"Now, papa," said Jennie, "what ears you have! We thought you were reading all the time!"
"I see what you are going to say," said Marianne. "You think that we have not once mentioned the consideration which should determine the carpet,—whether it will harmonize with our other things. But, you see, papa, we don't really know what our other things are to be." "Yes," said Jennie, "and Aunt Easygo said it was an unusually good chance to get a velvet carpet."
"Yet, good as the chance is, it costs just twice as much as an ingrain."
"Yes, papa, it does."
"And you are not sure that the effect of it, after you get it down, will be as good as a well-chosen ingrain one."
"That's true," said Marianne, reflectively.
"But, then, papa," said Jennie, "Aunt Easygo said she never heard of such a bargain; only think, two dollars a yard for a velvet!"
"And why is it two dollars a yard? Is the man a personal friend, that he wishes to make you a present of a dollar on the yard? or is there some reason why it is undesirable?" said I.
"Well, you know, papa, he said those large patterns were not so salable."
"To tell the truth," said Marianne, "I never did like the pattern exactly; as to uniformity of tint, it might match with anything, for there's every color of the rainbow in it."