ed fingers, and Mr. Petway
was sitting so close to Miss Prissy that Mr. Pike came very near being
irreverent enough to nudge the devout Judy. Then what a glorious time
followed the solemn minutes in the church! The very twilight fell upon
the entire wedding party still feasting and rejoicing, and it was under
the light of the early stars that the guests had to wend their way
home. Mother Mayberry was surrounded by a court of small boys, each one
eager for her words of commendation on their more than exemplary
conduct and she smiled and joked them as they escorted her to her
door-step. Cindy had gone on ahead and a light shone from the kitchen
window, which was answered by flashes all along and across the Road as
the various households settled down to the business of recovering
sufficient equilibrium to begin the conduct of the ordinary affairs of
daily life at the morrow sun-up.

"Sit down here on the steps just a minute," pleaded the Doctor with
trepidation in his voice, for the rose lady had found the strength of
mind to reprove him for their conduct in church by ignoring him utterly
at the wedding feast, even going to the point of partaking of her
supper in the overwhelmed company of Sam Mosbey, who not for the life
of him could have told from whence came the courage to ask for such a
compliment, and the result of which had been to send him back later to
the table in a half-famished condition; he not having been able to
feast the eyes and the inner man at the same time.

"Can I trust you?" she demanded of the Doctor in a very small and
reproving voice.

"If that is a condition--yes," he reluctantly consented, as he looked
up at her in the starlight.

"Thank you--you were very grand," she said after she had settled
herself in what she decided to be an uncompromising distance from him.
"You really graced the occasion."

"Miss Wingate," he said slowly, and he turned his head so that only his
profile showed against the dusk of the wistaria vine, "you wouldn't
really be cruel to a country boy with his heart on his sleeve and only
his pride to protect it, would you?"

"I suppose it was unkind, for he was so hungry and couldn't seem to eat
at all; but I saw Mrs. Pike giving him a glorious supper later, so
please don't worry over him." Which answer was delivered in a meek tone
of voice that it was difficult to hold to its ingenuous note.

The Doctor ignored this feint and went on with the most exquisite
gentleness i