"So I will; I want to see it, as who wouldn't if she expected to be married in it?" returned Blanche as she and Ethel went with Dorothy to the door.

CHAPTER XXII.

"There's Blanche now!" exclaimed Dorothy at the breakfast table the next morning, as she filled her uncle's coffee cup for the second time. "Ah, Blanche," as the door opened and the young girl walked in, "you are good in obeying orders, and I'm glad to see you."

"As we all are," said her uncle. "Come, take a seat here by my side and have a cup of coffee."

"Thank you, sir, I have been to breakfast," she said, taking the indicated seat and exchanging a morning salutation with her Cousins George and William. "And oh, uncle, I want to thank you for the lovely lace you have given me, and the beautiful dress. I know it's beautiful, though I haven't had the pleasure of seeing it yet."

"Well, you shall have that pleasure presently, when we are all done with breakfast," he said. "I am glad you like my gift, but I expect some return for it."

"And I will be delighted to give anything in my power," she replied, smiling up into his eyes. "Please tell me in what coin you will take your pay."

"The same that Johnnie, who stayed so long at the fair, wanted to have for the fair ring he promised to bring his lady-love."

"And will you buy me a bunch of blue ribbon to tie up my bonny brown hair?" she asked with a merry look and smile.

"Not brown, Blanche, darling, it's pure gold," laughed her Cousin William.

"And gold and blue look quite as pretty together as blue and brown,"

remarked Dorothy.

"I'll buy you as many bunches of blue ribbon as you want and are willing to pay for in the same kind of coin," said Uncle George, laying aside the napkin he had just been using, turning toward Blanche, taking her face between his hands, and bestowing several kisses upon the rosy cheeks and red lips.

"There, uncle, you helped yourself, but I didn't give you any," she said laughingly, as he released her, then putting her arms around his neck she returned his caresses.

"That's the right kind of coin," he said, "and I think I must spare you a few minutes of my valuable time. We are all done eating, and we will go up now to your aunt's room to say good-morning to her and show you the wedding silk; for she wants the pleasure of seeing how you like it.

Come along, Dorothy, George, and Will, if you care to see what impression it makes."

All accepted the invitation and followed quickly after him and Blanche as he led her up the stairs and into Mrs. Eldon's room, where she sat in her invalid chair, looking over the morning paper. She turned toward them as they entered, saying in a pleasant tone, "Ah, good-morning, Blanche, I am glad to see you. Good-morning, my sons. Help your cousin and yourselves to seats. My dear, you are as much at home here as I am.

I'm pleased that you found time to come up again before leaving for the store. Dorothy, will you please get out the packages and let Blanche see what she thinks of the goods?"

Dorothy opened a closet door and brought out several packages done up in brown paper, handing one to her uncle. "I think you are the one to show this, sir," she said with a smile.

"Very well," he replied, and in another moment Blanche was gazing with delighted eyes upon the rich folds of the white silk intended for her wedding dress.

"Oh, I think it is the very loveliest thing I ever saw!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands in an ecstasy of admiration. "Thank you, uncle, thank you a thousand times! Oh, what a beautiful dress it will make trimmed with that lovely, lovely lace you have given Ethel and me for that purpose."

"Yes, it is very handsome, and you must have veils too," said her aunt, enjoying the sight of the young girl's pleasure almost as much as she did that of the silk. "Show her the material for them, Dorothy."

Dorothy obeyed, saying, "This is Aunt Sarah's own gift toward your trousseaus."

"Oh, auntie, thank you very much," cried Blanche, examining it critically, "it is just lovely, and I am sure will make up beautifully."

"I am glad you like it," Mrs. Eldon said with a gratified look.

"And these two dress patterns, of different shades of gray silk, are from Uncle Albert," remarked Dorothy, opening another package. "He thought you would not want to be always dressed exactly alike, and says you are to decide for yourselves which shall have which."

"Ethel, as the eldest, should be the one to settle that question," said Blanche. "I think them both so beautiful that I shall not care which is left for me. Oh, how kind in Uncle Albert to give them to us!"

"And here is enough handsome black silk to make a dress for each of you," continued Dorothy, opening still another package and displaying its contents. "It is Aunt Augusta's wedding gift."

"I--I am almost overwhelmed!" cried Blanche, scarcely able to speak from emotion. "I who never before had even one perfectly new silk dress! Oh, Uncle George, I am afraid you and Uncle Albert will ruin yourselves doing so much for us!"

"I have no great apprehensions of that, my little girl," he returned with a fatherly smile. "You are the only nieces we have to provide for--except Dorothy here for me, and I don't mean to let her go for a good while yet," smiling affectionately upon her; "so it would be a sad pity if we couldn't open our hearts enough to give you a few wedding clothes. But I must go now, and I think it would be well for you and Dorothy to start out pretty soon to attend to that important shopping which I hear you have on hand."

