de up." It gave many of them a great
deal of pleasure to think that before Miss Minnie had ever seen "that
parson," her more popular sister had also had a lover, though he hadn't
spoken till after, being mayhap a shy gentleman, as is seen often and
often. He was a fair-haired gentleman and very pleasant spoken. What
his name was nobody cared so much; the villagers found it more easy to
recollect him by the colour of his hair than by his name. It was some
time before Lizzie identified the gentleman whom Miss Chatty was about
to marry. She had a small part of the trousseau to prepare, one or two
morning dresses to make, a commission which made her proud and happy,
and gave her honour in the sight of her friends and detractors, a
thing dear to all. And then at the very last Lizzie discovered who the
bridegroom was. The discovery affected her very greatly. It was the
occasion of innumerable self-arguments, carried on in the absolute
seclusion of a mind occupied by matters, its acquaintance with which
is unknown. Old Mrs. Bagley talked about the marriage to every one who
came into the shop. It was, she said, almost as if it was a child of her
own.

Thus Lizzie heard--all that there was to hear: and her mind grew more
perplexed as time went on. She had the strange ignorances and the still
more strange beliefs common to her kind. She put her faith in those
popular glosses of the law, at which the better instructed laugh, but
which are to the poor and unlearned like the canons of faith. It was the
very eve of the wedding before her growing anxiety forced her to action.
When Mr. Wilberforce was told that a young woman wanted to see him,
he was arranging with his wife the train by which they were to go
up to town to the wedding, not without comments on the oddness of the
proceeding, which Mrs. Wilberforce thought was but another of the many
signs of the times--which severed all bonds, and made a nasty big hotel
better than your own house. The rector was in the habit of taking his
wife's comments very calmly, for he himself was not so much alarmed
about our national progress to destruction as she was. But yet he had
his own opinion on the subject, and thought it was undignified on the
part of Mrs. Warrender not to have her daughter married at home. He was
only to be the second in importance in point of view of the ceremony
itself, having no more to do than to assist a bishop who was of the
Cavendish clan: whereas he felt himself q