 | CHAPTER XLI.
THE WEDDING. The minister's wooing |  |
41. CHAPTER XLI.
THE WEDDING.
Of the events which followed this scene we are
happy to give our readers more minute and graphic
details than we ourselves could furnish, by transcribing
for their edification an autograph letter of
Miss Prissy's, still preserved in a black oaken cabinet
of our great-grandmother's; and with which
we take no further liberties than the correction of
a somewhat peculiar orthography. It is written to
that sister “Lizabeth,” in Boston, of whom she
made such frequent mention, and whom, it appears,
it was her custom to keep well-informed in all the
gossip of her immediate sphere.
“You wonder, I s'pose, why I haven't written
you; but the fact is, I've been run just off my
feet, and worked till the flesh aches so it seems
as if it would drop off my bones, with this wedding
of Mary Scudder's. And, after all, you'll be
astonished to hear that she ha'n't married the
about. You see, he came home a week before
the wedding was to be, and Mary, she was so
conscientious she thought 'twa'n't right to break
off with the Doctor, and so she was for going
right on with it; and Mrs. Scudder, she was for
going on more yet; and the poor young man, he
couldn't get a word in edgeways, and there
wouldn't anybody tell the Doctor a word about it,
and there 'twas drifting along, and both on 'em
feeling dreadful, and so I thought to myself, `I'll
just take my life in my hand, like Queen Esther,
and go in and tell the Doctor all about it.' And
so I did. I'm scared to death always when I
think of it. But that dear blessed man, he took
it like a saint. He just gave her up as serene
and calm as a psalm-book, and called Jim in and
told him to take her.
“Jim was fairly overcrowed, — it really made
him feel small, — and he says he'll agree that there
is more in the Doctor's religion than most men's:
which shows how important it is for professing
Christians to bear testimony in their works, — as
I was telling Cerinthy Ann Twitchel; and she
said there wa'n't anything made her want to be a
Christian so much, if that was what religion would
do for people.
“Well, you see, when this came out, it wanted
just three days of the wedding, which was to be
that had lilies of the valley on a white ground
was pretty much made, except puffing the gauze
round the neck, which I do with white satin piping-cord,
and it looks beautiful too; and so Mrs.
Scudder and I, we were thinking 'twould do just
as well, when in come Jim Marvyn, bringing the
sweetest thing you ever saw, that he had got in
China, and I think I never did see anything lovelier.
It was a white silk, as thick as a board, and
so stiff that it would stand alone, and overshot
with little fine dots of silver, so that it shone
when you moved it, just like frostwork; and when
I saw it, I just clapped my hands, and jumped up
from the floor, and says I, `If I have to sit up
all night, that dress shall be made, and made well,
too.' For, you know, I thought I could get Miss
Olladine Hocum to run the breadths and do such
parts, so that I could devote myself to the fine
work. And that French woman I told you about,
she said she'd help, and she's a master-hand for
touching things up. There seems to be work provided
for all kinds of people, and French people
seem to have a gift in all sorts of dressy things,
and 'tisn't a bad gift either.
“Well, as I was saying, we agreed that this
was to be cut open with a train, and a petticoat
of just the palest, sweetest, loveliest blue that ever
you saw, and gauze puffings down the edgings
lilies of the valley; and 'twas cut square in the
neck, with puffings and flowers to match, and then
tight sleeves, with full ruffles of that old Mechlin
lace that you remember Mrs. Katy Scudder showed
you once in that great camphor-wood trunk.
“Well, you see, come to get all things together
that were to be done, we concluded to put off the
wedding till Tuesday; and Madame de Frontignac,
she would dress the best room for it herself, and
she spent nobody knows what time in going round
and getting evergreens and making wreaths, and
putting up green boughs over the pictures, so that
the room looked just like the Episcopal church at
Christmas. In fact, Mrs. Scudder said, if it had
been Christmas, she shouldn't have felt it right,
but, as it was, she didn't think anybody would
think it any harm.
“Well, Tuesday night, I and Madame de Frontignac,
we dressed Mary ourselves, and, I tell you,
the dress fitted as if it was grown on her; and
Madame de Frontignac, she dressed her hair; and
she had on a wreath of lilies of the valley, and a
gauze veil that came a'most down to her feet, and
came all around her like a cloud, and you could
see her white shining dress through it every time
she moved, and she looked just as white as a
snow-berry; but there were two little pink spots
that kept coming and going in her cheeks, that
faded down again. And the French lady put a
string of real pearls round her neck, with a cross
of pearls, which went down and lay hid in her
bosom.
“She was mighty calm-like while she was being
dressed; but just as I was putting in the last pin,
she heard the rumbling of a coach down-stairs, for
Jim Marvyn had got a real elegant carriage to
carry her over to his father's in, and so she knew
he was come. And pretty soon Mrs. Marvyn
came in the room, and when she saw Mary, her
brown eyes kind of danced, and she lifted up
both hands, to see how beautiful she looked. And
Jim Marvyn, he was standing at the door, and
they told him it wasn't proper that he should see
till the time come; but he begged so hard that
he might just have one peep, that I let him come
in, and he looked at her as if she was something
he wouldn't dare to touch; and he said to me
softly, says he, `I'm 'most afraid she has got wings
somewhere that will fly away from me, or that I
shall wake up and find it is a dream.'
“Well, Cerinthy Ann Twitchel was the bridesmaid,
and she came next with that young man
she is engaged to. It is all out now, that she is
engaged, and she don't deny it. And Cerinthy,
she looked handsomer than I ever saw her, in a
white brocade, with rosebuds on it, which I guess
is going to be married next month.
