,' said Ruby in a whisper to Mrs Hurtle. 'And he'd never known
two young people more fitted by the gifts of nature to contribute to
one another's 'appinesses. He had understood that Mars and Wenus
always lived on the best of terms, and perhaps the present company
would excuse him if he likened this 'appy young couple to them two
'eathen gods and goddesses. For Miss Ruby,--Mrs Crumb he should say,--
was certainly lovely as ere a Wenus as ever was; and as for John Crumb,
he didn't believe that ever a Mars among 'em could stand again him. He
didn't remember just at present whether Mars and Wenus had any young
family, but he hoped that before long there would be any number of
young Crumbs for the Bungay birds to pick up. 'Appy is the man as 'as
his quiver full of 'em,--and the woman too, if you'll allow me to say
so, Mrs Crumb.' The speech, of which only a small sample can be given
here, was very much admired by the ladies and gentlemen present,--with
the single exception of poor Ruby, who would have run away and locked
herself in an inner chamber had she not been certain that she would be
brought back again.

In the afternoon John took his bride to Lowestoft, and brought her
back to all the glories of his own house on the following day. His
honeymoon was short, but its influence on Ruby was beneficent. When
she was alone with the man, knowing that he was her husband, and
thinking something of all that he had done to win her to be his wife,
she did learn to respect him. 'Now, Ruby, give a fellow a buss,--as
though you meant it,' he said, when the first fitting occasion
presented itself.

'Oh, John,--what nonsense!'

'It ain't nonsense to me, I can tell you. I'd sooner have a kiss from
you than all the wine as ever was swallowed.' Then she did kiss him,
'as though she meant it;' and when she returned with him to Bungay the
next day, she had made up her mind that she would endeavour to do her
duty by him as his wife.

CHAPTER XCV - THE LONGESTAFFE MARRIAGES

In another part of Suffolk, not very far from Bungay, there was a lady
whose friends had not managed her affairs as well as Ruby's friends
had done for Ruby. Miss Georgiana Longestaffe in the early days of
August was in a very miserable plight. Her sister's marriage with Mr
George Whitstable was fixed for the first of September, a day which in
Suffolk is of all days the most sacred; and the combined energies of
the houses of Caversham and Toodlam were being