“Have it still, love.  I have neither need, nor wish, to interfere.”

“No, Miles; it would be madness to give property to one of such a character.  If you approve, I will make Rupert and Emily a moderate quarterly allowance, with which, having the use of my country-place, they may live respectably.  Further than that, I should consider it wrong to go.”

It is scarcely necessary to say how much I approved of this decision, or the applause I lavished on the warm-hearted donor.  The sum was fixed at two thousand dollars a year, before we left the room; and the result was communicated to Rupert by Lucy herself, in a letter written the very next day.

Our wedding-dinner was a modest, but a supremely happy meal; and in the evening, the blacks had a ball in a large laundry, that stood a little apart, and which was well enough suited to such a scene.  Our quiet and simple festivities endured for several days; the “uner” of Neb and Chloe taking place very soon after our own marriage, and coming in good time to furnish an excuse for dancing the week fairly out.

Marble got into trowsers the day after the ceremony, and then he entered into the frolic with all his heart.  On the whole, he was relieved from being a bride’s-maid,—­a sufficiently pleasant thing,—­but having got along so well with Lucy, he volunteered to act in the same capacity to Chloe.  The offer was refused, however, in the following classical language: 

“No, Misser Marble; colour is colour,” returned Chloe.  “You’s white, and we’s black.  Mattermony is a berry solemn occerpashun; and there mustn’t be no improper jokes at my uner with Neb Clawbonny.”

Chapter XXX.

  “This disease is beyond my practice:  yet I have known those which have
  walked in their sleep, who have died holily in their beds.”

  Macbeth.

The honeymoon was passed at Clawbonny, and many, many other honeymoons that have since succeeded it.  I never saw a man more delighted than Mr. Hardinge was, at finding me actually his son-in-law.  I really believed he loved me more than he did Rupert, though he lived and died in ignorance of his own son’s true character.  It would have been cruel to undeceive him; and nothing particular ever occurred to bring about an eclaircissement.  Rupert’s want of principle was a negative, rather than an active quality, and was only rendered of account by his vanity and selfishness.  Self-indulgence was all he aimed at, and he was much too self-indulgent and shrewd to become an active rogue.  He would have spent Lucy’s and my joint fortunes, had they been put at his control; but, as they never were, he was fain to limit his expenditures to such sums as we saw fit to give him, with certain extra allowances extorted by his debts.  Our intercourse was very much restricted to visits of ceremony, at least on my part; though Lucy saw him oftener; and no allusion was ever made to the past.  I called him “Mr. Hardinge” and he called me “Mr. Wallingford.”  “Rupert” and “Miles” were done with for ever, between us.  I may as well dispose of the history of this person and his wife, at once; for I confess it gives me pain to speak of them, even at this distance of time.