me, 'cause
she had business in this neighborhood."

"Did you know the nature of her business?" asked the fiery, red-headed,
hot-tempered, little William Elk.

"Never dreamed of her doing this here. Thought she was a widdy woman.
Thought her business was money. Why, I fetched her to church this morning
myself, without a notion that she wanted to come here for anything but
just to see the wedding. And she was awful anxious to get here before the
ceremony was begun."

"It is a great pity that you did not arrive before it was finished," said
the tall, dark, gloomy Thomas Grandiere.

"So it were. I can't gainsay that. And so we should 'a' been here if it
hadn't been for the stubborn nater of that mule o' mine; for, you see, I
had no other conveyance, and had to drive my wisitor here in the cart.
And, if ever Old Scratch got into a brute beast, he got into that mule
this morning. Couldn't get him out of a creep to save my life! And he
balked so, coming up Indian Creek Hill, that I thought he would have upset
us into the water--and it froze over! So we didn't get here till after the
ceremony was over. There, that is all I know about it! Miss Hedge and Miss
Sukey Grandiere spent an afternoon and took tea at my house, along with
her, and maybe they can tell you something," said the old lady.

And immediately she was deserted in favor of the sisters, who became, in
their turn, the center of interest.

But these ladies had really very little to communicate.

Then the curiosity of the crowd took another direction.

"We were all invited to the wedding reception, but, of course, we are not
expected to go now," said Mrs. Hedge.

"But it might seem like an offense if we didn't," suggested Miss
Grandiere.

And people were divided on the subject until the rector appeared,
requested a hearing, and, with the apologies and regrets of Mr. and Mrs.
Force, announced that there could be no reception held at Mondreer that
day.

So, at length, the congregation reluctantly separated and went home.

CHAPTER XXIII

MRS. ANGLESEA'S VISIT

It was late in the winter afternoon when Mr. and Mrs. Force, with their
family and guest, reached Mondreer.

They were met by attentive servants, who were eager to behold the
returning bride and bridegroom, and looked astonished to see the bride
return in charge of her parents, accompanied by a strange woman.

"Where was the bridegroom?" was the question that their amazed faces put,
tho