hance of staring at two persons whom the majority of them have never
seen before and are not likely to see again. The wedding of Miss Lydia
Herbert with her "ancient mariner," a seventy-year-old millionaire
reputed to be as wealthy as Rockefeller,--was one of these
"sensations"--chiefly on account of the fact that every unmarried woman
young and old, and every widow, had been hunting him in vain for fully
five years. Miss Herbert had been voted "no chance," because she made
no secret of her extravagant tastes in dress and jewels,--yet despite
society croakers she had won the game. This in itself was
interesting,--as the millionaire she had secured was known to be
particularly close-fisted and parsimonious. Nevertheless he had shown
remarkable signs of relaxing these tendencies; for he had literally
showered jewels on his chosen bride, leaving no door open for any
complaint in that quarter. Her diamonds were the talk of New York, and
on the day of her wedding her gowns literally flashed like a firework
with numerous dazzling points of light. "The Voice that breathed o'er
Eden" had little to do with the magnificence of her attire, or with the
brilliancy of the rose-wreathed bridesmaids, young girls of specially
selected beauty and elegance who were all more or less disappointed in
failing to win the millionaire themselves. For these youthful persons
in their 'teens had social ambitions hidden in hearts harder than
steel--"a good time" of self-indulgence and luxury was all they sought
for in life--in fact, they had no conception of any higher ideal. The
millionaire himself, though old, maintained a fairly middle-aged
appearance--he was a thin, wiry, well-preserved man, his wizened and
furrowed countenance chiefly showing the marks of Time's ploughshare.
It would have been difficult to say why, out of all the feminine
butterflies hovering around him, he had chosen Lydia Herbert,--but he
was a shrewd judge of character in his way, and he had decided that as
she was not in her first youth it would be more worth her while to
conduct herself decorously as wife and housekeeper, and generally look
after his health and comfort, than it would be for a less responsible
woman. Then, she had "manner,"--her appearance was attractive and she
wore her clothes well and stylishly. All this was enough for a man who
wanted some one to attend to his house and entertain his friends, and
he was perfectly satisfied with himself as he repeated afte