"A very pretty idea," said Regina, beaming proudly upon the bride-elect, with an expression as if the thought had emanated from her brain instead of that of the bridegroom-to-be. "We have come from town, your father and I, and we have brought you a present." "Oh! you darlings! What have you brought me? But I know it is something nice." "It's not very big," said her father, producing the little packet from his waistcoat pocket, "but we hope you will like it all the same." "Oh, a ring," cried Maudie, as she caught sight of the box. "I love rings more than anything else, and it is so sweet and kind of you to remember my little tastes, and to give me something that I can carry about with me always when I am not living here any more." Regina looked hard out of the window. In spite of her pride at her girl's approaching marriage, it was a bitter wrench to her to think that she soon would have only one child in the home nest. Indeed, she looked forward further still to the time when she and Alfred would be Darby and Joan, with no young life to disturb the serenity of their daily round. It was the voice of Julia which brought her back to earth again. "Now come, don't stand there rhapsodizing about it, but open your parcel, old lady, and see what luck will send you," she said to her sister. "I am sure Harry has given you rings enough. You don't credit mother and father with over-much sense when you think they would give you something of which Harry has already given you a dozen." At this moment Maudie gave a faint scream. "Oh, you darlings! you darlings! I never thought of this; I don't know which of you to kiss first. Oh, oh, what will Harry say? Oh! Julia, you had a hand in this. Single stone earrings! Oh, they are too good for me." "Why should you say they are too good for you?" said Regina. "Nothing is too good for me to give my daughter." "But you were right in one thing," said Julia, as Maudie slipped one of the sparkling stones from its nest of white velvet, and insinuated the gold ring into her ear, "they have given you something that you can wear every day." CHAPTER XV A GOLDEN DAY Most people detest tears at a wedding, and yet weddings give much more cause for tears than funerals.