CHAPTER XIIGOING TO A WEDDING
“I WISH when people have weddings, they’d have them in the afternoon, instead of in the morning,” observed Geraldine, in a rather complaining tone, as she carefully smoothed out the folds in her white dress before taking her favorite seat on the piazza railing. “We have to wear our good clothes in the afternoon, anyway, but it’s simply awful to be dressed up like this at ten o’clock in the morning.”
Jerry said nothing, but gazed mournfully at his immaculate white suit, and freshly blackened boots, and sighed. It was the first of May, as perfect a spring day as had ever dawned, and it was also Barbara Heath’s wedding day. The twins were occupying the cottage piazza in solitary state, while up-stairs Mrs. Barlow, Gretel, and Higgins, were all engaged in dressing the bride.
“It wouldn’t be quite so bad if it were going to be a big wedding, like people have in NewYork,” Geraldine went on. “Then we could look at the presents, and perhaps I could be a flower girl, and you could hold up the bride’s train, like Bobby Campbell did when his aunt got married, but Miss Heath isn’t going to have any train, and there won’t be any people in the church but just us, and her uncle from Chicago.”
“There isn’t even to be any wedding cake,” objected Jerry, disgustedly. “I thought of course there would be cake, and we could each have a box to ourselves.”
“I know why they’re not having any cake, or flower girls, or trains,” said Geraldine. “Miss Heath said she wanted to have a very simple wedding. I suppose she didn’t want to have Father and Mother pay for things, but I should think Mr. Douane might have paid; he’s awfully rich.”
“Is he really?” inquired Jerry, looking interested.
“Yes, I heard Father and Miss Heath’s uncle talking about it the other night. Father said Miss Heath was a very lucky girl, and I guess Mr. Heath thought she was lucky, too, for he rubbed his hands, and looked as pleased as could be.”
“I don’t believe Miss Heath cares much,though,” remarked Jerry, in a tone of conviction. “She isn’t the kind of person to like anybody just because he’s rich. She’d marry any one she was fond of, and she’s awfully fond of Mr. Douane.”
“It’s very nice to see everybody so happy,” said Geraldine, “but I do wish they would have the wedding in the afternoon. It’s dreadfully stupid to have to sit around like this in the morning, instead of going to dress-parade. Oh, here comes Gretel. Are they ’most ready?”
“Almost,” said Gretel, as she joined her friends on the piazza. “Barbara and your mother are having a little talk by themselves, and I think they’re both crying. Your mother asked me to come and see if you were all right, and to tell you to be sure not to move off the piazza till they come.”
“Oh, we’re not going to move,” sighed Geraldine, resignedly. “Does Miss Heath look pretty?”
“Just wait till you see her,” responded Gretel, with shining eyes. “Higgins says Lady Violet Cadwalader wasn’t half as pretty when she was a bride, and she wore white satin and point lace. Oh, Geraldine, I’m so happy I feel as if I would like to fly.”
“Gretel, do you know that your brother is very rich?” inquired Jerry. He had been much impressed by his sister’s remark.
“Oh, yes,” said Gretel, simply. “You see, when Mother married Father all her first husband’s money went to Percy, and then his grandfather left him a lot more besides. I used to be afraid Percy was extravagant, but Barbara says he isn’t, and Higgins says when people have money they ought to spend it for the good of trade, so I don’t worry any more. They’re going to have a beautiful home, and I’m going to live with them. Isn’t it wonderful? I couldn’t quite believe it at first, but they both say they want me. Higgins thought they would send me to boarding-school, but Barbara says I’m not to go till I’m fourteen, and I’m not twelve yet.”
“You’d better make some rules about lessons then,” advised Geraldine. “Draw up a contract, the way we did, and make Miss Heath sign it. If you don’t she may want to teach you things all day long.”
Gretel laughed.
“I don’t believe she would,” she said, “and even if she did, I shouldn’t mind a bit. I’d rather be with Barbara than any one else in the world.”
“Well, you are a queer girl,” said Geraldine, looking rather incredulous. “Miss Heath is all right, and very nice for a teacher, but I can’t imagine wanting her round all day long. Why, the two nicest things about her getting married are that we won’t have any more lessons this spring, and that you are to stay with us for a whole month, while she goes on a wedding trip.”
“But Miss Heath won’t be a teacher when she’s married,” suggested Jerry. “I think she’ll be a very nice person to live with. I wouldn’t mind one bit living with her myself.”
“Mind!” cried Gretel, indignantly; “who could possibly mind? Higgins says she considers it a great privilege to live with such a lovely young lady, and I think I’m the luckiest girl in the world to have her for a sister.”
“Here come the carriages,” announced Jerry, springing down from the railing, where he had been perched beside his twin. “Oh, I hope they’ll be ready soon. Where’s Mr. Douane, Gretel?”
