It was in this way she began to speak of her own journey to

Captain Lennox, who assented, as in duty bound, to all his future

mother-in-law said, while his eyes sought Edith, who was busying

herself in rearranging the tea-table, and ordering up all sorts

of good things, in spite of his assurances that he had dined

within the last two hours.

Mr. Henry Lennox stood leaning against the chimney-piece, amused

with the family scene. He was close by his handsome brother; he

was the plain one in a singularly good-looking family; but his

face was intelligent, keen, and mobile; and now and then Margaret

wondered what it was that he could be thinking about, while he

kept silence, but was evidently observing, with an interest that

was slightly sarcastic, all that Edith and she were doing. The

sarcastic feeling was called out by Mrs. Shaw's conversation with

his brother; it was separate from the interest which was excited

by what he saw. He thought it a pretty sight to see the two

cousins so busy in their little arrangements about the table.

Edith chose to do most herself. She was in a humour to enjoy

showing her lover how well she could behave as a soldier's wife.

She found out that the water in the urn was cold, and ordered up

the great kitchen tea-kettle; the only consequence of which was

that when she met it at the door, and tried to carry it in, it

was too heavy for her, and she came in pouting, with a black mark

on her muslin gown, and a little round white hand indented by the

handle, which she took to show to Captain Lennox, just like a

hurt child, and, of course, the remedy was the same in both

cases. Margaret's quickly-adjusted spirit-lamp was the most

efficacious contrivance, though not so like the gypsy-encampment

which Edith, in some of her moods, chose to consider the nearest

resemblance to a barrack-life. After this evening all was bustle

till the wedding was over.




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