Society had been so often agitated by Lily Carey's affairs that it took with comparative coolness the tidings that she was to be married to Arend Van Voorst in six weeks. Miss Morgan said she supposed Lily was tired of "engagements," and wanted to be married this time. Her niece Emmeline shed tears over "poor Mr. Ponsonby," and refused to act as bridesmaid at his rival's nuptials; and in spite of her aunt's scoldings and Lily's entreaties, and all the temptations of the bridesmaids' pearl "lily" brooches and nosegays of Easter lilies, arranged a visit to her cousins in Philadelphia to avoid being present. Miss Thorne had no such scruples, and it is to her the world owes a lively account of the wedding; how it was fixed at so early a date lest "poor Mr. Ponsonby" should hurry over to forbid the banns, and how terribly nervous Lily seemed lest he might, in spite of the absolute impossibility, and though Ponsonby, true gentleman to the last, never troubled her then or after. "Poor Mr. Van Voorst, I should say!" exclaimed Mrs. Jack Allston. "I am sure he is the one to be pitied. But do tell me all the presents that have come in, for Jack says that I must give them something handsome after such a present as he gave me when we were married." Mrs. Van Voorst received the tidings of her son's approaching marriage rather doubtfully. "Yes--the Careys were a very nice family; she knew Mrs. Carey was an Arlington, and her mother a Berkeley, and his mother--but--Miss Carey was very handsome, she had heard--with the Berkeley style of beauty and the Arlington manner, but--but--she did not mind their being Unitarians, for many of the very best people were, in Boston, but--but--but--indeed, my dear Arend, I have heard a good deal about her that I do not altogether like. I hope it may not be true--about her keeping Jack Allston hanging on for years, as _pis-aller_ to that young Englishman she was engaged to all the while--and finally throwing him over--and now she has thrown over this Mr. Ponsonby too!" "Will you do just one thing for me, dear mother," asked her son; "will you forget all you have _heard_ about Lily, and judge her by what you _see_?"