for your sake, hailing them as old, familiar
friends, and actually growing sick and faint with excitement when,
through the leafless woods, I caught the gleam of Fairy Pond, where I
gathered the lilies for you. Does my darling remember it?"

He knew she did by the clasp of her hand, and he continued:

"Had a dead body risen from its grave, and walked into the farmhouse,
carrying its coffin with it, it could not have created greater
consternation, or made worse havoc with the people's wits than did my
sudden appearance in their midst. Good Aunt Betsy, I am sorry to say,
fell the entire length of the cellar stairs, spraining her ankle,
bruising her elbow shockingly, and, direst calamity of all, in her
estimation, breaking the dish of charlotte russe she was holding in her
hand. There is a wedding in progress, I learned from mother, and it
seems very meet that I should come at this time, making, in reality, a
double wedding, when I can truly claim my bride," and Mark kissed Helen
passionately, laughing to see how the blushes broke over her white face,
and burned upon her neck.

Those were happy moments which they passed together upon that ledge of
rocks, happy enough to atone for all the dreadful past, and when at last
they arose and slowly retraced their steps to the farmhouse, it seemed
to Mark that Helen's cheeks were rounder, fuller, than when he found
her, while Helen knew that the arm on which she leaned was stronger than
when it first inclosed her an hour or two ago.

CHAPTER LV.

THE WEDDING.

Many times Aunt Betsy had hobbled to the door, and shading her eyes with
her hand, had looked wistfully up the hill in quest of Mark and Helen,
wondering why they stayed out so long, when they must know the sun was
nearly down, and wondering next if Morris would never go home about his
business and give Katy a chance to dress.

Poor, worried, unfortunate Aunt Betsy! her foot was very lame, and her
arm was badly bruised; but she bandaged it up in camphor and sugar,
wincing at the terrible smart when the wash was at first applied, but
saying to Morris, who asked if it did not hurt cruelly: "Yes, it hurts
some, but nothin' to what the poor soldiers is hurt; and I wouldn't mind
it an atom if I hadn't broke the dish with the heathenish name."

And, indeed, the loss of the charlotte russe did weigh heavily on Aunt
Betsy's mind, proving the straw too many, and only Bell Cameron, who,
with Lieutenant Bob, had come on