"
"I wish you would make my wedding-dress," said Hesper.
"I could not venture, even if I had the time," answered Mary.
"The moment I began to cut into the stuff, I should be terrified,
and lose my self-possession. I never made a dress for anybody but
myself."
"You are a little witch!" said Hesper; while Mary, who had
roughly prepared a larger shape, proceeded to fit it to her
person.
She was busy pinning and unpinning, shifting and pinning again,
when suddenly Hesper said:
"I suppose you know I am going to marry money?"
"Oh! don't say that. It's too dreadful!" cried Mary, stopping her
work, and looking up in Hesper's face.
"What! you supposed I was going to marry a man like Mr. Redmain
for love?" rejoined Hesper, with a hard laugh.
"I can not bear to think of it!" said Mary. "But you do not
really mean it! You are only--making fun of me! Do say you are."
"Indeed, I am not. I wish I could say I was! It is very horrid, I
know, but where's the good of mincing matters? If I did not call
the thing by its name, the thing would be just the same. You
know, people in our world have to do as they must; they can't
pick and choose like you happy creatures. I dare say, now, you
are engaged to a young man you love with all your heart, one you
would rather marry than any other in the whole universe."
"Oh, dear, no!" returned Mary, with a smile most plainly fancy-
free.
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