Miss Dolores, rather pale and nervous, had enough to do; though surrounded as she was by her friends, she was spared much detail. Mary Lee followed her about whenever there was a lull in the wedding presents, and Mr. Pinckney made sudden descents upon her with, “Dear bless me, dear bless me, I don’t know what I am going to do!”
“But, father,” said Mrs. Roberts, on one of these occasions, “you are not going to do anything. You are to stay here just as you have always done. You don’t have to take a wedding journey, and Harold isn’t going to shut up Dolores in a dungeon and feed her on bread and water, you know. There is no use acting as if this were a visitation of the enemy when Dolores is to be carried off willy-nilly.”
“I know, my dear, I know,” her father would reply, “but I can’t get exactly used to it.”
“We’ve a lovely plan,” said Mary Lee, coming into the library where these two were. “Miss Dolores wants to have all the wedding party to dinner to-night and use all the wedding silver and such things as she can of that kind, then we are to have a sort of rehearsal after dinner and all get acquainted after that in some jolly sort of way.”
“Charming, charming!” cried Mr. Pinckney springing to his feet. “I must see Jennings about that,” and he trotted off to give orders to the butler about different things suggested to him by this plan.
So bridesmaids, best man and near relatives sat down to the table with the bride and groom that evening to enjoy the new silver and comment upon the handsome centerpieces, the fine napery and the beautiful china. An elaborate piece of embroidery, which Mercedes had done, occupied a place of honor, and was so much admired that the little girl was quite embarrassed by the praise.
The best man, a nice, unaffected young Marylander, was placed next to Mercedes, her office as maid of honor demanding that. Mary Lee sat the other side and next to Mr. Roberts. Nan found her place was next to Mr. Kirk and a boyish young cousin from out of town who was greatly set up at finding himself in the midst of so many pretty girls. He was to be one of the ushers; the other three were to arrive later in the evening. Mr. Kirk’s mother sat on Mr. Pinckney’s right, Mrs. Corner on his left.
“I think it is the most delightful thing to eat from the wedding presents,” said Jack to her neighbor, Mrs. Roberts. “I just love it. Wasn’t it dear of Miss Dolores to think of it? Mrs. Bobs, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you about Carter. Why couldn’t he come?”
“Because he very kindly offered to stay in order to give us the chance of coming. We couldn’t all leave very well.”
“Didn’t he send me any message?”