me. Good-bye, till you get back again." Off he went.
Other people followed. The room had thinned a little, when Pet left her
table in Reuben's charge and came to Faith's corner.

"Poor child," she said, "you must be tired. Faith, I shall defy
ceremony, and put you in Aunt Iredell's chair; she is going to lie
down. Oh! how did that man get here?--and George Alcott!" Pet faced
round upon Faith, folding her hands with an air of dismayed resignation.

"What's the matter, Pet?"--"I thought I was safe here," said Miss
Linden. "Faith, I did not suppose ubiquitous people found their way to
Pattaquasset. You'll have to run the gauntlet of that man's
compliments, child, however, Endy is a pretty good safeguard."

Before Faith could see much of what was going on, Mr. Linden was at her
side. "Mrs. Linden--_Mr. Motley_," was all he said; and Faith found
herself face to face with one of those two well-remembered strangers.
So well remembered that a slight glance at him was arrested, by what at
first she did not recognize, and unconsciously she gave Mr. Motley for
a second a look sufficiently like what he had seen before to identify
her. That second brought it all back. A blush of most rosy beauty came
upon Faith's face, and her eyes fell as if no one was ever to see them
again. Mr. Motley's eyes, on the contrary, expanded. But the whistle
which rose politely to his lips, was held in polite check--by Mr.
Linden's presence or some other consideration--and with no further sign
than an under breath "Linden!" Mr. Motley gave the bride his hand,
claiming that privilege in easy, musky words, on the score of old
acquaintanceship with the bridegroom.

"I trust Mrs. Linden has been well since I last (and first!) had the
pleasure of seeing her? Apart from the occasion--it seems to me that
she is looking even better than then--though _then_ I should not have
believed that possible."

"It is a long time, sir," Faith said gravely.

"Linden," said Mr. Motley in a sort of aside, "even your symmetrical
taste must be satisfied!"

"With what?" said Mr. Linden. Which rather shortly--put question
brought Mr. Motley to a stand. Much as when one pushes on into daylight
through the filmy finespun work of a spider, that respectable insect
looks about, considering where he shall begin anew.

"It is so long," said Mr. Motley with soft emphasis, "that I could
hardly have hoped to be remembered."

"If I recollect right," said Mr. Linden, "if you did n