The ` men of my class ' , were heroes in the eyes of the girls , who never wearied of the exploits of ` our fellows ' , and were frequently allowed to bask in the smiles of these great creatures , when Laurie brought them home with him . Amy especially enjoyed this high honor , and became quite a belle among them , for her ladyship early felt and learned to use the gift of fascination with which she was endowed . Meg was too much absorbed in her private and particular John to care for any other lords of creation , and Beth too shy to do more than peep at them and wonder how Amy dared to order them about so , but Jo felt quite in her own element , and found it very difficult to refrain from imitating the gentlemanly attitudes , phrases , and feats , which seemed more natural to her than the decorums prescribed for young ladies . They all liked Jo immensely , but never fell in love with her , though very few escaped without paying the tribute of a sentimental sigh or two at Amy 's shrine . And speaking of sentiment brings us very naturally to the ` Dovecote ' . That was the name of the little brown house Mr. Brooke had prepared for Meg 's first home . Laurie had christened it , saying it was highly appropriate to the gentle lovers who ` went on together like a pair of turtledoves , with first a bill and then a coo ' . It was a tiny house , with a little garden behind and a lawn about as big as a pocket handkerchief in the front . Here Meg meant to have a fountain , shrubbery , and a profusion of lovely flowers , though just at present the fountain was represented by a weather-beaten urn , very like a dilapidated slopbowl , the shrubbery consisted of several young larches , undecided whether to live or die , and the profusion of flowers was merely hinted by regiments of sticks to show where seeds were planted . But inside , it was altogether charming , and the happy bride saw no fault from garret to cellar . To be sure , the hall was so narrow it was fortunate that they had no piano , for one never could have been got in whole , the dining room was so small that six people were a tight fit , and the kitchen stairs seemed built for the express purpose of precipitating both servants and china pell-mell into the coalbin . But once get used to these slight blemishes and nothing could be more complete , for good sense and good taste had presided over the furnishing , and the result was highly satisfactory . There were no marble-topped tables , long mirrors , or lace curtains in the little parlor , but simple furniture , plenty of books , a fine picture or two , a stand of flowers in the bay window , and , scattered all about , the pretty gifts which came from friendly hands and were the fairer for the loving messages they brought . I do n't think the Parian Psyche Laurie gave lost any of its beauty because John put up the bracket it stood upon , that any upholsterer could have draped the plain muslin curtains more gracefully than Amy 's artistic hand , or that any store-room was ever better provided with good wishes , merry words , and happy hopes than that in which Jo and her mother put away Meg 's few boxes , barrels , and bundles , and I am morally certain that the spandy new kitchen never could have looked so cozy and neat if Hannah had not arranged every pot and pan a dozen times over , and laid the fire all ready for lighting the minute ` Mis . Brooke came home ' . I also doubt if any young matron ever began life with so rich a supply of dusters , holders , and piece bags , for Beth made enough to last till the silver wedding came round , and invented three different kinds of dishcloths for the express service of the bridal china . People who hire all these things done for them never know what they lose , for the homeliest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them , and Meg found so many proofs of this that everything in her small nest , from the kitchen roller to the silver vase on her parlor table , was eloquent of home love and tender forethought . What happy times they had planning together , what solemn shopping excursions , what funny mistakes they made , and what shouts of laughter arose over Laurie 's ridiculous bargains . In his love of jokes , this young gentleman , though nearly through college , was a much of a boy as ever . His last whim had been to bring with him on his weekly visits some new , useful , and ingenious article for the young housekeeper .
Now a bag of remarkable clothespins , next , a wonderful nutmeg grater which XXXXX to pieces at the first trial , a knife cleaner that spoiled all the knives , or a sweeper that picked the nap neatly off the carpet and left the dirt , labor-saving soap that took the skin off one 's hands , infallible cements which stuck firmly to nothing but the fingers of the deluded buyer , and every kind of tinware , from a toy savings bank for odd pennies , to a wonderful boiler which would wash articles in its own steam with every prospect of exploding in the process .
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