Mrs.Lee had made a remark about Aunt Maria to her husband.

"I believe she thinks Harry Edgham will marry her," she said.
"That's just like you women, always trumping up something of that kind," replied her husband.

His words were rather brusque, but he regarded, while speaking them, his wife with adoration.

She was a very pretty woman, and looked much younger than her age.
"You needn't tell me," said Mrs.Lee.

"She's just left off bonnets and got a new hat trimmed with black daisies; rather light mourning, I call it, when her sister has not been dead a year." "You spiteful little thing!" said her husband, still with his adoring eyes on his wife.
"Well, it's so, anyway." "Well, she would make Harry a good wife, I guess," said her husband, easily; "and she would think more of the girl." It was then that Wollaston got in his remark about poor Maria, who had herself noticed with wonder that her aunt had bought a new hat that spring instead of a bonnet.
"Why, Aunt Maria, I thought you always wore a bonnet!" said she, innocently, when the hat came home from the milliner's.
"Nobody except old women are wearing bonnets now," replied her aunt, shortly.