for Hulda to begin her preparations, and what do you say to my
suggestion?"

"I think that you and Hulda must do whatever you think necessary,"
replied Dame Hansen.

Perhaps the reader will think that Joel was in too much of a hurry,
and that it would have been much more sensible in him to have waited
until Ole's return before appointing the wedding-day, and beginning to
prepare for it, but as he said, what was once done would not have to
be done over again; besides, the countless details connected with a
ceremonial of this kind would serve to divert Hulda's mind from these
forebodings for which there seemed to be no foundation.

The first thing to be done was to select the bride's maid of honor.
That proved an easy matter, however, for Hulda's choice was already
made. The bride-maid, of course, must be Hulda's intimate friend,
Farmer Helmboe's daughter. Her father was a prominent man, and the
possessor of a very comfortable fortune. For a long time he had
fully appreciated Joel's sterling worth, and his daughter Siegfrid's
appreciation, though of a rather different nature, was certainly no
less profound; so it was quite probable that at no very distant day
after Siegfrid had served as Hulda's maid of honor, Hulda, in turn,
would act in the same capacity for her friend. This is the custom in
Norway, where these pleasant duties are generally reserved for married
women, so it was rather on Joel's account that Siegfrid Helmboe was to
serve Hulda Hansen in this capacity.

A question of vital importance to the bride-maid as well as to the
bride, is the toilet to be worn on the day of the wedding.