The Princess,graceful as a bird and glowing like fire,danced around it,and touched it,and lifted the sleeves,and made the bead fringe swing,and laughed,and talked every second.Sally,and mother,and all of them had smiled such wide smiles for so long,their faces looked almost as set as Sabethany's,but of course far different.Being dead was one thing,getting ready for a wedding another.
And it looked too as if God might be a myth,for all they cared,so long as the Princess could make the wedding dress stand alone,and talk a blue streak of things that pleased them.It was not put on either,for there stood the dress,shimmering like the inside of a pearl-lined shell,white as a lily,and the tinkly gold fringe.No one COULD have said enough about it,so no matter what the Princess said,it had to be all right.She kept straight on showing all of them how lovely it was,exactly as if they hadn't seen it before,and she had to make them understand about it,as if she felt afraid they might have missed some elegant touch she had seen.
"Do look how the lace falls when I raise this sleeve!Oh how will you wear this and think of a man enough to say the right words in the right place?"Mother laughed,and so did all of them.
"Do please show me the rest,"begged the Princess."I know there are slippers and a bonnet!"Sally just oozed pride.She untied the strings and pushed the prettiest striped bag from a lovely pink bandbox and took out a dear little gray bonnet with white ribbons,and the yellow bead fringe,and a bunch of white roses with a few green leaves.
These she touched softly,"I'm not quite sure about the leaves,"she said.
The Princess had the bonnet,turning and tilting it.
"Perfect!"she cried."Quite perfect!You need that touch of colour,and it blends with everything.How I envy you!Oh why doesn't some one ask me,so I can have things like these?I think your brother is a genius.I'm going to ride to Westchester tomorrow and give him an order to fill for me the next time he goes to the city.No one shows me such fabrics when I go,and Aunt Beatrice sends nothing from London I like nearly so well.
Oh!Oh!"
She was on her knees now,lifting the skirt to set under little white satin slippers with gold buckles,and white bead buttons.
When she had them arranged to suit her,she sat on the floor and kept straight on saying the things my mother and sisters seemed crazy to hear.When Sally showed her the long white silk mitts that went with the bonnet,the Princess cried:"Oh do ride home with me and let me give you a handkerchief Aunt Beatrice sent me,to carry in your hand!"Then her face flushed and she added without giving Sally time to say what she would do:"Or I can bring it the next time I come past.It belongs with these things and I have no use for it.
May I?"
"Please do!I'll use it for the thing I borrow.""But I mean it to be a gift,"said the Princess."It was made to go with these lace mitts and satin slippers.You must take it!""Thank you very much,"said Sally."If you really want me to have it,of course I'd love to.""I'll bring it to-morrow,"promised the Princess."And I wish you'd let me try a way I know to dress hair for a wedding.Yours is so beautiful.""You're kind,I'm sure,"said Sally."I had intended to wear it as I always do,so I would appear perfectly natural to the folks;but if you know a more becoming way,I could begin it now,and they would be familiar with it by that time.""I shan't touch it,"said the Princess,studying Sally's face.
"Your idea is right.You don't want to commence any new,unfamiliar style that would make you seem different,just at a time when every one should see how lovely you are,as you always have been.But don't forget to wear something blue,and something borrowed for luck,and oh do please put on one of my garters!""Well for mercy sake!"cried my mother."Why?""So some one will propose to me before the year is out,"laughed the Princess."I think it must be the most fun of all,to make beautiful things for your very own home,and lovely dresses,and be surrounded by friends all eager to help you,and to arrange a house and live with a man you love well enough to marry,and fix for little people who might come----""You know perfectly there isn't a single man in the county who wouldn't propose to you,if you'd let him come within a mile of you,"said Shelley.
"When the right man comes I'll go half the mile to meet him?you may be sure of that;won't I,Mrs.Stanton?"the Princess turned to mother.
"I have known girls who went even farther,"said my mother rather dryly.
"I draw the line at half,"laughed the Princess."Now I must go;I have been so long my people will be wondering what I'm doing."Standing in the middle of the room she put on her hat,picked up her whip and gloves,and led the way to the hitching rack,while all of us followed.At the gate stood Laddie as he had come from the field.His old hat was on the back of his head,his face flushed,his collar loosened so that his strong white neck showed,and his sleeves were rolled to the elbow,as they had been all summer,and his arms were burned almost to blisters.
When he heard us coming he opened the gate,went to the rack,untied the Princess'horse and led it beside the mounting block.
As she came toward him,he took off his hat and pitched it over the fence on the grass.
"Miss Pryor,allow me to make you acquainted with my son,"said mother.
I felt as if I would blow up.I couldn't keep my eyes from turning toward the Princess.Gee!I could have saved my feelings.She made mother the prettiest little courtsey I ever set eyes on,and then turned and made a deeper one to Laddie.
"I met your son in one of the village stores some time ago,"she said."Back her one step farther,please!"Laddie backed the horse,and quicker than you could see how it was done,she flashed up the steps and sat the saddle;but as she leaned over the horse's neck to take the rein from Laddie,he got one level look straight in the eyes that I was sure none of the others saw,because they were not watching for it,and I was.
