She hastened forward up the narrow walk, and had not arrived at the door when the foremost sleigh drew up by the side of Neptune, and she discovered old Dr. Paul, minister of the First church, and close behind him the rector of St. John’s with his smiling face.
“Is it a funeral?” she questioned; and then the sweet, tired woman felt a little like crying, or laughing, she did not know which; but Mrs. Hallock had opened the door and said “Come right in. I want to see you a minute before anybody else comes”; and so Mrs. Dobson was led right into the room where Harry was attended so lovingly in the early part of this story, and Kate slipped in behind her; and so the door was closed and the story told as only one sweet, loving woman can tell life’s best story to another woman as sweet and loving.
The words that were said we cannot repeat, nor even express the maze of emotion which filled the heart of Mrs. Dobson—but she arose equal to even that occasion, when Mrs. Hallock reminded her that too great a shock might be disastrous to Captain Dobson, who was like a little child in some things.
“Let him come in, alone,” she said, “and find me here. To think that God has answered my prayer, when I’ve been thinking it wicked to keep on praying so long. Go, Kittie, and let him come in.”
Captain Dobson was in the little bedroom opening from the long kitchen, and from this room also Mrs. Hallock knocked at the door. Captain Dobson opened it, and silently that lady and Kate passed into the little room and through it into the long kitchen, that was half filled with sympathetic friends.
“How did she bear it?” asked one and another.
“Just as we might expect Mrs. Dobson to bear everything,” Mrs. Hallock replied.
Then, without a word or warning, in her sweet childish voice, Kate Hallock began to sing “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” She began alone, but at the second word everybody in the room added voice to voice, and at the close the door into the front room was found standing ajar and Dr. Paul went in. He gravely shook hands with Mrs. Dobson and the Captain, and, after stating the fact that the first marriage ceremony at which he officiated in his ministry among them was that of Captain Dobson and Mrs. Dobson, he said he would now, with the consent of the parties, renew it. “It is too long for the silver-wedding and too short for the golden-wedding, and, my friends, we will call this the Praise God wedding.”
Without in the least intending form or ceremony, Kate Hallock entered the room and stood beside Grandma Dobson and Harry Cornwall found himself very near Captain Dobson. The room was very full, as good Dr. Paul repeated the marriage service over the bride with the silver curls and the man with the calm, grave, happy face. “Not at all grizzly,” Kate admitted.