"Spoke of marriage, eh? Did he happen t' mention th' word--wife?" "Oh, many times, Ann." "Good f'r him! An' when's it t' be?" "Oh, Ann, dear, I--I'm afraid it's--to-night!" "T'night? My land, he's sure some hasty!" "And so--so masterful, Ann!" "Well, y' sure need a master. But t'night--land sakes!" "He wrote and told me he would fix things so he could marry me to-night, Ann!" "Then he's sure out fixin' 'em right now. Lord, Hermy, why d' ye tremble, girl--y' sure love him, don't ye?" "So much, Ann, so very much--and yet--" "You ain't scared of him, are ye?" "No--and yet, I--I think I am--a little." "But you'll marry him, all the same?" "Yes." "An' t'night?" "Yes. But Ann, dear, when he comes in I want you to keep him with you as long as you can--will you?" "Why, sure I'll keep him, jest as long as--he'll let me! Lord, t' think as my little Hermy'll be a married woman this night!" "And--oh, Ann, I haven't any--trousseau--" "Shucks! You don't need none. You're best as you are. You won't need no fluffs an' frills, I reckon." "But, Ann dear," said Hermione, lifting her head and shaking it ruefully, "I have--nothing! And my best dress--I made it in such a hurry, you remember--it needs pressing and--" "He ain't marryin' you fer your clo'es, Hermy--no, sir! It's you he wants an'--oh, shucks! What do clo'es matter t' you, anyway? You was meant to be one o' them nymphs an' goddesses as went about clad--well, airy. You'd ha' done fine with them soft arms an' shoulders an'--" "But I'm not a goddess, Ann, I'm only poor Hermy Chesterton--with a hole in one stocking and the lace on her petticoat torn, and her other things--well, look here!" and up whirled gown and petticoat, "see what a state they're in--look, Ann!" "My dear, I am!" nodded Mrs. Trapes over her teacup, "an' what I say is, it don't matter a row o' pins if a stockin' 's got a bit of a hole in it if that stockin' 's on sich a leg as that! An' as fer--" "But," sighed Hermione, "don't you understand--" "My dear, I do! I was a married woman once, mind. An' I tell you 'beauty doth lie in the eye o' the beholder', my dear, an' the two eyes as is a-goin' t' behold you this night is goin' t' behold so much beauty as they won't behold nothin' else." "But--he loves dainty things, I'm sure." "Well, ain't he gettin' a dainty thing? Ain't he gettin' th' daintiest, sweetest, loveliest--" Here Mrs. Trapes set down her cup again to clasp Hermione in her arms. "Do you think he'll--understand, Ann?" "He'll be a fool if he doesn't!" "And make allowances? He knows how poor we are and how busy I have to be." "He does so, my dear. But, if it's goin' t' comfort you any, there's that corset cover you made me last Christmas. I ain't never wore it; I ain't dared to with all them trimmin's an' lace insertion, an' me s' bony here an' there. You can have it an' willin', my dear, an' then there's them--" "Ann, you dear thing, as if I would!"