"There are no more to be had in town." "That makes a difference." "But this evening we shall have several sedan chairs and Bath chairs." "Aha! so they have those things here?" "To be sure; they are very convenient and much less dangerous than your horse vehicles, which always frighten me." "It is true that in a Bath chair the steed doesn't take the bit in his teeth. And from the mayor's office we go to the church?" "Yes; at one o'clock." "And then?" "Then we come back here, and chat until three." "Where is the wedding feast to be?" "Here, my dear. At first Madame de Pontchartrain insisted on having it at her house, but I finally carried the day. We shall be much more free here, you know. We can laugh and sing and frolic." "I confess that I shall be delighted to be allowed to frolic. And the ball is to be here also, I suppose?" "Oh! no, my dear; the ball is to be at Madame de Pontchartrain's; she has a superb salon, where three sets can dance a quadrille at once. Besides, it's more proper at night to be where the bride can conveniently be put to bed!" "What's that? put the bride to bed? I fancy that that's my business." "No, my dear; don't you know that it's the custom for the bride's near relations to take her to the nuptial chamber and undress her and put her to bed?" "You will do me the kindness to abridge all that ceremonial, which I consider utterly ridiculous, as much as you possibly can. It seems to me to be the bridegroom's place to undress his wife and put her to bed--or to postpone putting her to bed if he and she please. They are entirely at liberty to suit themselves." "Oh! brother, think of what decency demands!"