won't
get well and bore you to death, you can send 'em off to travel. Mind me
now, and take the tops of your sparrowgrass. Somebody must have
'em,--why shouldn't you? If you don't take your chance, you'll get the
butt-ends as a matter of course."

Mr. Bernard talked like a young man full of noble sentiments. He wanted
to be useful to his fellow-beings. Their social differences were nothing
to him. He would never court the rich,--he would go where he was called.
He would rather save the life of a poor mother of a family than that of
half a dozen old gouty millionnaires whose heirs had been yawning and
stretching these ten years to get rid of them.

"Generous emotions!" I exclaimed. "Cherish 'em; cling to 'em till you
are fifty, till you are seventy, till you are ninety! But do as I tell
you,--strike for the best circle of practice, and you 'll be sure to get
it!"

Mr. Langdon did as I told him,--took a genteel office, furnished it
neatly, dressed with a certain elegance, soon made a pleasant circle of
acquaintances, and began to work his way into the right kind of business.
I missed him, however, for some days, not long after he had opened his
office. On his return, he told me he had been up at Rockland, by special
invitation, to attend the wedding of Mr. Dudley Venner and Miss Helen
Darley. He gave me a full account of the ceremony, which I regret that I
cannot relate in full. "Helen looked like an angel,"--that, I am sure,
was one of his expressions. As for her dress, I should like to give the
details, but am afraid of committing blunders, as men always do, when
they undertake to describe such matters. White dress, anyhow,--that I am
sure of,--with orange-flowers, and the most wonderful lace veil that was
ever seen or heard of. The Reverend Doctor Honeywood performed the
ceremony, of course. The good people seemed to have forgotten they ever
had had any other minister, except Deacon Shearer and his set of
malcontents, who were doing a dull business in the meeting-house lately
occupied by the Reverend Mr. Fairweather.

"Who was at the wedding?"

"Everybody, pretty much. They wanted to keep it quiet, but it was of no
use. Married at church. Front pews, old Dr. Kittredge and all the
mansionhouse people and distinguished strangers,--Colonel Sprowle and
family, including Matilda's young gentleman, a graduate of one of the
fresh-water colleges,--Mrs. Pickins (late Widow Rowens) and
husband,--Deacon So