His career had been brilliant and fortunate, and when he was brought in from the field dangerously wounded, her womanly ministrations at the hospital had helped to set him upon his horse again, with life made better worth preserving for the promise of her hand, surrendered with her father’s free consent.  It was a love-match, without reservations or inquiries, the rapport and wish of two equal beings, kindred in youth, sympathy, and career, earnest to dwell together and absorbed in the worship of each other.  Folded in full union of soul as perfectly as the leaves of a book, which are in contact at every point equally, they felt at this period the wistful tenderness of a marriage near at hand, and their eyes anticipated it, seeking each other out.  She was cast in the large stature of her father, and her dark brown hair and eyes betokened the stability of her character, while her graces of movement and speech no less revealed her adaptability to the social responsibilities which she had solely conducted since her mother’s death.  Together, Catharine and her affianced made a couple equal to the fullest destiny, and they won praise without envy from all.

“It is a happy fortuity,” said Judge Dunlevy, putting aside his glass; “Catharine’s marriage to a worthy man, native to my own part of the country; Arthur’s induction into national life; and hard-working Jabel Blake’s final triumph with his bank!  There is no misgiving in the mind of any of us.  The way is all smooth.  Perfect content, perfect love, no stain upon our honors or our characters:  with such simple family democracies all over the land we vindicate the truthfulness of our institutions, and grow old without desponding of our country!”

“I feel almost religiously happy,” said Arthur, the Congressman; “not for myself, particularly; not for my mere election to Congress, for in our district there are many abler men to make representatives of—­I hope none with more steadfast good intentions!—­but Elk here always had so much health, blood, wayward will, and brilliancy that I sometimes feared he might abandon the safe highways of labor and self-denial and try some dangerous short-cut to fortune.  To see him survive the battle-field and begin the longer campaigns of peace with a profession, a reputation, no entanglements, and such a wife, makes me a religious man.  God bless you, brother Elk!”

General MacNair said, in a jesting way, that Arthur was the truest, most old-fashioned, and most ridiculously scrupulous brother that ever grew up among the daisies; but he was affected, as were they all.

“Elk MacNair,” asked Jabel Blake, in his hard, incisive, positive, business voice, “what do you mean to do after you are married?”

The General looked at Jabel as if he were a little officious and with large capacities for being disagreeable.

“I have arranged to buy a partnership in a legal firm having the largest practice in the North west.  This is better than beginning alone and waiting to make a business.”