With that the three gentlemen withdrew from the room, and after a few minutes' chat with their aunt about the purchases to be made that morning, Dorothy and Blanche started out also.

They returned to Ethel at dinner time to report as good success with their shopping as hers of the previous day. Blanche had bought a gray travelling dress of a different shade from that of her sister, a hat and gloves to match it, besides various smaller articles needed to complete her trousseau, and Ethel admired and approved to the entire satisfaction of the purchasers.

"Now," said Dorothy, "I think we need do very little, if any more, shopping for some weeks, when the spring fashions have come out; but there is plenty of sewing connected with what we have already bought to keep us all three busy. How I wish you were ready to come to us at once, so that we could get fairly to work immediately."

"Dorothy, how very kind you are," said Ethel, giving her a bright look and smile. "I doubt if many girls in your place would think it any concern of theirs whether our sewing was done in season or not, or offer us any a.s.sistance with it."

"Ah, but you see I am naturally fond of such doings as you have on hand at present," laughed Dorothy. "Now, can't you decide to close out earlier than you have been intending to--say in two or three weeks, if not sooner? I know perfectly well that aunt and uncle would be delighted to have you come to them so much sooner than you have intended, to say nothing of the boys and the girl Dorothy."

"Then perhaps you may be glad to hear of something that occurred this morning while you two were shopping. A woman called in to say that, hearing I was going to give up the house this spring, she would like to look at it with a view to taking it. So I took her over it from attic to cellar. She seemed to think it would exactly suit her, and if it would not inconvenience me to move out sooner than I had intended--say in a week or two--she would be very glad to take it off my hands, buying the fixtures, most of the furniture, and the goods also--as she means to keep the same kind of stock--and settling for the rent I should have to pay the landlord if I had stayed on as long as I had intended."

"Oh, delightful!" cried Dorothy. "I hope you closed with the offer at once?"

"No, not exactly," replied Ethel, smiling at Dorothy's earnestness, "but I told her I would give her my answer to-morrow or next day. I wanted time you see to consult my uncles, and to make sure I should not inconvenience anybody by accepting the invitation from Uncle George and Aunt Sarah so much earlier than they and we had expected."

"I can a.s.sure you you needn't hesitate one minute about that," returned Dorothy. "Suppose you come up and talk with Aunt Sarah and the uncles this evening and have it settled. Then you can see some pretty things we were showing Blanche this morning."

"Oh, yes, Ethel; some lovely gifts to us from Uncle Albert and the two aunts."

"Oh, hush!" cried Dorothy, "don't tell what they are, but let her be surprised as you were this morning."

"Why, you cruel thing! the idea of keeping her waiting so long!"

exclaimed Blanche in simulated wrath.

"Oh, I can wait," laughed Ethel; "mysteries and expectations are really delightful things sometimes. Now I think of it, as we do not often have much custom in the evenings, Harry and you and I, Blanche, might go to Uncle George's after tea and talk the matter over with him and Uncle Albert; see the pretty things too, and thank them and the aunts for their gifts."

The others thought well of the plan and it was duly carried out

The uncles highly approved of the immediate closing up of Ethel's business, and the coming to their houses of both nieces and nephew without any unnecessary delay. In consequence they were all, in less than a fortnight, installed as temporary members of their Uncle George's family, the girls very busy with the necessary preparations for their approaching nuptials, and Dorothy equally so as their most kind helper.

The young lady cousins next door took a languid interest and prepared some little wedding gifts for each of the prospective brides, but that was the utmost of their helpfulness.

Busy though they were--very busy with their preparations--Ethel and Blanche managed to find time to carry on a brisk correspondence with Percy and Stuart, whose letters kept them informed of the progress made from week to week in the building of their houses and the laying out of the grounds, a.s.suring them that they confidently hoped to have the pretty homes ready in good season for their occupants. Their fathers, so they wrote, would give them, not the grounds and houses alone, but furniture for them also, and it was their intention to buy carpets, curtains, and parlor furniture at least, in Philadelphia when they went on for their brides. These would be sent immediately to Pleasant Plains, as their town was called, and arranged in the houses by their Aunt Annis and others of the family who intended to remain at home while the bridal party made their wedding trip, visiting various places of note in the Eastern and Middle States.

"Oh, how pleasant!" exclaimed Dorothy on hearing of these arrangements; "you can go right into your own homes just as soon as you reach the town. I should like nothing better if I were in your place."

"It suits us exactly," said Ethel.