“The invitations to the wedding were limited to members of the families
on either side, in consideration of the ill health of Miss Haldane’s
aunt. On the side of the Montbarry family, there were present, besides
Lord and Lady Montbarry, Sir Theodore and Lady Barville; Mrs. Norbury
(whom you may remember as his lordship’s second sister); and Mr.
Francis Westwick, and Mr. Henry Westwick. The three children and I
attended the ceremony as bridesmaids. We were joined by two young
ladies, cousins of the bride and very agreeable girls. Our dresses were
white, trimmed with green in honour of Ireland; and we each had a
handsome gold bracelet given to us as a present from the bridegroom. If
you add to the persons whom I have already mentioned, the elder members
of Mrs. Carbury’s family, and the old servants in both
houses—privileged to drink the healths of the married pair at the lower
end of the room—you will have the list of the company at the
wedding-breakfast complete.
“The weather was perfect, and the ceremony (with music) was beautifully
performed. As for the bride, no words can describe how lovely she
looked, or how well she went through it all. We were very merry at the
breakfast, and the speeches went off on the whole quite well enough.
The last speech, before the party broke up, was made by Mr. Henry
Westwick, and was the best of all. He offered a happy suggestion, at
the end, which has produced a very unexpected change in my life here.
“As well as I remember, he concluded in these words:—‘On one point, we
are all agreed—we are sorry that the parting hour is near, and we
should be glad to meet again. Why should we not meet again? This is the
autumn time of the year; we are most of us leaving home for the
holidays. What do you say (if you have no engagements that will prevent
it) to joining our young married friends before the close of their
tour, and renewing the social success of this delightful breakfast by
another festival in honour of the honeymoon? The bride and bridegroom
are going to Germany and the Tyrol, on their way to Italy. I propose
that we allow them a month to themselves, and that we arrange to meet
them afterwards in the North of Italy—say at Venice.’
“This proposal was received with great applause, which was changed into
shouts of laughter by no less a person than my dear old nurse. The
moment Mr. Westwick pronounced the word ‘Venice,’ she started up among
the servants at the lower end of the room, and called out at the top of
her voice, ‘Go to our hotel, ladies and gentlemen! We get six per cent.
on our money already; and if you will only crowd the place and call for
the best of everything, it will be ten per cent. in our pockets in no
time. Ask Master Henry!’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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