too, was a
deception. These limp-looking individuals had only remained in this
drawing-room for the sole purpose of "talking it over," and Mr. Pierce
had no walk-over before him.

Mr. Pierce cleared his throat and remarked: "The development of marriage
customs and ceremonies from primeval days is one of the most curious
and--"

"What a lovely wedding it has been!" said Dorothy, heaving a sigh of
fatigue and pleasure combined.

"Wasn't it!" went up a chorus from the whole party, except Mr. Pierce,
who looked eminently disgusted.

"As I was remarking--" began Mr. Pierce again.

"But the best part," said Watts, who was lolling on one of the lounges,
"was those 'sixt' ward presents. As Mr. Moriarty said; 'Begobs, it's
hard it would be to find the equal av that tureen!' He was right! Its
equal for ugliness is inconceivable."

"Yet the poor beggars spent eight hundred dollars on it" sighed
Lispenard, wearily.

"Relative to the subject--" said Mr. Pierce.

"And Leonore told me," said a charmingly-dressed girl, "that she liked
it better than any other present she had received."

"Oh, she was more enthusiastic," laughed Watts, "over all the 'sixt'
ward and political presents than she was over what we gave her. We
weren't in it at all with the Micks. She has come out as much a
worshipper of hoi-polloi as Peter."

"I don't believe she cares a particle for them," said our old friend,
the gentlemanly scoundrel; "but she worships them because they worship
him."

"Well," sighed Lispenard, "that's the way things go in life. There's
that fellow gets worshipped by every one, from the Irish saloon-keeper
up to Leonore. While look at me! I'm a clever, sweet-tempered, friendly
sort of a chap, but nobody worships me. There isn't any one who gives a
second thought for yours truly. I seem good for nothing, except being
best man to much luckier chaps. While look at Peter! He's won the love
of a lovely girl, who worships him to a degree simply inconceivable. I
never saw such idealization."

"Then you haven't been watching Peter," said Mrs. D'Alloi, who, as a
mother, had no intention of having it supposed that Leonore was not more
loved than loving.

"Taking modern marriage as a basis--" said Mr. Pierce.

"Oh," laughed Dorothy, "there's no doubt they are a pair, and I'm very
proud of it, because I did it."

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" crowed Ray.

"I did," said Dorothy, "and my own husband is not the one to cast
reflection on my s