Sez he, “Of course that would’ve opened the doors to once.
“The French love beauty, and that dressin’-gown, when the tossels are combed out and looped up as they ort to be, would set off any buildin’ and ornament it.” Sez he, “I wouldn’t lend it on any common occasion, but Martin has done so much for us I would make the venter.”
It wouldn’t have been let in, but it showed Josiah’s good sperit, anyway.
But, if you’ll believe it, Alice had to leave her bunnet out in the anty-room and go in bare-headed.
I wouldn’t have done it for nothin’ in the world—no, you wouldn’t have ketched me a-reskin’ my bunnet by leavin’ it out-doors. Why, the ribbin on that bunnet cost twenty-five cents per yard, besides the bunnet itself, and that wuz only four years old, a-goin’ on five.
When Alice told me on it I sez, “It is a shame to make wimmen go in bareheaded, and,” sez I, “what would Paul say? He said it wuz a shame for wimmen to appear in public without bunnets on.”
“But I thought,” sez Josiah, “that you always thought Paul wuz a-meddlin’ with what didn’t concern him, and he’d better kep’ to morals and let millinery business alone. You’d never let me bring up them texts.”
“Wall,” sez I impressively, “there is a time to quote and a time not to quote.
“I should have argued with that doorkeeper, anyway, and, if necessary, brung up the Bible to him.”
And Alice bought lots of fine things while we were there—her Pa wanted her to. He bought a lot, too.