"'What female heart can gold despise?
What cat's averse to fish?'"
"Well, for an hour, good-bye. Have a good fire and the pipes ready."
"Yes, truly,—and a magnum, if my closet is not empty. The king will drink to Hamlet."
* * * * *
Little more remains to be told. After the long period of probation, it was not deemed necessary that the nuptials should be deferred beyond the time necessary to make due preparation. In a month the wedding took place at Mr. Monroe's house, Mr. Easelmann giving away the bride. I do not say that the bachelor felt no twinges when he saw among the guests the lovely Mrs. Sandford in her becoming white robes; in fact, he "thought seriously," as all such people do while there remains even the recollection of youth—but his habits were too fixed. He saw and sighed, and that was all. However, he is on the right side of——forty, we will call it, and there is hope for him. We may find him in some adventure yet; if so, the reader shall assuredly know it.
In the spring, Greenleaf with his wife went abroad and took up their residence in Rome.
"What pictures has he painted?" did you ask?
Really, Madam, a great many; but I have not the least idea of letting you come at the name of my hero in this way. You have seen them both here and in New York, and you thought them the productions of a rising man,—as they are.
* * * * *
Our friend Monroe is now a partner in the house of Lindsay & Co. He makes frequent visits to the villa at Brookline, and is always welcome. Mr. Lindsay considers him a most sensible and worthy young man, and his daughter Clara has implicit confidence in his judgment of literature as well as in his taste for pictures. One fine day last summer, Mrs. Monroe was prevailed upon, after some weeks of solicitation, to get into a carriage and take a drive with her son. "She's a nice girl," said the mother, fervently, on their return; "and if you must marry anybody, I don't think you can do better." Walter's smile showed that he thought so too, although the alternative was hardly so painful as she seemed to consider it,—from which we infer that his relations with the senior partner of the house have become, or will be, still more intimate.