“Quite ready.”
Then they were married, with Letty and her mother standing beside them, Bennet and his wife dimly visible in the door-way, and poor Bran at his master’s feet, looking up with wistful eyes, half human in the anxious affection they expressed.
Christie never forgot that service, so simple, sweet, and solemn; nor the look her husband gave her at the end, when he kissed her on lips and forehead, saying fervently, “God bless my wife!”
A tender little scene followed that can better be imagined than described; then Mr. Power said cheerily:
“One hour more is all you have, so make the most of it, dearly beloved. You young folks take a wedding-trip to the green-house, while we see how well we can get on without you.”
“THEN THEY WERE MARRIED.”
David and Christie went smiling away together, and if they shed any tears over the brief happiness no one saw them but the flowers, and they loyally kept the secret folded up in their tender hearts.
Mr. Power cheered the old lady, while Letty, always glad to serve, made ready the last meal David might ever take at home.