eration; as did every single person of the village. Those who
could not afford to give dinners gave teas, and all drank the health of
the young couple; and many a time after dinner or supper was my Mary made
to blush by the allusions to the change in her condition.

The happy day for that ceremony was now fixed, and the 24th July, 1823,
saw me the happiest husband of the prettiest girl in Somersetshire. We
were married from my mother's house, who would insist upon that at any
rate, and the nine girls acted as bridesmaids; ay! and Gus Hoskins came
from town express to be my groomsman, and had my old room at my mother's,
and stayed with her for a week, and cast a sheep's-eye upon Miss Winny
Titmarsh too, my dear fourth sister, as I afterwards learned.

My aunt was very kind upon the marriage ceremony, indeed. She had
desired me some weeks previous to order three magnificent dresses for
Mary from the celebrated Madame Mantalini of London, and some elegant
trinkets and embroidered pocket-handkerchiefs from Howell and James's.
These were sent down to me, and were to be _my_ present to the bride; but
Mrs. Hoggarty gave me to understand that I need never trouble myself
about the payment of the bill, and I thought her conduct very generous.
Also she lent us her chariot for the wedding journey, and made with her
own hands a beautiful crimson satin reticule for Mrs. Samuel Titmarsh,
her dear niece. It contained a huswife completely furnished with
needles, &c., for she hoped Mrs. Titmarsh would never neglect her needle;
and a purse containing some silver pennies, and a very curious pocket-
piece. "As long as you keep these, my dear," said Mrs. Hoggarty, "you
will never want; and fervently--fervently do I pray that you will keep
them." In the carriage-pocket we found a paper of biscuits and a bottle
of Rosolio. We laughed at this, and made it over to Tom Wheeler--who,
however, did not seem to like it much better than we.

I need not say I was married in Mr. Von Stiltz's coat (the third and
fourth coats, Heaven help us! in a year), and that I wore sparkling in my
bosom the GREAT HOGGARTY DIAMOND.

CHAPTER IX

BRINGS BACK SAM, HIS WIFE, AUNT, AND DIAMOND, TO LONDON

We pleased ourselves during the honeymoon with forming plans for our life
in London, and a pretty paradise did we build for ourselves! Well, we
were but forty years old between us; and, for my part, I never found any
harm come of castle-building, but