"And you don't know St. John better than that?"
"Why, yes; of course _I_ do, but they don't know him at all, you know.
And the Boarder is real shy, anyhow. And so I told him I'd ask you to
ask him."
"Why don't you ask him?"
"I think it would please him so to have you ask. He likes to have you
take interest in others."
"Amarilly, you are a regular little Sherlock! Well, yes, I will,"
promised Colette, secretly glad of this opportunity for friendly
converse with John once more, "but if the--Annex has to be built first,
there's no hurry."
"Yes, there is. The Boarder wants everything settled now, so they can be
looking forward to it."
"Very well, Amarilly. I'll see him to-morrow night. Will that do?"
"Oh, yes; thank you, Miss King."
"Tell me more about the wedding plans. Are you to be bridesmaid?"
"She isn't going to have one. It won't be a stylish wedding, you know.
Just quiet--like one of our neighborhood evenings. Only when I told Mr.
Derry about it, he said he should come up that afternoon and trim the
house up with greens, and that he should come to see them married."
"And I shall furnish the flowers and the bride's bouquet. Let me see, I
think lilies of the valley and pink roses would suit Lily Rose, don't
you?"
"They will be beautiful," said Amarilly, beaming. "And we are going to
have a real swell meal. I have learned to make salads and ices, and then
we'll have coffee and sandwiches and bride's cake beside."
"Some one has to give the bride away, you know, Amarilly, in Episcopal
weddings."
"I know it. But poor Lily Rose has no one that belongs to her. Her
relations are all dead. That's another reason why the Boarder is so nice
to her. So ma is going to give her away. We're going to ask the
neighbors and you and Mr. Derry and Mr. Cotter, of course. He's the
brakeman friend of the Boarder."
"And are the Boarder and Lily Rose going away?"
"Yes; the Boarder can get a pass to Niagara Falls. They are going to
stay there a week. Lily Rose has never been on the cars. And they are
going to ride to the train in a hack."
"Why, it's going to be quite an affair," said Colette enthusiastically.
"We'll throw an old shoe and some rice after them. And will she be
married in white?"