, the invited guests were pledged not to divulge it beforehand. On
the previous evening Captain McMichael, being something of a
tactician, announced to them: "We do not yet know for certain that the
affair will ever come off, and we may all be jolly well sold." When
they assembled at the Mission Church, it looked as if this would
happen, as neither of the couple appeared. Suddenly, however, they
drove up in a carriage and entered the church. The "blushing bride,"
says a reporter who had hidden behind a pillar, "carried a bouquet of
orange blossoms, and the organ played 'The Voice that breathed o'er
Eden'"; and another chronicler adds: "On the conclusion of the
ceremony, all adjourned to partake of a splendid spread, with wine and
cigars _ad lib._" But this was not all, for: "Governor Wainwright,
giving a significant wink, kissed the new-made bride, Mrs. Hull. His
example was promptly followed by Mr. Henry Clayton, 'just to make the
occasion memorable,' he said. 'Such is the custom of my country,'
remarked Madame Lola. She was not kissed by anybody else, but she none
the less had a pleasant word for all."

II

It was at Sacramento that Lola and her new husband began their married
life. The conditions of the town were a little primitive just then;
and even in the principal hotel the single guests were expected to
sleep in dormitories. The cost of board and lodging (with bed in a
bunk) was 150 dollars a week. As for the "board," standing items on
the daily menu would be boiled leg of grizzly bear, donkey steak, and
jack-rabbit. "No kickshaws" was the proud boast of every chef.

In addition to his editorial labours (which were not unduly exacting),
Hull was employed by the Government on census work, preparing
statistics of the rapidly increasing population. But Lola, much to his
annoyance, did not add to his figures for the Registrar-General's
return. The footlights proved a stronger lure than maternity; and,
almost immediately after her marriage, she accepted an engagement at
one of the theatres, where she appeared as Lady Teazle. A countess in
that part of the world being a novelty, the public rallied to the
box-office in full force and "business" was phenomenal. Still,
competition there, as elsewhere. Some of it, too, of a description
that could not be ignored. Thus, Ole Bull was giving concerts at the
Opera House, and causing hardened diggers to shed tears when he played
"Home Sweet Home" to them on his violin; Edw