had been creditable, but certainly not brilliant enough to present his withdrawal in the light of a disaster.  As Sir Theodore’s eldest son, his position was already made for him.  He was two-and-twenty years of age; and the young lady was eighteen.  There was really no producible reason for keeping the lovers waiting, and no excuse for deferring the wedding-day beyond the first week in September.  In the interval, while the bride and bridegroom would be necessarily absent on the inevitable tour abroad, a sister of Mrs. Carbury volunteered to stay with her during the temporary separation from her niece.  On the conclusion of the honeymoon, the young couple were to return to Ireland, and were to establish themselves in Mrs. Carbury’s spacious and comfortable house.

These arrangements were decided upon early in the month of August.  About the same date, the last alterations in the old palace at Venice were completed.  The rooms were dried by steam; the cellars were stocked; the manager collected round him his army of skilled servants; and the new hotel was advertised all over Europe to open in October.

CHAPTER XV

         (Miss Agnes Lockwood to Mrs. Ferrari)

’I promised to give you some account, dear Emily, of the marriage of Mr. Arthur Barville and Miss Haldane.  It took place ten days since.  But I have had so many things to look after in the absence of the master and mistress of this house, that I am only able to write to you to-day.

’The invitations to the wedding were limited to members of the families on either side, in consideration of the ill health of Miss Haldane’s aunt.  On the side of the Montbarry family, there were present, besides Lord and Lady Montbarry, Sir Theodore and Lady Barville; Mrs. Norbury (whom you may remember as his lordship’s second sister); and Mr. Francis Westwick, and Mr. Henry Westwick.  The three children and I attended the ceremony as bridesmaids.  We were joined by two young ladies, cousins of the bride and very agreeable girls.  Our dresses were white, trimmed with green in honour of Ireland; and we each had a handsome gold bracelet given to us as a present from the bridegroom.  If you add to the persons whom I have already mentioned, the elder members of Mrs. Carbury’s family, and the old servants in both houses—­privileged to drink the healths of the married pair at the lower end of the room—­you will have the list of the company at the wedding-breakfast complete.

’The weather was perfect, and the ceremony (with music) was beautifully performed.  As for the bride, no words can describe how lovely she looked, or how well she went through it all.  We were very merry at the breakfast, and the speeches went off on the whole quite well enough.  The last speech, before the party broke up, was made by Mr. Henry Westwick, and was the best of all.  He offered a happy suggestion, at the end, which has produced a very unexpected change in my life here.