the bosoms
of her maiden companions, by the exhibition of the shining ring, every
one was to know it was quite foreign to the dignity of such an
experienced married woman. Dick's imagination in the meantime was far
less capable of drawing so much wontedness from his new condition. He
had been for two or three hours trying to feel himself merely a newly-
married man, but had been able to get no further in the attempt than to
realize that he was Dick Dewy, the tranter's son, at a party given by
Lord Wessex's head man-in-charge, on the outlying Yalbury estate, dancing
and chatting with Fancy Day.

Five country dances, including 'Haste to the Wedding,' two reels, and
three fragments of horn-pipes, brought them to the time for supper,
which, on account of the dampness of the grass from the immaturity of the
summer season, was spread indoors. At the conclusion of the meal Dick
went out to put the horse in; and Fancy, with the elder half of the four
bridesmaids, retired upstairs to dress for the journey to Dick's new
cottage near Mellstock.

"How long will you be putting on your bonnet, Fancy?" Dick inquired at
the foot of the staircase. Being now a man of business and married, he
was strong on the importance of time, and doubled the emphasis of his
words in conversing, and added vigour to his nods.

"Only a minute."

"How long is that?"

"Well, dear, five."

"Ah, sonnies!" said the tranter, as Dick retired, "'tis a talent of the
female race that low numbers should stand for high, more especially in
matters of waiting, matters of age, and matters of money."

"True, true, upon my body," said Geoffrey.

"Ye spak with feeling, Geoffrey, seemingly."

"Anybody that d'know my experience might guess that."

"What's she doing now, Geoffrey?"

"Claning out all the upstairs drawers and cupboards, and dusting the
second-best chainey--a thing that's only done once a year. 'If there's
work to be done I must do it,' says she, 'wedding or no.'"

"'Tis my belief she's a very good woman at bottom."

"She's terrible deep, then."

Mrs. Penny turned round. "Well, 'tis humps and hollers with the best of
us; but still and for all that, Dick and Fancy stand as fair a chance of
having a bit of sunsheen as any married pair in the land."

"Ay, there's no gainsaying it."

Mrs. Dewy came up, talking to one person and looking at another. "Happy,
yes," she said. "'Tis always so when a couple is so exactly in tune with
one anoth