"Well, bees can't be put off," observed the inharmonious grandfather
James. "Marrying a woman is a thing you can do at any moment; but a
swarm o' bees won't come for the asking."

Dick fanned himself with his hat. "I can't think," he said thoughtfully,
"whatever 'twas I did to offend Mr. Maybold, a man I like so much too. He
rather took to me when he came first, and used to say he should like to
see me married, and that he'd marry me, whether the young woman I chose
lived in his parish or no. I just hinted to him of it when I put in the
banns, but he didn't seem to take kindly to the notion now, and so I said
no more. I wonder how it was."

"I wonder!" said Fancy, looking into vacancy with those beautiful eyes of
hers--too refined and beautiful for a tranter's wife; but, perhaps, not
too good.

"Altered his mind, as folks will, I suppose," said the tranter. "Well,
my sonnies, there'll be a good strong party looking at us to-day as we go
along."

"And the body of the church," said Geoffrey, "will be lined with females,
and a row of young fellers' heads, as far down as the eyes, will be
noticed just above the sills of the chancel-winders."

"Ay, you've been through it twice," said Reuben, "and well mid know."

"I can put up with it for once," said Dick, "or twice either, or a dozen
times."

"O Dick!" said Fancy reproachfully.

"Why, dear, that's nothing,--only just a bit of a flourish. You be as
nervous as a cat to-day."

"And then, of course, when 'tis all over," continued the tranter, "we
shall march two and two round the parish."

"Yes, sure," said Mr. Penny: "two and two: every man hitched up to his
woman, 'a b'lieve."

"I never can make a show of myself in that way!" said Fancy, looking at
Dick to ascertain if he could.

"I'm agreed to anything you and the company like, my dear!" said Mr.
Richard Dewy heartily.

"Why, we did when we were married, didn't we, Ann?" said the tranter;
"and so do everybody, my sonnies."

"And so did we," said Fancy's father.

"And so did Penny and I," said Mrs. Penny: "I wore my best Bath clogs, I
remember, and Penny was cross because it made me look so tall."

"And so did father and mother," said Miss Mercy Onmey.

"And I mean to, come next Christmas!" said Nat the groomsman vigorously,
and looking towards the person of Miss Vashti Sniff.

"Respectable people don't nowadays," said Fancy. "Still, since poor
mother did, I will."

"Ay," resumed the trant