happened. It was tantalizing not to be able to hear them all. It made her
think of times when she rummaged through the chests in the attic, pulling
out fascinating old garments and holding them up for Tippy to supply
their history. But this was as bad as opening all the chests at once.
While she was busy with one she was missing all that was being hauled out
to the light of day from the others.

Several times she moved her foot-stool from one group to another, drawn
by some sentence such as, "Well, she certainly was the prettiest bride I
ever laid my two eyes on, but not many of us would want to stand in her
shoes now." Or from across the room, "They do say it was what happened
the night of the wreck that unbalanced his mind, but I've always thought
it was having things go at sixes and sevens at home as they did."

Georgina would have settled herself permanently near Cousin Mehitable,
she being the most dramatic and voluble of them all, but she had a
tantalizing way of lowering her voice at the most interesting part, and
whispering the last sentence behind her hand. Georgina was nearly
consumed with curiosity each time that happened, and fairly ached to know
these whispered revelations.

It was an entrancing day--the dinner so good, the ancient jokes passing
around the table all so new and witty to Georgina, hearing them now for
the first time. She wished that a storm would come up to keep everybody
at the house overnight and thus prolong the festal feeling. She liked
this "Company" atmosphere in which everyone seemed to grow expansive of
soul and gracious of speech. She loved every relative she had to the
remotest "in-law."

Her heart swelled with a great thankfulness to think that she was not an