but Blue cried out:

"Oh, you looked at me out of the corner of your eye, just as you were
looking down--that'll never do."

"I didn't mean to. Now look! I'm doing it again." The one white-gowned
figure stood with its back to the bed while the other through its little
acting down the middle of the room.

"That's better"--critically.

"Well," pursued Red, with interest, "how does it look?"

"Rather nice. I shouldn't wonder if he fell in love with you."

This was a sudden and extraordinary audacity of thought.

"Oh, Blue!"--in shocked tones--"How could you think of such a thing!" She
reproached her sister as herself. It was actually the first time such a
theme had been broached even in their private converse.

"Well," said Blue, stoutly, "he might, you know. Such things happen."

"I don't think it's quite nice to think of it," said Red, meditatively.

"It isn't nice," said Blue, agreeing perfectly, but unwilling to recant;
"still, it may be our duty to think of it. Sophia said once that a woman
was always more or less responsible if a man fell in love with her."

"Did Sophia say that?" Weighty worlds of responsibility seemed to be
settling on little Red's shoulders.

"Yes; she was talking to mamma about something. So, as it's quite
possible he might fall in love with us, we _ought_ to consider the
matter."

"You don't think he's falling in love with Eliza, do you?"

"Oh no!"--promptly--"but then Eliza isn't like us."

Red looked at her pretty face in the glass as she continued to smooth
out the brown curls. She thought of Eliza's tall figure, immobile white
face, and crown of red hair.

"No," she said, meditatively; "but, Blue"--this quite seriously--"I hope
he won't fall in love with us."

"Oh, so do I; for it would make him feel so miserable. But I think,
Red, when you looked down you did not look _prim_ enough--you know papa
said 'prim.' Now, you stand, and I'll do it."

So Blue now passed down the little narrow room, but when she came to the
critical spot, the supposed meeting ground, her desire to laugh
conflicting with the effort to pull a long face, caused such a wry
contortion of her plump visage that seriousness deserted them once more,
and they bubbled over in mirth that would have been boisterous had it
not been prudently muffled in the pillows.

After that they said their prayers. But when they had taken off the
clumsy dressing-gowns and got into the feather-bed under the big
patchwork q