The altar and the walls were decorated with evergreens and holly. That was all.
Mr. Force led his daughter up the aisle, followed first by the two little bridesmaids, and next by the other members of the party without much regard to precedence.
The rector, in full canonicals, stood within the chancel.
The bridal train, formed before the altar, bowed to the rector, and knelt on the cushions.
The crowd, with which the church was filled, arose in mass and stretched their necks to get sight of the proceedings.
The rector opened the book, and began the well-known ritual:
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here, in the sight of God and in the face of this company, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony,” and so forth.
When the minister concluded the exordium by the solemn warning:
“‘If any man can show just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak.’”
In the pause that now followed Elva looked imploringly toward Le.