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“Marry him, of course,” said I promptly. Johnny says she knew I would say that when she left it to me.

“Very well,” said Una calmly. “Ted, you may go for the necessaries. Sue, you must be my bridesmaid and Johnny shall be best man. Come, we’ll go into the house and break the news to Auntie.”

I never felt so interested and excited in my life. It seemed too good to be true. Una and I went into the house and there we found the sweetest, pinkest, plumpest old lady asleep in an easy-chair. Una wakened her and said, “Auntie, I’m going to be married to Mr. Prentice in an hour’s time.”

That was a most wonderful old lady! All she said was, “Dear me!” You’d have thought Una had simply told her she was going out for a walk.

“Ted has gone for licence and ring and minister,” Una went on. “We shall be married out under the cherry trees and I’ll wear my new white organdie. We shall leave for Japan in two days. These children are Sue and Johnny Murray who have come out to see a wedding–any wedding. Ted and I are getting married just to please them.”

“Dear me!” said the old lady again. “This is rather sudden. Still–if you must. Well, I’ll go and see what there is in the house to eat.”

She toddled away, smiling, and Una turned to me. She was laughing, but there were tears in her eyes.

“You blessed accidents!” she said, with a little tremble in her voice. “If you hadn’t happened just then Ted would have gone away in a rage and I might never have seen him again. Come now, Sue, and help me dress.”

Johnny stayed in the hall and I went upstairs with Una. We had such an exciting time getting her dressed. She had the sweetest white organdie you ever saw, all frills and laces. I’m sure Pamelia’s silk couldn’t have been half so pretty. But she had no veil, and I felt rather disappointed about that. Then there was a knock at the door and Mrs. Franklin came in, with her arms full of something all fine and misty like a lacy cobweb.

“I’ve brought you my wedding veil, dearie,” she said. “I wore it forty years ago. And God bless you, dearie. I can’t stop a minute. The boy is killing the chickens and Bridget is getting ready to broil them. Mrs. Jenner’s son across the road has just gone down to the bakery for a wedding cake.”

With that she toddled off again. She was certainly a wonderful old lady. I just thought of Mother in her place. Well, Mother would simply have gone wild entirely.

When Una was dressed she looked as beautiful as a dream. The boy had finished killing the chickens, and Mrs. Franklin had sent him up with a basket of roses for us, and we had each the loveliest bouquet. Before long Ted came back with the minister, and the next thing we knew we were all standing out on the lawn under the cherry trees and Una and Ted were being married.

I was too happy to speak. I had never thought of being a bridesmaid in my wildest dreams and here I was one. How thankful I was that I had put on my blue organdie and my shirred hat! I wasn’t a bit nervous and I don’t believe Una was either. Mrs. Franklin stood at one side with a smudge of flour on her nose, and she had forgotten to take off her apron. Bridget and the boy watched us from the kitchen garden. It was all like a beautiful, bewildering dream. But the ceremony was horribly solemn. I am sure I shall never have the courage to go through with anything of the sort, but Johnny says I will change my mind when I grow up.

When it was all over I nudged Johnny and said “Ode” in a fierce whisper. Johnny immediately stepped out before Una and recited it. Pamelia’s name was mentioned three times and of course he should have put Una in place of it, but he forgot. You can’t remember everything.