George," starting the first thing after breakfast next morning.

I shall not attempt to describe the joy which our unexpected arrival
produced; suffice it to say that the whole household, not excluding even
my reverend father and my revered mother, behaved as though they had
suddenly taken leave of their senses; and it was not until toward
evening that anything approaching to calm settled down upon the party.

Then, of course, I had to tell the story of my voyage upon the raft, and
of the incidents which followed it; a mere outline only having been
written home by the skipper, the circumstance of my insanity being
altogether suppressed; and then, equally as a matter of course, there
were tears and murmured expressions of tender pity and so on, all of
which can be a great deal better imagined than described.

Captain Annesley remained with us three days, at the end of which, after
a hotly-contested action, Florrie hauled down her colours, and agreed
that the wedding should take place on that day month. Then my uncle--or
great-uncle rather--Sir Peregrine, came down to see me, our family
physician expressing a decided opinion that the noise and bustle of town
would be injurious to me, and I had to fight all my battles over again
for his benefit.

Then, as soon as they could be got together, an army of dressmakers and
milliners was brought into the house, and Sir Peregrine and I were
driven by them from room to room, until at length we were driven out of
the house altogether; the building being, almost from basement to roof-
tree, crowded with silks, muslins, ribbons, flowers, and every other
imaginable species of frippery affected by the gentler sex.

And very soon the wedding presents began to pour in; the carrier's cart
rumbling up to the rectory door daily and discharging parcels and
packets, hampers, cases, crates, and goodness knows what; so that at
length I began to dream at night that the rectory was an Indiaman taking
in cargo, and that there was not stowage for it all.

Then Sir Peregrine rushed off to town early one morning, without
acquainting anybody with his intention, returning on the day but one
following with his pockets crammed full of small parcels, which he
conveyed with much secrecy up to his own room.

It was then my turn; and accordingly away I went in the same unexpected
manner--surprises and secrecy appearing to be the order of the day just
then,--returning home in due time with my humble off