went in
to the parlour to help things along. We knew we hadn't much time, so
we began right off.

"Aunt Tommy is the jolliest girl I know," I said.

"She is as beautiful as a dream," Jill said.

"She can play games as good as a boy," I said.

"She does the most elegant fancy work," Jill said.

"She never gets mad," I said.

"She plays and sings divinely," Jill said.

"She can cook awfully good things," I said, for I was beginning to run
short of compliments. Jill was horrified; she said afterwards that it
wasn't a bit romantic. But I don't care--I believe Dick liked it, for
he smiled with his eyes I just as he always does when he's pleased.
Girls don't understand everything.

* * * * *

But at the end of three months we began to get anxious. Things were
going so slow. Dick and Aunt Tommy didn't seem a bit further ahead
than at first. Jill said it was because Aunt Tommy didn't encourage
Dick enough.

"I do wish we could hurry them up a little," she said. "At this rate
they will never be married this year and by next I'll be too big to be
a flower girl. I'm stretching out horribly as it is. Mother has had to
let down my frocks again."

"I wish they would get engaged and have done with it," I said. "My
mind would be at rest then. It's all Dick's fault. Why doesn't he ask
Aunt Tommy to marry him? What's making him so slow about it? If I
wanted a girl to marry me--but I wouldn't ever--I'd tell her so right
spang off."

"I suppose ministers have to be more dignified," said Jill, "but three
months ought to be enough time for anyone. And Aunt Tommy is only
going to be here another month. If Dick could be made a little
jealous it would hurry him up. And he could be made jealous if you had
any spunk about you."

"I guess I've got more spunk than you have," I said.

"The trouble with Dick is this," said Jill. "There is nobody else
coming to see Aunt Tommy and he thinks he is sure of her. If you could
tell him something different it would stir him up."

"Are you sure it would?" I asked.

"It always does in novels," said Jill. And that settled it, of course.

Jill and I fixed up what I was to say and Jill made me say it over and
over again to be sure I had it right. I told her--sarcastically--that
she'd better say it herself and then it would be done properly. Jill
said she would if it were Aunt Tommy, but when it was Dick it was
better for a man to do it. So of course I agreed.