enjoy the spectacle. But Bessie's face showed nothing but that
intense amiability for which she had all her life long been noted;
and as for Thaddeus, he never ceased to smile from the moment he
turned and faced the congregation until the carriage door closed
upon him and his bride, and then, of course, he had to, his lips
being otherwise engaged. Indeed, Thaddeus's amiability was his
greatest vice. He had never been known to be ill-natured in his
life but once, and that was during the week that Bessie had kept him
in suspense while she was making up her mind not to say "No" to an
important proposition he had made--a proposition, by-the-way, which
resulted in this very ceremony, and was largely responsible for the
trials and tribulations which followed.

Thaddeus was rich--that is, he had an income and a vocation; a
charming little home was awaiting their coming, off in a convenient
suburb; and, best of all, Bessie was an accomplished house-keeper,
having studied under the best mistresses of that art to be found in
the country. And even if she had not completely mastered the art of
keeping house, Thaddeus was confident that all would go well with
them, for their waitress was a jewel, inherited from Bessie's
mother, and the cook, though somewhat advanced in years, was beyond
cavil, having been known to the family of Thaddeus for a longer
period than Thaddeus himself had been. The only uncertain quantity
in the household was Norah, the up-stairs girl, who was not only
new, but auburn-haired and of Celtic extraction.

Under such circumstances did the young couple start in life, and
many there were who looked upon them with envy. At first, of
course, the household did not run as smoothly as it might have
done--meals were late, and served with less ceremony than either
liked; but, as Bessie said, as she and Thaddeus were finishing their
breakfast one morning, "What could you expect?"

To which Thaddeus, with his customary smile, replied "What, indeed!
We get along much better than I really thought we should with old
Ellen."

Old Ellen was the cook, and she had been known to Thaddeus as "Old
Ellen" even before his lips were able to utter the words.

"Ellen has her ways, and Jane has hers," said Bessie. "After Jane
has got accustomed to Ellen's way of getting breakfast ready, she
will know better how to go about her own work. I think, perhaps,
cook's manner is a little harsh. She made Jane cry about the omelet