Kind Mrs. Vesey, whom we have all too much overlooked and forgotten of late, innocently caused us a sad morning to begin with.  She has been, for months past, secretly making a warm Shetland shawl for her dear pupil—­a most beautiful and surprising piece of work to be done by a woman at her age and with her habits.  The gift was presented this morning, and poor warm-hearted Laura completely broke down when the shawl was put proudly on her shoulders by the loving old friend and guardian of her motherless childhood.  I was hardly allowed time to quiet them both, or even to dry my own eyes, when I was sent for by Mr. Fairlie, to be favoured with a long recital of his arrangements for the preservation of his own tranquillity on the wedding-day.

“Dear Laura” was to receive his present—­a shabby ring, with her affectionate uncle’s hair for an ornament, instead of a precious stone, and with a heartless French inscription inside, about congenial sentiments and eternal friendship—­“dear Laura” was to receive this tender tribute from my hands immediately, so that she might have plenty of time to recover from the agitation produced by the gift before she appeared in Mr. Fairlie’s presence.  “Dear Laura” was to pay him a little visit that evening, and to be kind enough not to make a scene.  “Dear Laura” was to pay him another little visit in her wedding-dress the next morning, and to be kind enough, again, not to make a scene.  “Dear Laura” was to look in once more, for the third time, before going away, but without harrowing his feelings by saying when she was going away, and without tears—­“in the name of pity, in the name of everything, dear Marian, that is most affectionate and most domestic, and most delightfully and charmingly self-composed, without tears!” I was so exasperated by this miserable selfish trifling, at such a time, that I should certainly have shocked Mr. Fairlie by some of the hardest and rudest truths he has ever heard in his life, if the arrival of Mr. Arnold from Polesdean had not called me away to new duties downstairs.

The rest of the day is indescribable.  I believe no one in the house really knew how it passed.  The confusion of small events, all huddled together one on the other, bewildered everybody.  There were dresses sent home that had been forgotten—­there were trunks to be packed and unpacked and packed again—­there were presents from friends far and near, friends high and low.  We were all needlessly hurried, all nervously expectant of the morrow.  Sir Percival, especially, was too restless now to remain five minutes together in the same place.  That short, sharp cough of his troubled him more than ever.  He was in and out of doors all day long, and he seemed to grow so inquisitive on a sudden, that he questioned the very strangers who came on small errands to the house.  Add to all this, the one perpetual thought in Laura’s mind and mine, that we were to part the next day, and the haunting dread, unexpressed