such a houseful as there was at the pinckneys’. mr. and mrs. roberts had arrived two days before the affair; nan, mercedes and mary lee were already on hand, a couple of cousins from out of town were received later, and there were others constantly coming and going. mary lee was kept busy with the presents, nan volunteered to help with the packing, while mercedes made the acquaintance of mrs. roberts, charlotte and jo. as for mr. pinckney, he was everywhere, ordering, suggesting, rushing to the telephone, sending off telegrams, summoning the butler, carrying off his daughter for a consultation, gathering the whole company around him to get opinions on some sudden decision.

miss dolores, rather pale and nervous, had enough to do; though surrounded as she was by her friends, she was spared much detail. mary lee followed her about whenever there was a lull in the wedding presents, and mr. pinckney made sudden descents upon her with,[362] “dear bless me, dear bless me, i don’t know what i am going to do!”

“but, father,” said mrs. roberts, on one of these occasions, “you are not going to do anything. you are to stay here just as you have always done. you don’t have to take a wedding journey, and harold isn’t going to shut up dolores in a dungeon and feed her on bread and water, you know. there is no use acting as if this were a visitation of the enemy when dolores is to be carried off willy-nilly.”

“i know, my dear, i know,” her father would reply, “but i can’t get exactly used to it.”

“we’ve a lovely plan,” said mary lee, coming into the library where these two were. “miss dolores wants to have all the wedding party to dinner to-night and use all the wedding silver and such things as she can of that kind, then we are to have a sort of rehearsal after dinner and all get acquainted after that in some jolly sort of way.”

“charming, charming!” cried mr. pinckney springing to his feet. “i must see jennings about that,” and he trotted off to give orders to the butler about different things suggested to him by this plan.

so bridesmaids, best man and near relatives sat down to the table with the bride and groom that evening to enjoy the new silver and comment[363] upon the handsome centerpieces, the fine napery and the beautiful china. an elaborate piece of embroidery, which mercedes had done, occupied a place of honor, and was so much admired that the little girl was quite embarrassed by the praise.

the best man, a nice, unaffected young marylander, was placed next to mercedes, her office as maid of honor demanding that. mary lee sat the other side and next to mr. roberts. nan found her place was next to mr. kirk and a boyish young cousin from out of town who was greatly set up at finding himself in the midst of so many pretty girls. he was to be one of the ushers; the other three were to arrive later in the evening. mr. kirk’s mother sat on mr. pinckney’s right, mrs. corner on his left.

“i think it is the most delightful thing to eat from the wedding presents,” said jack to her neighbor, mrs. roberts. “i just love it. wasn’t it dear of miss dolores to think of it? mrs. bobs, i haven’t had a chance to talk to you about carter. why couldn’t he come?”

“because he very kindly offered to stay in order to give us the chance of coming. we couldn’t all leave very well.”

“didn’t he send me any message?”

“oh, dozens of them, and he sent you something he wants you to wear to the wedding.”

[364]“how lovely! when may i see it, mrs. bobs? right after dinner?”

“why, yes, i think i can easily get at it. i have not had a chance to before, for there has been so much going on and so much to talk about.”

“i wish i knew what it was. i suppose you wouldn’t mind telling me as it isn’t christmas.”

“do you really want to know before you see it?”

“why”—jack was doubtful, “yes, you might just tell me what it is without describing it at all, then i’ll be half surprised. it will make the dinner seem so long if i don’t know and i do want to enjoy it.”

mrs. roberts laughed. “you are the same funny youngster, jack, that you were three years ago. very well, then, it is a bracelet.”

“how deliciously lovely. i hope mother will let me wear it. i have never had one. isn’t carter a dear? mrs. bobs, when we are married i hope we can live next-door neighbors to you.”

mrs. roberts laughed again. “i hope you can, i am sure. so you still hold to your first love, do you?”

“oh, but he isn’t my first love, exactly. i had ever so many before him, but he is the most grown up so it is the most serious.”

[365]“i see.” mrs. roberts’ dinner companion certainly did not fail of entertaining her.

“there are lots of things i want to ask you,” jack went on. “have you still wah sing? and do tell me about clarence opdyke. carter hasn’t written of him for ages.”

“we still have wah sing, and as for clarence, he is somewhere at school, i believe.”

“then that is why cart hasn’t mentioned him, i suppose. i expect carter seems as if he really belonged to you all by this time.”

“he does indeed. we missed him greatly the year he went abroad and were glad enough to see him back again. i want to hear all about your trip some time when we are quietly by ourselves.”

“is carter quite well, now?”

“he is so much better that the doctors give him the hope of an entire recovery, but i feel pretty sure he will not, even then, desert california.”

“i think i am rather glad of that,” said jack. “are you going to make a real long visit, mrs. bobs?”

“i shall not be in new york more than a couple of weeks, but we have promised your mother to make a short stay in washington.”

“oh, good! you can have nan’s room, for she won’t be there, and we’ll have a jolly time[366] showing you around. maybe we can all go on together, for jean and mary lee and i are going to stay till miss dolores comes back, so we can help comfort mr. st. nick.”

“i am very sure he appreciates that, and it will be a great thing to have you all while i am here.”

“we think it is going to be great fun,” returned jack, and then she gave her attention to the next course which happened to be something she particularly liked.

after dinner the matter of the bracelet was given attention and jack was made the proud possessor of the ornament, merely a simple little gold band, very plain, and so the more suitable for so young a girl. jack lost no time in displaying it. “i may keep it and wear it, mayn’t i, mother?” she asked somewhat anxiously.

