veil, which floated like a fleecy
cloud about her.

Peace never could remember what happened after that. She saw the bride
take her place beside Dr. Race, and she saw the black-frocked minister
stand up in front of them. Then someone gave a signal and a shower of
rose petals fell from the bell above their heads and covered doctor and
nurse with sweet fragrance. Immediately the guests began to file past to
greet the happy couple, and a subdued murmur of voices filled the long
corridor.

"But when is the wedding to be?" demanded Peace in surprise. "Seems to
me folks are in an awful hurry. Why don't they wait till the wedding is
over?"

"The wedding is already over," answered Miss Foster, laughing at the
child's dismay.

"They aren't married _yet_?" protested Peace in great astonishment.

"Yes, they are, and the wedding breakfast will be served directly at Dr.
Kruger's house."

"But--but--doesn't it take longer to get married than that?"

"No."

"I--I thought it would."

"Why, childie?"

"Well, it took so long to put the dec'rations up, and for everyone to
dress, it seems 's if the minister might have talked a little longer.
They'd hardly stood up together before it was all over."

Again Miss Foster laughed merrily. "Just you wait, little girl, till it
comes _your_ turn to stand up while the minister talks, and you will
think it is plenty long enough," she warned, rising to join the bridal
party moving slowly down the corridor toward the waiting autos in the
street below.

At last the wonderful event was over, the happy doctor and his smiling
bride had departed on their honeymoon amid a shower of fragrant rose
petals; and Peace, clinging fast to Allee, was again in her room with
Gail.

"O, but it was beau-ti-ful!" she sighed blissfully. "I hope my wedding
will be as nice. Didn't the music sound lovely? I 'most forgot to
whistle when I saw Allee coming along with Essie Martin,--I was so
'stonished! Nobody had hinted a word that she was going to be here. I
didn't even 'spect Miss Wayne knew her. My! but the day has been full of
s'prises! There was the wedding first,--I'd no idea it _could_ be so
pretty,--and then there was Allee's coming when I thought she was at
home in Martindale. And then Dr. Dick told me while we were at breakfast
that I could go home in two weeks more, and right after that along came
Mrs. Wood and said you and Allee and me were to be her guests for the
last week we were here. And now