And then it was that Mrs. Force announced to the little group the approaching marriage of Dr. Ingle and Miss Meeke.
“Natalie going to leave us!” exclaimed Mr. Force, in mock despair.
| “‘I never had a dear gazelle To love me with its soft, dark eye, But came a loafing ne’er-do-well And stole her from me on the sly!’” |
“Girls never know what’s their own good,” said Mrs. Anglesea, in all solemnity; “nor no more won’t they learn nothing from experience! One girl marries and comes to grief; another sees that, and marries and comes to grief, also; a third does likewise; a fourth follows suit; and so on to the end of the chapter! Girls are just what I read som’er’s or other about them and the pigs and the hot swill. You set a pail of it in the yard, and one pig will run and dip his nose into it, and run off scalded and squealing like mad; another sees that, but, all the same, dips his nose and runs off scalded and squealing like a house afire; and a third does likewise, and a fourth follows suit! And so on till the whole herd are scalded! And the girls are just like that!” concluded the lady from the land of gold.
“Oh, I hope not,” said Mrs. Force.
“To leave a good home, where she has full run and plenty of everything, and not a care or a trouble on the face of the earth, and to go and marry a young, country doctor, with his way to make! And I know the way of country doctors, you bet! Oh, yes, they have a large practice and a wide one; but, as to the pay—oh, Lord! they ride scores and scores and scores of miles, day in and day out, and night after night, and never can be sure of a single night’s rest or a single meal’s vittals from year’s end to year’s end! But when it comes to pay—Lord bless you! they gets more kicks than halfpence, so to speak!”
“We hope it will fare better with our young couple,” said Mr. Force, with a smile.
“Well, go on hoping, man! There’s no law agin’ it!” said the lady, leaning back in her softly cushioned chair and crossing her fat hands on her lap.
The driving party did not stay out until night, as Wynnette had threatened. The young doctor’s professional duties, unprofitable as they might be to himself, would not admit of such a long holiday. They returned to Mondreer in good time for dinner, for which Dr. Ingle, at Mrs. Force’s invitation, remained.
But immediately after they arose from the table he made his apologies, entered his gig, which had been brought around to the door, and drove away to make his professional calls.