“Mr. Severn! are you satisfied with me?” I looked up and caught the happy smile in her eyes, and for answer took her in my arms to kiss her: but she said:—
“Not yet, Arthur! not yet! What would they say? And besides, it would be unlucky.” So I released her, and she took my arm, and as we came up the aisle together I whispered to her:—
“Yes, my darling! Yes! yes! a thousand times. The time has been long, long; but the days were well spent!” She looked at me with a glad, happy look as she murmured in my ear:—
“We shall see Italy soon, dear, together. I am so happy!” and she pinched my arm.
That was a very happy wedding, and as informal as it was happy. As Norah had no bridesmaid, Dick, who was to have been my best man, was not going to act; but when Norah knew this she insisted on it, and said sweetly:—
“I should not feel I was married properly unless Dick took his place. And as to my having no bridesmaid, all I can say is, if we had half so good a girl friend, she would be here, of course!”
This settled the matter, and Dick with his usual grace and energy carried out the best man’s chief duty of taking care of his principal’s hat.
There were only our immediate circle present, Joyce and Eugene, Miss Joyce—who had come all the way from Knocknacar, Mr. Chapman, and Mr. Caicy—who had also come over from Galway specially. There was one other old friend also present, but I did not know it until I came out of the vestry, after signing the register, with my wife on my arm.
There, standing modestly in the background, and with a smile as manifest as a ten acre field, was none other than Andy—Andy so well dressed and smart that there was really nothing to distinguish him from any other man in Hythe. Norah saw him first, and said heartily:—
“Why, there is Andy! How are you, Andy?” and held out her hand. Andy took it in his great fist, and stooped and kissed it as if it had been a saint’s hand and not a woman’s:—