she is a good soul. "Well?" she demanded at last. "Well?" said Pearl, blowing a ring. "Don't you think I am right?" "Certainly," replied Pearl, shifting over on the arm of my chair till she leaned quite heavily on me, quite delightfully so, but I manfully refused to budge an inch. At that Mrs. Radigan arose. "You are terribly exasperating," she said, flaunting toward the door. But she paused there and stood framed in the heavy portières gazing at us. And we gazed back defiantly. "You must admit that it was a lovely wedding, except for the bride and groom," she said a little more softly. "Certainly," Pearl answered smiling. "It cost them thousands." "But we could have done it much better, Pearl," Mrs. Radigan went on, now in quite a gentle tone. "I hated so to see you only maid of honor at the wedding of so great a man as the Duke of Nocastle. It seemed to me as though Ethel Bumpschus were taking you up the aisle at her chariot-wheels. And you looked so lovely." "Certainly," said Pearl. "How could I help it?" Thereupon I grew bold and said something that Mrs. Radigan did not hear. Pearl laughed and Mrs. Radigan did not understand. "It was funny," she said. "I really almost laughed myself. And all the rest was so lovely that it did seem a pity that Ethel Bumpschus and that little Duke had to come in and spoil it. Did you notice them at the chancel? Everything was perfect; the Bishop of New York and the Bishop of Long Island and the other clergymen did look so smart in their vestments, and that Captain Lord Algernon is a magnificent man, like all heirs presumptious, and the bridesmaids were exquisite, Pearl, exquisite; and I have never seen such ushers, except those white spats did make their feet more attractive than their faces; but, 'pon my word, when I saw the Duke kneeling beside Ethel and just reaching her shoulders, I thought I should collapse. Do you suppose he said anything during the ceremony?"