“And I was so afraid some one would know it, that I never breathed a word of our engagement to a soul. It’s true, some people suspected it after we went to a party at Newington and danced ten quadrilles together, one after the other, but I denied we were engaged up to two weeks before the wedding.�
“Did you say ten quadrilles, mamma?�
“Yes, ten.�
“I’m sure Mr. Skelton and I will never dance ten quadrilles in one evening with each other.�
“And your father was a much younger and handsomer man than Richard Skelton, who has crow’s-feet in the corners of his eyes.�
“I like crow’s-feet. They impart an air of thoughtful distinction to a man.�
“And Mr. Skelton has a bald place as big as a dollar on the top of his head. Does that add an air of thoughtful distinction, too?�
“Of course it does. There is something captivating in Mr. Skelton’s baldness; it is unique, like himself. It makes me more and more delighted at the idea that I am going to be married to him.�
“Sylvia!� shrieked Mrs. Shapleigh, “do you dare to be so bold and forward as to say that you want to marry Mr. Skelton?�
“Yes, indeed, mamma—dreadfully.