that Joanna should
be the most glowing, conspicuous, triumphant object in the room, and
Ellen, unable to protest, sulked languishingly.

However, if the bride did not seem as proud and happy as she might, the
bridegroom made up for it. There was something almost spiritual in the
look of Arthur Alce's eyes, as he stood beside Ellen, his arm held
stiffly for the repose of hers, his great choker collar scraping his
chin, lilies of the valley and camellias sprouting from his buttonhole,
a pair of lemon kid gloves--split at the first attempt, so he could only
hold them--clutched in his moist hand. He looked devout, exalted, as he
armed his little bride and watched her sister.

"Arthur Alce looks pleased enough," said Furnese to Mrs. Bates--"reckon
he sees he's got the best of the family."

"Maybe he's thankful now that Joanna wouldn't take him."

Neither of them noticed that the glow was in Alce's eyes chiefly when
they rested on Joanna.

He knew that to-day he had pleased her better than he had ever pleased
her in his life. To-day she had said to him "God bless you,
Arthur--you're the best friend I have, or am like to have, neither."
To-day he had made himself her kinsman, with a dozen new opportunities
of service. Chief among these was the dear little girl on his arm--how
pretty and sweet she was! How he would love her and cherish her as he
had promised Mr. Pratt! Well, thank God, he had done Joanna one good
turn, and himself not such a bad one, neither. How clever she had been
to think of his marrying Ellen! He would never have thought of it
himself; yet now he saw clearly that it was a wonderful notion--nothing
could be better. Joanna was valiant for notions.... Alce had had one
glass of champagne.

At about four o'clock, Joanna dashed into the circle round the bride,
and took Ellen away upstairs, to put on her travelling dress of
saxe-blue satin--the last humiliation she would have to endure from
Ansdore. The honeymoon was being spent at Canterbury, cautiously chosen
by Arthur as a place he'd been to once and so knew the lie of a bit.
Ellen had wanted to go to Wales, or to the Lakes, but Joanna had sternly
forbidden such outrageous pinings--"Arthur's got two cows calving next
week--what are you thinking of, Ellen Godden?"

The bridal couple drove away amidst much hilarity, inspired by the
unaccustomed champagne and expressed in rice and confetti. After they
had gone the guests still lingered, feasting at the li