All that winter, without saying much about it,—­for Katy did not “do her thinking outside her head,”—­she had been gradually making ready for the great event of the spring.  Little by little, a touch here and a touch there, matters had been put in train, and the result now appeared in a surprising ease of mind and absence of confusion.  The house had received its spring cleaning a fortnight earlier than usual, and was in fair, nice order, with freshly-beaten carpets and newly-washed curtains.  Katy’s dresses were ordered betimes, and had come home, been tried on, and folded away ten days before the wedding.  They were not many in number, but all were pretty and in good taste, for the frigate was to be in Bar Harbor and Newport for a part of the summer, and Katy wanted to do Ned credit, and look well in his eyes and those of his friends.

All the arrangements, kept studiously simple, were beautifully systematized; and their very simplicity made them easy to carry out.  The guest chambers were completely ready, one or two extra helpers were engaged that the servants might not be overworked, the order of every meal for the three busiest days was settled and written down.  Each of the younger sisters had some special charge committed to her.  Elsie was to wait on Cousin Helen, and see that she and her nurse had everything they wanted.  Clover was to care for the two Roses; Johnnie to oversee the table arrangements, and make sure that all was right in that direction.  Dear little Amy was indefatigable as a doer of errands, and her quick feet were at everybody’s service to “save steps.”  Cecy arrived, and haunted the house all day long, anxious to be of use to somebody; Mrs. Ashe put her time at their disposal; there was such a superabundance of helpers, in fact, that no one could feel over taxed.  And Katy, while still serving as main spring to the whole, had plenty of time to write her notes, open her wedding presents, and enjoy her friends in a leisurely, unfatigued fashion which was a standing wonderment to Cecy, whose own wedding had been of the onerous sort, and had worn her to skin and bone.

“I am only just beginning to recover from it now,” she remarked plaintively, “and there you sit, Katy, looking as fresh as a rose; not tired a bit, and never seeming to have anything on your mind.  I can’t think how you do it.  I never was at a wedding before where everybody was not perfectly worn out.”

“You never were at such a simple wedding before,” explained Katy.  “I’m not ambitious, you see.  I want to keep things pretty much as they are every day, only with a little more of everything because of there being more people to provide for.  If I were attempting to make it a beautiful, picturesque wedding, we should get as tired as anybody, I have no doubt.”