Hesper, in response all but unconscious, would be waited on
by no other than Mary; and always between them passed some sweet,
gentle nothings, which afforded Hesper more pleasure than she
could have accounted for.
Her wedding-day was now for the third time fixed, when one
morning she entered the shop to make some purchases. Not happy in
the prospect before her, she was yet inclined to make the best of
it so far as clothes were concerned--the more so, perhaps, that
she had seldom yet been dressed to her satisfaction: she was now
brooding over a certain idea for her wedding-dress, which she had
altogether failed in the attempt to convey to her London
_couturiere_; and it had come into her head to try whether
Mary might not grasp her idea, and help her to make it
intelligible. Mary listened and thought, questioned, and desired
explanations--at length, begged she would allow her to ponder the
thing a little: she could hardly at once venture to say anything.
Hesper laughed, and said she was taking a small matter too
seriously--concluding from Mary's hesitation that she had but
perplexed her, and that she could be of no use to her in the
difficulty.
"A small matter? Your wedding-dress!" exclaimed Mary, in a tone
of expostulation.
Hesper did not laugh again, but gave a little sigh instead, which
struck sadly on Mary's sympathetic heart. She cast a quick look
in her face.
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