CHAPTER I ' HASTE TO THE WEDDING ' ' Wooed and married and a ' . '
'
Edith 1
! '
said
Margaret 0
, gently , '
Edith 1
! '
But , as
Margaret 0
half suspected ,
Edith 1
had fallen asleep .
She 1
lay curled up on the sofa in
the back drawing-room 2
in
Harley Street 3
, looking very lovely in
her 1
white muslin and blue ribbons .
If
Titania 4
had ever been dressed in white muslin and blue ribbons , and had fallen asleep on a crimson damask sofa in
a back drawing-room 2
,
Edith 1
might have been taken for
her 4
.
Margaret 0
was struck afresh by
's beauty .
They 5
had grown up together from childhood , and all along
Edith 1
had been remarked upon by
every one 6
, except
Margaret 0
, for
her 1
prettiness ; but
Margaret 0
had never thought about it until the last few days , when the prospect of soon losing
seemed to give force to every sweet quality and charm which
Edith 1
possessed .
They 5
had been talking about wedding dresses , and wedding ceremonies ; and
Captain Lennox 7
, and what
he 7
had told
Edith 1
about
her 1
future life at
Corfu 8
, where
his 7
regiment was stationed ; and the difficulty of keeping a piano in good tune ( a difficulty which
Edith 1
seemed to consider as one of the most formidable that could befall
her 1
in
her 1
married life ) , and what gowns
she 1
should want in the visits to
Scotland 9
, which would immediately succeed
her 1
marriage ; but the whispered tone had latterly become more drowsy ; and
Margaret 0
, after a pause of a few minutes , found , as
she 0
fancied , that in spite of the buzz in
the next room 10
,
Edith 1
had rolled
herself 1
up into a soft ball of muslin and ribbon , and silken curls , and gone off into a peaceful little after-dinner nap .
Margaret 0
had been on the point of telling
of some of the plans and visions which
she 0
entertained as to
her 0
future life in the country parsonage , where
and
mother 12
lived ; and where
her 0
bright holidays had always been passed , though for the last ten years
had been considered as
.
But in default of
a listener 14
,
she 0
had to brood over the change in
her 0
life silently as heretofore .
It was a happy brooding , although tinged with regret at being separated for an indefinite time from
and
dear cousin 1
.
As
she 0
thought of the delight of filling the important post of
only daughter in
Helstone parsonage 17
16 , pieces of the conversation out of
the next room 10
came upon
her 0
ears .
was talking to
the five or six ladies who had been dining
there 10
, and
whose husbands 19
were still in
the dining-room 20
18 .
They 18
were the
familiar acquaintances of
the house 21
62 ;
neighbours whom
Mrs. Shaw 15
called
friends 52
54 , because
she 15
happened to dine with
them 18
more frequently than with
any other people 22
, and because if
she 15
or
Edith 1
wanted anything from
them 18
, or
they 18
from
her 15
,
they 18
did not scruple to make a call at
each other 18
's houses
23 before luncheon .
These ladies 18
and
were invited , in
their 24
capacity of
friends 25
, to eat a farewell dinner in honour of
Edith 1
's approaching marriage .
Edith 1
had rather objected to this arrangement , for
Captain Lennox 7
was expected to arrive by
a late train 26
this very evening ; but , although
she 1
was
a spoiled child 57
,
she 1
was too careless and idle to have a very strong will of
her 1
own , and gave way when
she 1
found that
had absolutely ordered those extra delicacies of the season which are always supposed to be efficacious against immoderate grief at farewell dinners .
She 1
contented
herself 1
by leaning back in
her 1
chair , merely playing with the food on
her 1
plate , and looking grave and absent ; while all around
her 1
were enjoying the mots of
Mr. Grey 27
,
the gentleman who always took the bottom of the table at
Mrs. Shaw 15
's dinner parties , and asked
Edith 1
to give
them 24
some music in
the drawing-room 2
58 .
Mr. Grey 27
was particularly agreeable over this farewell dinner , and
the gentlemen 19
staid
down stairs 28
longer than usual .
It was very well
they 19
did -- to judge from the fragments of conversation which
Margaret 0
overheard . '
I 15
suffered too much
myself 15
; not that
I 15
was not extremely happy with
the poor dear General 29
, but still disparity of age is a drawback ; one that
I 15
was resolved
Edith 1
should not have to encounter .
Of course , without any maternal partiality ,
I 15
foresaw that
the dear child 1
was likely to marry early ; indeed ,
I 15
had often said that
I 15
was sure
she 1
would be married before
she 1
was nineteen .
I 15
had quite a prophetic feeling when
Captain Lennox 7
' -- and here the voice dropped into a whisper , but
Margaret 0
could easily supply the blank .
The course of true love in
Edith 1
's case had run remarkably smooth .
Mrs. Shaw 15
had given way to the presentiment , as
she 15
expressed it ; and had rather urged on the marriage , although it was below the expectations which many of
Edith 1
's acquaintances had formed for
her 1
,
a young and pretty heiress 59
.
But
Mrs. Shaw 15
said that
should marry for love , -- and sighed emphatically , as if love had not been
her 15
motive for marrying
the General 29
.
Mrs. Shaw 15
enjoyed the romance of the present engagement rather more than
.
