Let's see, I'll ask Lillie if she don't want to give a party for them when they come.

By George! she shall have every thing her own way there,--send to New York for the supper, turn the house topsy-turvy, illuminate the grounds, and do any thing else she can think of.

Yes, yes, she shall have _carte blanche_ for every thing!" All which John told Mrs.Lillie when he returned to dinner and found her enacting the depressed wife in a most becoming lace cap and wrapper that made her look like a suffering angel; and the treaty was sealed with many kisses.
"You shall have _carte blanche_, dearest," he said, "for every thing but what we were speaking of; and that will content you, won't it ?" And Lillie, with lingering pensiveness, very graciously acknowledged that it would; and seemed so touchingly resigned, and made such a merit of her resignation, that John told her she was an angel; in fact, he had a sort of indistinct remorseful feeling that he was a sort of cruel monster to deny her any thing.

Lillie had sense enough to see when she could do a thing, and when she couldn't.

She had given up the case when John went out in the morning, and so accepted the treaty of peace with a good degree of cheerfulness; and she was soon busy discussing the matter.