from the breast of Charley Gray.”  That same evening the engagement ring glittered upon Flora’s finger; and six months later, amid a small company of friends, they uttered their marriage vows in the old church at Elmwood; and by many they were called with truth a beautiful and noble looking couple; and immediately after their marriage they set out for their new home in one of the large cities of the Western Provinces, where Charley was to begin the practice of his profession.  They left us under seeming summer sky, and I breathed a prayer, that no cloud might arise to mar its serenity.

CHAPTER XXX.

About a year after Flora’s marriage I received a letter from Aunt Lucinda with a pressing invitation that we should go at once to Fulton; she wished me also to write, requesting my mother to join us at Montreal and accompany us.  This letter surprised me not a little, but I was well aware that Aunt Lucinda must have some particular reason for this sudden and unexpected invitation; and I at once wrote to my mother, informing her of her request, and two days later she arrived at my home in Montreal.  We enjoyed a pleasant journey, and again my eyes rested with delight upon the familiar scenes of the village of Fulton.  Uncle Nathan met us at the railway station, looking as hale and hearty as ever.  On our way to the farm I ventured to inquire what had caused our invitation to visit them at this particular time; he answered me only by repeating the old saying, “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies,” and so we made no further inquiries.  When Aunt Lucinda came forward to welcome us, I at once noticed the remarkable change in her appearance; one would have supposed that at least ten years had been taken from her age since I last saw her, and her whole manner was so cheerful and sprightly that I was at a loss to understand what could have happened; but I never dreamed of the truth till after tea, when Aunt Lucinda rose and said:  “I want to see you, Walter, alone in the parlor.”  I followed her, secretly wondering what wonderful revelation I was to listen to.  When we were seated, she said with her old abrupt manner, “Well, Walter, you have heard Nathan talk about Joshua Blake, he has come back and we are going to be married to-morrow and I have sent for you to attend the wedding.  You may well look astonished to hear an old woman like me talk about getting married; and the land knows what Deacon Martin’s folks will say; but as long as they have liberty to say whatever they please, they needn’t complain.  You remember hearing Nathan laugh about Joshua Blake and his red hair years ago, perhaps you thought there was no such person in the world but there was.  Joshua was an only child, his parents lived over at the village, and we went to school together.  His hair was not a real blazin’ red but only a dark auburn, for all of Nathan’s nonsense about it.  Well, we loved each other, when mere children.