Sarah walked between Nanny Crocker and Constance Stanbury, and the matrons on her right and left admitted the truth of the remark. They had all come from church; they had seen David and Margaret made man and wife; and it was during a brief review of the immediate past and its arduous duties that Mrs. Bowden uttered her philosophical observation. "And rabbits going on all the time, mind you," she added. "Come what may, in season, year in, year out, Sundays only excepted, the rabbits goes over all--even a son’s wedding. ’Tis the ordering of nature and we’ve got to bend under it." "A very tidy little wedding," said Mrs. Crocker, who had pardoned all parties on hearing that her son was to be best man. David owned no close intimate of his sex, and since he and Bartley were now become excellent friends, he thought upon this idea and his old antagonist agreed to the proposal. For Nanny’s son could feel, but not deeply. The past was past, and its disappointments had left no heavier scar on his mind than David’s fist upon his face. He could view the prospect of being best man at Margaret’s wedding without disturbing emotions, and he accepted the invitation gladly. True he wished once to marry her and would have been proud to do so; but when she chose elsewhere, his desire towards her perished. Other interests had taken its place, and he found himself well able to enjoy the friendship of David and Margaret without any tinge of bitterness even when the past filled his mind. It seldom intruded, for he was of the sort who lack much instinct of retrospection and, childlike, trust all their future happiness on the hope and promise of great to-morrows. "A very tidy little wedding," repeated Mrs. Crocker, as though uttering a challenge. The mothers of the bride and bridegroom had waited each for the other to speak upon the first utterance of this graceful compliment; but now Mrs. Stanbury responded. "Thank you for that kind word, I’m sure," she said. "Coming from you it will be a delight to all the parties to hear it, and I know Madge will be proud when I tell her. We was up altering her dress till the small hours, and it didn’t fit to the last. No doubt you noted that ruckle right across the back of her stays, especially when she knelt down. But I hope you won’t blame us. We did our best." "A thing like that is of small account," declared Mrs. Crocker graciously. "Lord! how they’m ringing the heart out of the bells, to be sure. They never peal like that o’ Sundays." Mr. Moses approached and shook hands with each of the women in turn. "No," he said; "the fellows be ringing for the best beloved young woman in the countryside to-day; that’s why you hear what you do in the bells, my dears. Of a Sunday they’m ringing to worship and the glory of the Lord, all steady and solemn. ’Twouldn’t be respectful to the Throne of Grace to peal so free as that." Then he became personal.