"'That won't do,' I said. 'We must have a date.'
"So they both agreed that I should choose the day, tell them what church to come to for the ceremony, provide a clergyman, and give the bride away.
"I fixed an early date and got them the chaplain of the House of Commons to perform the ceremony. It took place a few days later. After the ceremony was over we adjourned to Whistler's studio, where he had prepared a banquet. The banquet was on the table, but there were no chairs, so we sat on packing-cases. The happy pair, when I left, had not quite decided whether they would go that evening to Paris or remain in the studio.
"How unpractical they were was shown when I happened to meet the bride the day before the marriage in the street.
"'Don't forget to-morrow,' I said.
"'No,' she replied; 'I am just going to buy my trousseau.'
"'A little late for that, is it not?' I asked.
"'No,' she answered, 'for I am only going to buy a tooth-brush and a new sponge, as one ought to have new ones when one marries.'
"However, there never was a more successful marriage. They adored each other, and lived most happily together, and when she died he was broken-hearted indeed. He never recovered from the loss."
* * * * *