"I hope not, but I'm always afraid of it. His grandfather on the maternal side, you know----"
"Ah, nobody knows what is inside another's coat," said the Bishop. "Anna's father had some trouble in his head--must have had."
"Even diseases are inherited," said the Governor.
"But the old man drank after he buried his wife, not before he married her," said the Rector.
And then Aunt Margret and Anna returned to the room saying, "Here she is at last!" bringing Thora in her simple velvet costume called the kirtle, with silver belt, bell sleeves, and white lace about the neck.
The Governor took Thora in his arms and kissed her. "But how pale, my child!" he said.
"You may well say so, Governor," said Aunt Margret. "She has been crying since early morning."
"Crying?" said the Factor. "Now, I never can understand why a woman must always cry when she is going to be married; it's such a bad compliment to her husband."
"But I agree with Thora," said the Governor. "If ever there is a time to cry, or, at least, to feel grave and anxious, it is just that moment of life when it is customary to dance and sing as if you were setting out on a triumphal procession instead of taking a leap into the dark."
"And I agree with the Governor," said the Bishop. "When I see a bride crying so bitterly at the altar that she can hardly utter the responses, I generally know she is going to be a happy wife."