A Mere Chance, Vol. 3 of 3

ht of the wedding, and like all the nuptia

first time since her sister Laura's wedding, and since her accession to the dignities of maternity, and carrying herself very prettily as a personage of consequence amongst the unmarried friends of her girlhood, looked extremely well and very ha

that she carried that sharp and satirical manner of hers to an excess that was unbecoming i

n account of her husband, excused themselves from further attendance on Mrs. Hardy, and drove bac

he smoking-room, Mrs. Reade having laid upon her brother-in-law the responsibility of keeping his ho

led a good talk; and now the baby being found asleep and in his nurse's charge for the night, they sat down to

still she was sorry that her sister's excellent marriage should have this particular drawback, than which she could hardly imagine one more unpleasant and embarrassin

tout, and that his manner of addressing his wife, and his bearing towards her generally, was more p

d at the worst he is not very bad. He never gets obstinate and quarrelsome, as some men do-only vaguely argumentative and subsequen

s a splendid ma

, so I don't keep always worrying at him about it. It is only now and then that I give him a

ood fellow," said Luc

"He is better worth having, with all his faults-and that is about the only one he has-than most of your brilliant society

eed, we may both be thankful for our good luck in that respect-all of us, I should sa

"I hope we are all as happy as

extraordinary to see how fond of her Mr. Kingston is-really fond of her, I mean. Did you think he would ever marry such

vate him. That has been her charm all along-he has felt that his ho

ted she would. That dead-white in the morning that brides have to wear does spoil even the best complexion. I thought hers could stand anything, but it can't stand that. When she wears it in the eve

importance of that event, in its effect upon Rachel, had never been known to Mrs. Thornley, who was led to suppose that the sus

mily had had any dealings of a compromising nature with such a person as she

me ex-hussar had admired the belle of the evening to an extent that had roused the wrath of

htened at Christmas, was as little desirous as Mrs. Hardy that the facts of the case should be pu

summer visit to Adelonga, that it would be safer to exclude Lucilla (as a married woman who told her husband everything) from any participation in the knowledge of the mischief that Mr

g on her heart, was impelled to take advantage of the opportunity offered by Lucilla's reference to

heard of that Mr.

illa; "he is gradua

ice, sharply. "Why, what is th

appen, for he was away on the plains by himself, and it was only when he did not come home at night that Mr. Gordon went to look for him. They were a long time finding him, and he had been there for hours, and he was quit

splaying that interest in the narrative th

she asked quietly, wit

so much against him. And, of course, he couldn't have what he wanted up there, and was too bad to be moved. Mrs. Digby went there to nurse him-the Hales took the children for her. It was enough to kill her, so delicate as she is; bu

doctors nearer

t opinions. He is Mr. Dalrymple's partner, you know,

o be any better after he got

s so low that he just seemed sinking. However, he must be an amazingly strong man naturally. He managed to struggle through it, and now he is getting about, and all danger is over, though Mrs. Digby says he is like a walking skeleton. I expect she will have brought him

very lineament of the powerful, impressive face distinctly-even in a photograph it was not a face that once looked a

womanly weaknesses-an impulse to champion and befriend this man of so kingly a presence, whose sins, whatever they were, were balan

rfluous champagne dispersed from his brain so quickly. He saw his wife sitting by her own fireside,