"By Goles, Peregrine, it's past twelve o'clock already!" he ejaculated. "They ought to be here soon and--" He checked suddenly and stood hushed and mute, for Jessamy had appeared,--a glorified Jessamy, resplendent from top to toe; his boots shone superbly, his coat sat on him with scarce a wrinkle, but his chief glory was his shirt, prodigiously beruffled at wrists and bosom. The Tinker eyed these noble adornments in undisguised admiration. "Lord, Jessamy!" he exclaimed. "Lord, Jess!" At this, Jessamy's diffidence vanished and coming to the little mirror that hung against an adjacent tree, he scanned his reflection with an appreciative eye. "Aye, aye, Jerry," quoth he, "when I wears a frilled shirt--which ain't often, as you know, Jeremy--I wears one with--frills!" "Jerry, dear--O Jerry!" called Diana from the dingy tent. "Yes, Anna!" "I want you to come and hook up my dress!" "Lord, Anna! To do what?" "Hook up my dress for me." "But--Ann--" "I can't possibly do it myself, so come at once, there's a dear!" "Won't Perry do, Ann?" "Certainly not!" "But I never hooked up a lady in my life, Ann!" "Then you're going to hook up this lady now. So come at once and don't be silly!" "Why, very well, Ann! But if I do it up all wrong an' sp'ile ye--don't blame me, that's all!" Saying which, he disappeared into the dingy tent, leaving me to survey myself in the small mirror and find fault with my every feature and so much as I could see of my attire, while Jessamy hovered near, eyeing me a little anxiously. "You don't feel anywise groggy or--shaky o' your pins, do ye, Perry?" he enquired solicitously. "Not yet, Jessamy." "Why, very good, brother! But if so be you should feel it comin' on, jest tip me the office--I've a lemon in my pocket. There's some, being groggy, as nat'rally turns to a sup o' rum or brandy, but the best thing as I knows on to pull a man together is a squeeze o' lemon and--here comes the rest o' your backers--hark!" The crack of a whip, a jingle of bits and curb-chains coming rapidly nearer, and then the air rang with a cheery "view hallo!" A rustle of petticoats and Diana was beside me, a radiant vision in the gown she could not hook up for herself, and side by side, we went to meet our guests, and thus beheld a coach-and-four galloping along the lane, the sedate Atkinson seated in the rumble and upon the box the tall, athletic form of Anthony, flourishing his whip in joyous salutation, a cheery, glad-eyed Anthony; and beholding her who sat so close beside him, I understood this so great change in him. Reining up in masterly fashion, he sprang lightly to earth and taking his wife in powerful arms, lifted her down, pausing to kiss her in midair, and then she had run forward to clasp Diana in eager embrace.