It may be a
painful necessity sometimes, but it ain't in this case. You write to
your young man and tell him to come here and be married respectable
under my roof, same as a Goodwin ought to."

I sat up and stared at Aunt Philippa. I was so amazed that it is
useless to try to express my amazement.

"Aunt--Philippa," I gasped. "I thought--I thought--"

"You thought I was a hard old customer, and so I am," said Aunt
Philippa. "But I don't take my opinions from your father nor anybody
else. It didn't prejudice me any against your young man that your
father didn't like him. I knew your father of old. I have some other
friends in Montreal and I writ to them and asked them what he was
like. From what they said I judged he was decent enough as men go.
You're too young to be married, but if you let him go off to South
Africa he'll slip through your fingers for sure, and I s'pose you're
like some of the rest of us--nobody'll do you but the one. So tell him
to come here and be married."

"I don't see how I can," I gasped. "I can't get ready to be married in
three weeks. I can't--"

"I should think you have enough clothes in that trunk to do you for a
spell," said Aunt Philippa sarcastically. "You've more than my mother
ever had in all her life. We'll get you a wedding dress of some kind.
You can get it made in Charlottetown, if country dressmakers aren't
good enough for you, and I'll bake you a wedding cake that'll taste as
good as anything you could get in Montreal, even if it won't look so
stylish."

"What will Father say?" I questioned.

"Lots o' things," conceded Aunt Philippa grimly. "But I don't see as
it matters when neither you nor me'll be there to have our feelings
hurt. I'll write a few things to your father. He hasn't got much
sense. He ought to be thankful to get a decent young man for his
son-in-law in a world where most every man is a wolf in sheep's
clothing. But that's the men for you."

And that was Aunt Philippa for you. For the next three weeks she was a
blissfully excited, busy woman. I was allowed to choose the material
and fashion of my wedding suit and hat myself, but almost everything
else was settled by Aunt Philippa. I didn't mind; it was a relief to
be rid of all responsibility; I did protest when she declared her
intention of having a big wedding and asking all the cousins and
semi-cousins on the island, but Aunt Philippa swept my objections
lightly aside.

"I'm bound to have one good we