The Following of the Star: A RomanceBarclay, Florence L. (Florence Louisa)
General
The Following of the Star: A Romance
Barclay, Florence L. (Florence Louisa)
Clergy -- Fiction; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction; Marriage -- Fiction; Missionaries -- Fiction
She was early at the church, "to get a good place"; and had shifted her
seat several times, before David arrived. In fact she tried so many
pews, that the careful woman always on duty as verger at St. Botolph's,
began to look upon her with suspicion.
Sarah had feared she would not succeed in catching David's eye; but
David had seen her directly he came into the chancel. He had also
noticed, in Sarah's bonnet, the exact counterpart of Mrs. Churchwarden
Smith's red feather. He knew at once how much this meant, because Sarah
had told him that she only "went to beads." Often, in the lonely times
to come, when David chanced to see a gaily plumaged bird, in the great
forests of Ugonduma, he thought of Sarah's bonnet, and the red feather
worn in honour of his wedding.
He now went straight down the church, and shook the good woman by the
hand: "Which was beyond m' proudest dreams," Sarah always explained in
telling the story afterwards.
"Hullo, Sarah! How delightful of you to come; and how nice you look!"
Then as he felt Sarah's white cotton glove still warmly clasping his own
hand, he remembered the Christmas card. David possessed that priceless
knack of always remembering the things people expected him to remember.
"Sarah," he said, glancing down at their clasped hands, "you should have
brought me a buttonhole of forget-me-nots."
Sarah released his hand, and held up an impressive cotton finger.
"Ah, Mr. Rivers, sir," she said; "I knew you would say that. But who
could 'a' thought that card of mine would ha' bin prophetic!"
"Prophetic?" repeated David, quite at a loss.
"The turtle-doves," whispered Sarah, with a wink, infinitely romantic
and suggestive.
Then David understood. He and Diana were the pair of turtle-doves,
flying above the forget-me-nots, united by a festoon of ribbon, held in
either beak.
At first he shook with silent laughter. Good old Sarah, with her
prophetic card! He and Diana were the turtle-doves! How it would amuse
Diana!
Then a sharp pang smote him. Tragedy and comedy moved on either side of
David, as he walked back to the chancel.
He and Diana were the turtle-doves.
Soon after the half-hour, a stir and bustle occurred at the bottom of
the church. Mrs. Marmaduke Vane entered, on the arm of Mr. Inglestry.
The dapper little lawyer was completely overshadowed by the large and
portly person of Diana's chaperon. She tinkled and rustled up the
church, all chains, and bangles, and nodding plumes. She seemed to be
bowing right and left to the empty pews. Mr. Inglestry put her into the
front seat on the left, just below the quaintly carved lectern; then
went himself to the vestry for a word with Mr. Goldsworthy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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