“He’s going to meet us at the church,” said Gretel. “He said good-by to me at the hotel, and I put a flower in his button-hole. He looked perfectly splendid.”
Geraldine said she would go and see if thebridal party were nearly ready, and forthwith departed up-stairs, returning in a moment with the joyful intelligence, that they were really coming at last.
“You and I are to go in the carriage with Father and Mother, Jerry,” she explained. “Miss Heath wants Gretel to go with her and her uncle. She really does look lovely, even if she hasn’t got a train, or white satin, or anything grand.”
“She couldn’t have a wedding dress like that,” said Gretel, “because, in the first place, there wasn’t any way of getting one made down here, and then she and Percy are going right off in the train as soon as the wedding is over.”
“I don’t see why Miss Heath wouldn’t let Father and Mother give her a wedding breakfast, as they wanted to,” complained Jerry. “There might have been cake then, and there would have been lots of good things to eat, anyway.”
Just then the bridal party was seen coming down-stairs, and for the moment everything else was forgotten. Ten minutes later they were all on their way to Hampton, for it was in the little Episcopal church at Hampton that the wedding was to take place. Gretel and her new sistersat side by side in the carriage, while Miss Heath’s uncle from Chicago—an elderly gentleman, with a tired, careworn face—sat opposite to them, and looked at his watch a good many times during the drive. Nobody talked much, and as they drew near the church Miss Heath took Gretel’s hand and held it. She was looking very happy, but there were tears in her eyes, and her lip trembled.
It was a very simple wedding, but that was just what the bride and bridegroom both wanted. The little church was decorated with spring flowers, and as the bride walked up the aisle on her uncle’s arm, the organ struck up the Bridal March from “Lohengrin.” Gretel caught her breath with a little gasp. It was the first time she had heard that music since the day of her stolen visit to fairy-land, and suddenly her cheeks grew very hot.
“I wonder if I shall ever have the courage to tell Barbara,” she thought, uncomfortably, but just then the service began, and she forgot everything else in listening to the solemn words, which she was hearing for the first time in her life.
It was all over. Miss Heath was Miss Heath no longer, but Mrs. Percy Douane, and the wholeparty were in the vestry, where the bride and groom were receiving congratulations.
“It’s our turn now, Jerry,” whispered Geraldine, excitedly, pulling her brother’s sleeve, when the pretty bride had been kissed and congratulated by Mr. Heath, Mr. and Mrs. Barlow, and delighted Gretel. “Oh, dear, I wonder what we ought to say.”
“I know,” said Jerry; “I’ve been making it up.” And he advanced, followed by his astonished twin. It was the first time in his life that Jerry had ever taken the initiative in anything.
“Hello!” he began, pausing directly in front of the bride, and speaking in his gruffest tones. “We want to say something. We’re glad you’re married, and we hope you’ll be very happy. We can’t say we’re sorry you’re not going to teach us any more, because we don’t like teachers much, but you’re the nicest teacher we ever had, and if we’ve got to have one at all, we’d rather have you than any one else.”
“Yes, that’s true,” chimed in Geraldine; “you really have been awfully nice for a teacher, and you’ve been so fair. You haven’t broken the contract once.”
How everybody laughed. Mrs. Douane kissed both twins—much to Jerry’s disgust—and hugged Geraldine so tight that she came near crushing the bridal bouquet. And then the carriages drove up to the church door again, and it was time to say good-by.
“Good-by, Gretel darling,” Mrs. Douane whispered, coming back to give her little sister a last kiss. “A month will soon pass, and then we shall all be together again, and just think how happy we shall all be.”
“I am thinking of it all the time,” answered Gretel, hastily winking back the rising tears. “I shall count the days till the first of June, though.”
At the same moment Mr. Douane was shaking hands with Mrs. Barlow.
“It is mighty good of you people to take charge of our little sister for the next month,” he said, heartily. “I shall look up a place for the summer as soon as possible, and hope we shall be settled somewhere by the time you come north in June.”
“Indeed you need not thank us,” said Mrs. Barlow, smiling. “It will be a real pleasure to have dear little Gretel with us; I know of no sweeter companion for my children.” And thistime Mrs. Barlow spoke as if she meant what she said, and not as if she were quoting something out of a book.
“Hurrah!” shouted Jerry, waving his cap from the church steps, as the carriage containing the bridal couple disappeared around the corner, “that’s over, and now we can go home and take off our best clothes. Weddings aren’t so bad, after all, but they’re not half so much fun as dress-parade.”
“Come along, Gretel,” said Geraldine, slipping an arm about her friend’s waist; a most unusual demonstration of affection from her. “I’m glad you didn’t go away, too. Miss Heath did look lovely, and I can’t help feeling a little sorry we’re not going to see her any more, but Mother says we can stop at that candy store we passed, and buy all the chocolates we want, to make up for there not being any wedding cake.”