"Not much. What a slim and sickly whiffet I was! I wonder you ever looked twice at me, with Pete at hand as a contrast." "I liked muscle, but I like brains too," explained Jane, as if this were the first time the matter had been made clear. "Thank you. I ’m afraid I had none too many of those, either. The house looks festive, does n’t it? Have you seen the dining-room? Mother seemed to be particularly pleased with the decorations there." "I ’m afraid I ran away in too much of a hurry to notice." Murray gave his young wife an amused look as they stood together on the steps of the small side entrance by which Jane had come out an hour before. "Do you know where you are to stand in the receiving line?" he inquired. Jane shook her head. "Do you know whether you are to shake hands with the guests or merely bow?" "No. You ’ll tell me, won’t you?" "Do you know whether I ’m to present people you don’t know to you, or whether you ’re to depend on mother for that?" "I suppose I’ll find that out when the time comes." "Do you know whether you ought to look beamingly happy or coolly composed?" "Which do you prefer?" Murray laughed. "A judicious mixture of both, I should say. Well, my small bride, ignorant as you profess to be of your part, I ’m not worried about you. Just the same, I expect we ’d better hunt up mother and be coached as to the precise line of conduct she expects of us. I ’ve never played the leading man’s part in a bridal ’At Home’ myself, and mother’s something of a stickler for doing things according to the latest revision of the code. Well, well," he added in surprise, glancing at his watch as they entered the hall, "it’s later than I thought. Do you need to go upstairs?" "Just a minute--to smooth my unruly hair," and Jane ran away, leaving him gazing after her. "Murray!" His mother came toward him from the library, a striking, even imposing, figure in black and white lace and amethysts. "Between you and Jane, I was getting anxious. I have n’t seen the child since I went to her room, at least two hours ago." "She is all ready--dressed early so she might run home, since I sent her word I should be late." "But where is she now?" "Ran upstairs to see if her hair was right. Is n’t that the invariable custom at the last minute?" "She is wearing her wedding-gown, of course?" "She surely is." "No ornaments?" "I sent her some roses. She ’ll carry them, or wear one, or something, I suppose." "But no jewels?" "I think she ’s wearing the pearl pin I gave her."