Detective and mystery stories; English fiction -- 19th century
This young gentleman’s unbecoming observations were promptly quashed,
and the holy ordinance was concluded to the crashing strains of
Mendelssohn. A considerably large crowd, moved by feelings of sincere
appreciation for the union of the professions of War and Literature,
waited outside the church to give the bride a cheer as she stepped into
her carriage, and some of them, hustling a little in advance of the
policemen on duty, and peering up towards the entrance of the sacred
edifice, were rewarded by seeing the Most Distinguished Personage in the
realm, smiling his ever-cordial smile, and shaking hands with the fair
‘celebrity’ just wedded. At this sight a deafening noise broke out from
the throats of the honest ‘masses,’ a noise which became almost
tumultuous when the Distinguished Personage walked by the side of the
newly-married pair down the red-carpeted pavement from the church to the
nuptial carriage-door, and lifted his hat again and again to the
‘huzzas’ which greeted him. But the Distinguished Personage did not get
all the applause by any means. Delicia got the most of it, and many of
the crowd pelted her with flowers which they had brought with them for
the purpose. For she was one of the few ‘beloved women’ that at rare
intervals are born to influence nations—so few they are and so precious
in their lives and examples that it is little wonder nations make much
of them when they find them. There were people in the crowd that day
who had wept and smiled over Delicia’s writings, and who had, through
her teaching, grown better, happier and more humane men and women; and
there was a certain loving jealousy in these which grudged that she
should stoop from her lofty height of fame, to marry, like any other
ordinary woman. They would have had her exempt from the common lot, and
yet they all desired her happiness. So in half-gladness, half-regret,
they cheered her and threw roses and lilies at her, for it was the month
of June; and she with her veil thrown back, and the sunshine glinting on
her gold hair, smiled bewitchingly as she bowed right and left to the
clamorous throng of her assembled admirers; then, with her glorious six
feet of husband, she stepped into her carriage and drove away to the
sound of a final cheer. The Distinguished Personage got into his
brougham and departed. The brilliantly-attired guests dispersed slowly,
and with much chatting and gaiety, in their different directions, and
all was over. And the One Man whose earthly lot it was to appear at
various ‘afternoon teas,’ stood under the church portico and muttered
gloomily to an acquaintance,—
‘Fancy that simple-looking creature being actually the famous Delicia
Vaughan! She isn’t in the least like an authoress—she’s only a woman!’
Whereat the acquaintance, whose intellectual resources were somewhat
limited, smiled and murmured,—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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