who hated to be kissed, and who
had by no means intended that her grave caress on the day of betrothal
should be taken as a precedent and acted on unreservedly. And after
she had kissed her frequently she thanked her again effusively, as if
she had received some signal grace that could hardly be repaid.

Her excess chilled Leam of course, but she held to her promise; and
Josephine augured all manner of happy eventualities from the fact
that her future step-daughter had yielded so sweetly on the first
difference of desire between them, and had let herself be kissed with
becoming patience. It was a good omen for the beginning of things; and
all brides are superstitious--Josephine perhaps more so than most, in
that she was more loving and more in love than most.

Yes, it was a pretty wedding, as they all said. The bride in the
regulation white and pearls looked, if not girlish, yet comely and
suitable to the bridegroom with his gray hair and sunburnt skin. The
two senior maids had stipulated for a preponderance of warm rose-color
in the costumes, which suited every one. It threw a flush on their
faded elderliness which was not amiss, and did the best for them
that could be done in the circumstances; it brought out into lovely
contrast, the contrast of harmonies, Adelaide Birkett's delicate
complexion, fair flaxen braids and light-blue eyes; it burnt like
flame in Leam's dark hair, and made her large transcendent eyes glow
as if with fire; while the little one looked like a rose, the white
and crimson petals of which enclosed a laughing golden-headed fairy.

It was admirable all through, and did credit to the generalizing
powers of the Hill, which had thus contrived to harmonize the three
stages of womanhood and to offend none. Even Frank's fastidious taste
was satisfied. So was Mrs. Frank's, who knew how things ought to be
done. And as she was the rather elderly if very wealthy daughter of a
baronet, who considered that she had married decidedly beneath herself
in taking Frank Harrowby, the untitled young barrister not even yet in
silk, she had come down to the Hill prepared to criticise sharply;
so that her approbation carried weight and ensured a large amount
of satisfaction. Edgar, however, who was not so fastidious as his
brother, thought the whole thing a failure and that no one looked even
tolerable.

As he had his duty to do by his sister, being the father who gave her
away, he was fully occupied; but his eyes w