“Well, we all filled up the room pretty well,
till Mrs. Scudder came in to tell us that the company
were all together; and then they took hold
of arms, and they had a little time practising how
they must stand, and Cerinthy Ann's beau would
always get her on the wrong side, 'cause he's
rather bashful, and don't know very well what he's
about; and Cerinthy Ann declared she was afraid
that she should laugh out in prayer-time, 'cause
she always did laugh when she knew she mus'n't.
But finally Mrs. Scudder told us we must go in,
and looked so reproving at Cerinthy that she had
to hold her mouth with her pocket-handkerchief.
“Well, the old Doctor was standing there in the
very silk gown that the ladies gave him to be
married in himself, — poor, dear man! — and he
smiled kind of peaceful on 'em when they came
in, and walked up to a kind of bower of evergreens
and flowers that Madame de Frontignac
had fixed for them to stand in. Mary grew rather
white, as if she was going to faint; but Jim Marvyn
stood up just as firm, and looked as proud
and handsome as a prince, and he kind of looked
down at her, — 'cause, you know, he is a great
deal taller, — kind of wondering, as if he wanted
to know if it was really so. Well, when they got
all placed, they let the doors stand open, and Cato
Candace had on her great splendid Mogadore turban,
and a crimson and yellow shawl, that she
seemed to take comfort in wearing, although it
was pretty hot.
“Well, so when they were all fixed, the Doctor,
he begun his prayer, — and as 'most all of us
knew what a great sacrifice he had made, I don't
believe there was a dry eye in the room; and
when he had done, there was a great time, — people
blowing their noses and wiping their eyes, as
if it had been a funeral. Then Cerinthy Ann, she
pulled off Mary's glove pretty quick; but that
poor beau of hers, he made such work of James's
that he had to pull it off himself, after all, and
Cerinthy Ann, she liked to have laughed out loud.
And so when the Doctor told them to join hands,
Jim took hold of Mary's hand as if he didn't
mean to let go very soon, and so they were married.
“I was the first one that kissed the bride after
Mrs. Scudder, — I got that promise out of Mary
when I was making the dress. And Jim Marvyn,
he insisted upon kissing me, — `'Cause,' says he,
`Miss Prissy, you are as young and handsome as
any of 'em'; and I told him he was a saucy
fellow, and I'd box his ears, if I could reach
them.
“That French lady looked lovely, dressed in
in her hair; and she came up and kissed Mary,
and said something to her in French.
“And after a while old Candace came up, and
Mary kissed her; and then Candace put her arms
round Jim's neck, and gave him a real hearty
smack, so that everybody laughed.
“And then the cake and the wine was passed
round, and everybody had good times till we heard
the nine-o'clock-bell ring. And then the coach
came up to the door, and Mrs. Scudder, she
wrapped Mary up, kissing her, and crying over
her, while Mrs. Marvyn stood stretching her arms
out of the coach after her. And then Cato and
Candace went after in the wagon behind, and so
they all went off together; and that was the end
of the wedding; and ever since then we ha'n't
any of us done much but rest, for we were pretty
much beat out. So no more at present from your
affectionate sister,
has come home quite rich. He fell in with a
man in China who was at the head of one of
their great merchant-houses, whom he nursed
through a long fever, and took care of his business,
and so, when he got well, nothing would
do but he must have him for a partner; and
now he is going to live in this country and attend
say he is going to build a house as grand as the
Vernons'. And we hope he has experienced religion;
and he means to join our church, which is a
providence, for he is twice as rich and generous
as that old Simeon Brown that snapped me up so
about my wages. I never believed in him, for all
his talk. I was down to Mrs. Scudder's when the
Doctor examined Jim about his evidences. At
first the Doctor seemed a little anxious, 'cause he
didn't talk in the regular way; for you know Jim
always did have his own way of talking, and
never could say things in other people's words;
and sometimes he makes folks laugh, when he
himself don't know what they laugh at, because
he hits the nail on the head in some strange way
they aren't expecting. If I was to have died, I
couldn't help laughing at some things he said; and
yet I don't think I ever felt more solemnized. He
sat up there in a sort of grand, straightforward,
noble way, and told all the way the Lord had
been leading of him, and all the exercises of his
mind, and all about the dreadful shipwreck, and
how he was saved, and the loving-kindness of the
Lord, till the Doctor's spectacles got all blinded
with tears, and he couldn't see the notes he made
to examine him by; and we all cried, Mrs. Scudder,
and Mary, and I; and as to Mrs. Marvyn,
she just sat with her hands clasped, looking into
And when Jim got through, there wa'n't nothing
to be heard for some minutes; and the Doctor he
wiped his eyes and wiped his glasses, and he
looked over his papers, but he couldn't bring out
a word, and at last says he, “Let us pray,” — for
that was all there was to be said; for I think
sometimes things so kind of fills folks up that
there a'n't nothing to be done but pray, which, the
Lord be praised, we are privileged to do always.
Between you and I, Martha, I never could understand
all the distinctions our dear, blessed Doctor
sets up; but when he publishes his system, if I
work my fingers to the bone, I mean to buy one
and study it out, because he is such a blessed
man; though, after all's said, I have to come back
to my old place, and trust to the loving-kindness
of the Lord, who takes care of the sparrow on
the house-top, and all small, lone creatures like me;
though I can't say I'm lone either, because nobody
need say that, so long as there's folks to be done
for. So if I don't understand the Doctor's theology,
or don't get eyes to read it, on account of the fine
stitching on his shirt-ruffles I've been trying to do,
still I hope I may be accepted on account of the
Lord's great goodness; for if we can't trust that
it's all over with us all.”
| CHAPTER XLI.
THE WEDDING. The minister's wooing | |