the shade and convolutions of a lily. Upon her bosom, and fastening
her veil, were deep green leaves that gave the contrast against
which a lily rests itself. Around her throat were links of frosted
silver, from which hung a pure plain silver cross; these were the
gift of Hazel. The veil, of point, and rarely beautiful, fell back
from her head,--lovely in its shape, and the simple wreathing of the
dark, soft hair,--like a drift of water spray; not covering or
misting her all over,--only lending a touch of delicate suggestion
to the pure, cool, graceful, flower-like unity of her whole air and
apparel.

"Desire is beautiful!" said Hazel Ripwinkley to her mother. "She
never _stopped_ to be _pretty_!"

White calla-lilies, with their tall stems and great shadowy leaves,
were in the Pompeiian vases on the mantel; in the India jars in the
corners below; in a large Oriental china bowl that was set upon the
closed desk on the library table, wheeled back for the first time
that anybody there had seen it so, against the wall.

Hazel had hung a lily-wreath upon the carved back of Uncle Titus's
chair, that no one might sit down in it, and placed it in the recess
at Desire's left hand, as she should stand up to be married.

"Will you two take each other, to love and dwell together, and to do
God's work, as He shall show and help you, so long as He keeps you
both in this his world? Will you, Desire Ledwith, take Christopher
Kirkbright to be your wedded husband; will you, Christopher
Kirkbright, take Desire Ledwith to be your wedded wife; and do you
thereto mutually make your vows in the sight of God and before this
company?"

And they answered together, "We do."

It was a promise for more than each other; it was a
life-consecration. It was a gathering up and renewal of all that had
been holy in the resolves of either while they had lived apart; a
joining of two souls in the Lord.

Hilary Vireo would not have dared to lead to perjury, by such words,
a common man and woman. It was enough for such to ask if they would
take, and keep to, each other.

Mrs. Megilp thought it was "so jumbled!" "If it was _her_ daughter,
she should not think she was half married."

Mrs. Megilp put it more shrewdly than she had intended.

Desire and Christopher Kirkbright were very sure they had _not_ been
"half married." It was not the world's half marriage that they had
stood up there together for.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

KITCHEN CRAMBO.