And `` married ! '' I echoed stupidly . Aunt Olivia bridled a little . `` There is nothing unsuitable in that , is there ? '' she asked , rather crisply . `` Oh , no , no , '' I hastened to assure her , giving Peggy a surreptitious kick to divert her thoughts from laughter . `` Only you must realize , Aunt Olivia , that this is a very great surprise to us . '' `` I thought it would be so , '' said Aunt Olivia complacently . `` But your father will know -- he will remember . I do hope he wo n't think me foolish . He did not think Mr. Malcolm MacPherson was a fit person for me to marry once . But that was long ago , when Mr. Malcolm MacPherson was very poor . He is in very comfortable circumstances now . '' `` Tell us about it , Aunt Olivia , '' said Peggy . She did not look at me , which was my salvation . Had I caught Peggy 's eye when Aunt Olivia said `` Mr. Malcolm MacPherson '' in that tone I must have laughed , willy-nilly . `` When I was a girl the MacPhersons used to live across the road from here . Mr. Malcolm MacPherson was my beau then . But my family -- and your father especially -- dear me , I do hope he wo n't be very cross -- were opposed to his attentions and were very cool to him . I think that was why he never said anything to me about getting married then .
And after a time he went away , as I have said , and I never heard XXXXX from him directly for many a year .
Aunt Mr. anything attentions circumstances family girl nothing person surprise