as to what they
had said, beyond their general expressions of pleasure; but it was clear
that he regarded it as of the first importance that they should
be pleased.

Matters now, indeed, began to assume a distinctly serious and
responsible complexion. The days of purely idyllic romance seemed to
slip behind; the engagement more and more took shape as the gateway to
an alliance of institutional consequence, entailing far-reaching
reactions in various directions. Mamma's remarks made it plain that,
with Cally's establishment as Mrs. Hugo Canning, her own career of
brilliant aspiration had reached its final goal. Even papa's future
seemed to be affected to its roots. Already he spoke with satisfaction
of taking a smaller house next year; ultimately of "retiring" to an
undefined "little place in the country," toward which in recent years
his talk had slanted somewhat wistfully....

Mrs. Heth and Carlisle were to go to New York on the 20th of May, do a
few days' preliminary shopping there, and sail on the 26th. Canning's
visit lasted till near the middle of the month, running over his
allotted two weeks. And deepening intimacy only brought into stronger
relief his great advantages of position, antecedents, and experience;
only showed Carlisle the more clearly how distinguished, cultivated, and
superior a man she had won. With her pride, there came now, it seemed, a
certain new humility. She was aware that never in the days of the
thundering feet had she been so desirous of pleasing Hugo as now: when
he was no shining symbol or distant parti, but the exceedingly personal
and living man who was so soon to call her to the purple. She caught
herself at times, with some amused surprise, in the deliberate
processes--editing her vocabulary, manner, and wardrobe, for example, in
the light of the preferences she intuitionally read in his eye. So, as
the husbandly dignity descended upon him, she found herself possessed by
something of the wifely duty....

Whenever was this ticklish business of the dovetailing of two lives
accomplished without some small mutual effort? No more could be said
than that Carlisle felt, in rare and weak moments, a certain sense of
strain. An immaterial subtlety this, properly out of the range of
mamma's concrete observations. But papa's heart was tender: did he
possibly suspect that his darling might feel herself just a little
overshadowed at times?

He called Cally into the study one evening before di