must know I have a prodigious monstrous great favour to beg of you:
now pray don't refuse me; I assure you if you do, I shall be so
mortified you've no notion."

"Well, what is it?"

"Nothing but to let me be one of your bride maids. I assure you I
shall take it as the greatest favour in the world."

"My bride maid!" cried Cecilia; "but do you not think the bridegroom
himself will be rather offended to find a bridesmaid appointed, before
he is even thought of?"

"O pray, now," cried she, "don't be ill-natured, for if you are,
you've no idea how I shall be disappointed. Only conceive what
happened to me three weeks ago! you must know I was invited to Miss
Clinton's wedding, and so I made up a new dress on purpose, in a very
particular sort of shape, quite of my own invention, and it had the
sweetest effect you can conceive; well, and when the time came, do you
know her mother happened to die! Never any thing was so excessive
unlucky, for now she won't be married this half year, and my dress
will be quite old and yellow; for it's all white, and the most
beautiful thing you ever saw in your life."

"Upon my word you are very obliging!" cried Cecilia laughing; "and
pray do you make interest regularly round with all your female
acquaintance to be married upon this occasion, or am I the only one
you think this distress will work upon?"

"Now how excessive teazing!" cried Miss Larolles, "when you know so