ub and Bacchus, transferred to marble, would occupy places
of honour in some well-proportioned hall built for the purpose of
receiving them. "I shall be quite content," said Hamel, "if the whole
family of the Jones's will have their busts done about the size
of life, and stand them up over their bookshelves. My period for
Beelzebubs has gone by." The visit, on the whole, was delightful.
Lucy was contented with the almost more than divine beauty of her
lover, and the two sisters, as they made their return journey to
Kingsbury Crescent in another Hansom, discussed questions of art in
a spirit that would have been delightful to any aspiring artist who
might have heard them.

Then came the wedding, of which some details were given at the close
of the last chapter, at which two brides who were very unlike to each
other were joined in matrimony to two bridegrooms as dissimilar. But
the Captain made himself gracious to the sculptor who was now to be
connected with him, and declared that he would always look upon Lucy
as a second sister to his dear Gertrude. And Gertrude was equally
gracious, protesting, when she was marshalled to walk up to the altar
first, that she did not like to go before her darling Lucy. But the
dimensions of the church admitted but of one couple at a time, and
Gertrude was compelled to go in advance. Colonel Stubbs was there
acting as best man to Hamel, while Lord John Battledore performed the
same service for Captain Batsby. Lord John was nearly broken-hearted
by the apostacy of a second chum, having heard that the girl whom
Frank Houston had not succeeded in marrying was now being taken by
Batsby without a shilling. "Somebody had to bottle-hold for him,"
said Lord John, defending himself at the club afterwards, "and I
didn't like to throw the fellow over, though he is such a fool!
And there was Stubbs, too," continued his Lordship, "going to take
the other girl without a shilling! There's Stubbs, and Houston,
and Batsby, all gone and drowned themselves. It's just the same as
though they'd drowned themselves!" Lord John was horrified,--nay,
disgusted,--by the folly of the world. Nevertheless, before the end
of the year, he was engaged to marry a very pretty girl as devoid of
fortune as our Ayala.

CHAPTER LXIV.

AYALA'S MARRIAGE.

Now we have come to our last chapter, and it may be doubted whether
any reader,--unless he be some one specially gifted with a genius
for statistics,--will have