First, the wedding cards were sent out far and near. And the neighborhood, which was not prepared for the surprise, was electrified.
Next the dressmakers, with every skilful needle-woman among the housemaids to help them, were set to work on the trousseau. Of the many dresses that had been made up for Anna’s marriage, the last November, most had never been worn and were now in their newest gloss; but they were not trimmed in the newest fashion, nor were they all suitable for summer wear; so those first dresses, had to be altered and newly trimmed, and many new dresses suitable for the season had to be made up. This kept all the feminine hands in the house very busy for a week.
Drusilla’s skill, and taste, and willingness to help made her an invaluable assistant.
Only a few days before the one set for the wedding was the new trousseau finished and packed up, and the new wedding dress and traveling dress completed and laid out.
And now carpenters and upholsterers were brought down from town, and the house and grounds were fitted up and decorated for the happy occasion.
The French cook and his assistants had the kitchen, the pantry, the cellar, the plate-closet, and the long dining-room, to themselves, and were up to their linen caps in business.
“Well, it is a notable blessing that one cannot be bothered with this sort of thing very often, as one is not likely to be married more than half a dozen times in one’s life,” said Anna, who was, or affected to be, very much bored by all this bustle.
“Oh, I hope to Heaven, Anna, we may neither of us ever be married but once! I trust in the Lord, Anna, that we may live together to keep our golden wedding-day half a century hence,” answered Dick, very devoutly.
For honest Dick was what the Widow Bedot would have called very much “solemnized” by the impending crisis in his fate.
“Blessed is the bride that the sun shines on.” The day of days came at last—the auspicious fifteenth of May—clear, bright, warm, genial, with a light breeze playing a lively tune, to which all the green leaves danced in glee. All the flowers bloomed to decorate the scene—all the birds turned out to sing their congratulations! Never was seen such a rosery on the lawn; never was heard such a concert in the groves.