And as to going
back to Mount Eaton, ghosts of past times would meet me there, whose
pain was then too recent to have turned into the treasure these
recollections are to me.

There would be just time, Dermot declared, if he put up our banns the
very next Sunday, to go through with it before the time Pippa had
appointed for receiving Dora, and it would save all the trouble of
hunting up a surrogate and startling him with his lovely face.

However, he did startle the poor old parish clergyman effectually by
calling on him to publish the banns of marriage between Dermot Edward
St. Glear Tracy and Lucy Percy Alison, both residing in this parish. He
evidently thought we were in hiding from someone who knew of some just
cause or impediment; but whereas we certainly did full justice to our
ages twenty-eight and twenty-six, he could only try to examine us
individually very politely, but betraying how uncomfortable he was.

It was most amusing to see how his face cleared up when, two days
later, he met us on the beach with a dignified old white-haired
gentleman, though Dermot declared that the imposing title mentioned on
the introduction made him suspect us of having hired a benignant stage
father for the occasion.

The dear old uncle Ery had actually come down to chaperone us, and
really act as much as possible as a father to me; and as I had likewise
sent for Colman and a white silk dress, the St. Clement's minds were
free to be pleasantly excited about us. Lord Erymanth had intended to
have carried us off to be married from his castle, but we begged off,
and when he saw Dermot, he allowed that it was not the time to make a
public spectacle of what (Dermot was pleased to say) would have the
pleasing pre-eminence of being "the ugliest of weddings," both as to
bridegroom and bridesmaid. For he and Dora used to make daily fun of
their respective beauties, which were much on a par, since, though she
had three weeks' start of him, the complaint having been unmitigated in
her, had left much more permanent-looking traces. Those two chose to
keep each other up to the most mirthful nonsense-pitch, and yet I am
sure none of us felt so light of spirit as we must have appeared,
though, perhaps, the being on the edge of such a great shadow made the
sunshine seem brighter.

We had considered of beginning with a flying visit to see how poor
Viola really was, but the Italian letters prevented this. Lady Diana
accepted me cordially