Not but that
Edith 1
was very thoroughly and properly in love ; still
she 1
would certainly have preferred
a good house in
Belgravia 31
30 , to all the picturesqueness of the life which
Captain Lennox 7
described at
Corfu 8
.
The very parts which made
Margaret 0
glow as
she 0
listened ,
Edith 1
pretended to shiver and shudder at ; partly for the pleasure
she 1
had in being coaxed out of
her 1
dislike by
, and partly because anything of a gipsy or make-shift life was really distasteful to
her 1
.
Yet had
any one 22
come with
a fine house 32
, and
a fine estate 33
, and a fine title to boot ,
Edith 1
would still have clung to
Captain Lennox 7
while the temptation lasted ; when it was over , it is possible
she 1
might have had little qualms of ill-concealed regret that
Captain Lennox 7
could not have united in
everything that was desirable .
In this
she 1
was but
; who , after deliberately marrying
General Shaw 29
with no warmer feeling than respect for
his 29
character and establishment , was constantly , though quietly , bemoaning
her 15
hard lot in being united to
one whom
she 15
could not love
29 . '
I 15
have spared no expense in
her 1
trousseau , ' were the next words
Margaret 0
heard .
'
She 1
has all the beautiful Indian shawls and scarfs
the General 29
gave to
me 15
, but which
I 15
shall never wear again . '
'
She 1
is
a lucky girl 56
, ' replied another voice , which
Margaret 0
knew to be that of
Mrs. Gibson 34
,
a lady who was taking a double interest in the conversation 60
, from the fact of
having been married within the last few weeks .
'
Helen 35
had set
her 35
heart upon an Indian shawl , but really when
I 34
found what an extravagant price was asked ,
I 34
was obliged to refuse
her 35
.
She 35
will be quite envious when
she 35
hears of
Edith 1
having Indian shawls .
What kind are they ?
Delhi 37
?
with the lovely little borders ? '
Margaret 0
heard
's voice again , but this time it was as if
she 15
had raised
herself 15
up from
her 15
half-recumbent position , and were looking into
the more dimly lighted back drawing-room 2
.
'
Edith 1
!
Edith 1
! '
cried
she 15
; and then
she 15
sank as if wearied by the exertion .
Margaret 0
stepped forward .
'
Edith 1
is asleep ,
Aunt Shaw 15
.
Is it anything
I 0
can do ? '
All the ladies 18
said '
Poor child 1
! '
on receiving this distressing intelligence about
Edith 1
; and the minute lap-dog in
Mrs. Shaw 15
's arms began to bark , as if excited by the burst of pity .
' Hush , Tiny !
you naughty little girl !
you will waken
your mistress 1
.
It was only to ask
Edith 1
if
she 1
would tell
Newton 38
to bring down
her 1
shawls : perhaps
you 0
would go ,
Margaret 0
dear ? '
Margaret 0
went up into
the old nursery at the very top of the house , where
Newton 38
was busy getting up some laces which were required for the wedding
39 .
While
Newton 38
went ( not without a muttered grumbling ) to undo the shawls , which had already been exhibited four or five times that day ,
Margaret 0
looked round upon
the nursery 39
;
the first room in
that house 21
with which
she 0
had become familiar nine years ago , when
she 0
was brought , all untamed from
the forest 40
, to share
the home 21
, the play , and the lessons of
39 .
She 0
remembered the dark , dim look of
, presided over by
an austere and ceremonious nurse , who was terribly particular about clean hands and torn frocks 38
.
She 0
recollected the first tea up
there 39
-- separate from
and
aunt 15
, who were dining somewhere down below an infinite depth of
stairs 42
; for unless
she 0
were up in the sky (
the child 0
thought ) ,
they 43
must be deep down in the bowels of
the earth 44
.
At
home 17
-- before
she 0
came to live in
Harley Street 3
--
had been
; and , as
they 47
kept early hours in
the country parsonage 17
,
Margaret 0
had always had
her 0
meals with
and
mother 12
.
Oh !
well did
the tall stately girl of eighteen 0
remember the tears shed with such wild passion of grief by
the little girl of nine 0
, as
she 0
hid
her 0
face under the bed-clothes , in that first night ; and how
she 0
was bidden not to cry by
the nurse 38
, because it would disturb
Miss Edith 1
; and how
she 0
had cried as bitterly , but more quietly , till
her 0
newly-seen , grand , pretty aunt 15
had come softly
upstairs 48
with
Mr. Hale 11
to show
him 11
his 11
little sleeping daughter
0 .
Then
the little Margaret 0
had hushed
her 0
sobs , and tried to lie quiet as if asleep , for fear of making
unhappy by
her 0
grief , which
she 0
dared not express before
, and which
she 0
rather thought it was wrong to feel at all after the long hoping , and planning , and contriving
they 49
had gone through at
home 17
, before
her 0
wardrobe could be arranged so as to suit
her 0
grander circumstances , and before
papa 11
could leave
to come up to
London 41
, even for a few days .
Now
she 0
had got to love
the old nursery 39
, though
it 39
was but
a dismantled place 61
; and
she 0
looked all round , with a kind of cat-like regret , at the idea of leaving
it 39
for ever in three days .
' Ah
Newton 38
! '
said
she 0
, '
I 0
think
we 51
shall all be sorry to leave
this dear old room 39
. '