“why, i think so, dear. carter is an old friend and we couldn’t refuse to accept his little gift.”

“and i may wear it to-morrow?”

“certainly, on such an occasion you are at perfect liberty to wear it, but you must not put it on at all times.”

“i will ask you when i ought to.”

yet jack was nothing if not heroic, and seeing on jean’s face a woebegone look she said[367] after a great struggle, “after all, jean, i won’t wear it to-morrow because we are to be dressed exactly alike and it might spoil the effect if i had a bracelet and you didn’t.”

nan who was standing near laughed at the idea of the small gold band having such an effect, but she gave jack a hug. “you old precious,” she said. “i will lend jean my bracelet that aunt helen gave me on my birthday rather than not have you wear yours.” and so it was arranged to the satisfaction of all three.

next another pretty piece of jewelry came into the possession of all the bridesmaids when miss dolores collected them into her room to give them her gift. mercedes received a dainty locket and chain, while to the four corners were given pearl pins, all of the same shape, though each was set with a different jewel, besides the pearls, to correspond with their birth months, so mary lee’s were emeralds for may, jack’s and jean’s turquoises for december, while nan’s was set with topazes, for november.

“what a pretty idea,” exclaimed mary lee, highly delighted. “i am so delighted to have my birthstone.”

“and there is another clever idea in having the stones set in the four corners,” said nan.

“to represent you four corners,” miss[368] dolores told her. “you are all jewels, you know. grandfather was so interested in having them made according to a design that harold drew, so you see we are all three represented in them.”

“i shall prize mine above anything i have,” declared mary lee, “and i shall treasure it all my life.”

“now let’s go down and show them to everybody,” said jean, pinning her gift on.

“oh, you mustn’t wear it till to-morrow,” jack chided her. “must we, nan?”

“of course not.”

“well, but we can show them, can’t we?” jean asked.

“i suppose we can do that. come, girls, if you have prinked enough we’d better get over that rehearsal.”

so they all rustled off down-stairs, mary lee holding miss dolores tightly by the hand. she had a sense of approaching loss, and perhaps no one in the company could appreciate mr. pinckney’s feelings better than mary lee. she wanted her friend to marry mr. kirk, of course, but would it ever be quite the same again when her beloved had stepped into a new world? mary lee sighed as they entered the big drawing-room and mr. kirk came forward to meet them.

[369]“we’ve been discussing the music,” he said.

“why, of course,” exclaimed miss dolores. “we have never given a thought to it. here, nan, you are the one to help us decide.”

nan’s thoughts flew to the little point opposite three rocks. the words came back to her, “when you are walking into this you will say to yourself, ‘the last time i heard that was when that renegade artist played it for me.’” no, she would not think of him, and she hoped they would not insist upon the lohengrin bridal chorus.

“your grandfather and my mother have just put in a petition for the old mendelssohn wedding march,” said mr. kirk. “they say it was played when their weddings took place and they wish we could have it, for one thing, to-morrow.”

miss dolores looked at her grandfather with a gentle smile. “of course we must have it, then,” she said. “we might have it for the entering, and have something else after the ceremony,” she turned to mrs. kirk.

“thank you, my dear,” said mrs. kirk. “every one wants the lohengrin music nowadays; they say the other is so hackneyed.”

“but i think it is less so than the other has come to be, and i shall like to have what you and grandfather remember so happily. we[370] need not have a march at all except for the entrance, for you know it will not be as if we were at church. there will be no marching out. we shall stay where we are and i think we can trust to nan to make a good selection. what do you think, nan?”

had they read her wishes they could not have suited her better. “i quite agree with you,” she replied. “if you like i’ll see the musicians when they come to-morrow, or better still, i’ll call them up first thing in the morning and we can have something quite lovely and appropriate, i am sure. leave it to me, miss dolores.”

“indeed, i shall be very glad to, for i know you will not distress us with any of the so-called popular music one sometimes hears at weddings. now, let us see just how we are to go in and all.”

“i don’t need to be in the procession this time,” said nan. “mrs. bobs can take my place while i play the wedding march for you.” she sat down at the piano saying triumphantly to herself, “so, mr. marcus wells, i have defeated you in this particular. no lohengrin shall spoil my pleasure to-morrow,” and she started up the chords of the mendelssohn march as a signal for the little company to enter.

[371]this duty over, there was a slight feeling of uncertainty as to what should be done next. the three ushers had arrived and had been presented. every one sat down and began to talk rather stiffly, but this did not suit jack’s ideas of getting acquainted. “do let’s be jolly,” she cried looking around upon the rather seriously disposed group. “mrs. bobs, won’t you laugh, please? mr. st. nick, you look as solemn as an owl. mr. kirk, won’t you say something funny?”

“jack!” he exclaimed.

“what?”

“you wanted me to say something funny, and i don’t know anything funnier than you are.” this brought the laugh jack had demanded, and she was satisfied even though it was at her expense.

“let’s have a dance,” proposed nan. “i’ll play for you all.”

this delighted jack. “everybody must dance. we’ll have a reel, nan, or ‘pitch in tucker.’ let’s have that first. come on, mr. st. nick, you’ve got to dance with me.”

“i? heaven forbid that i should make a spectacle of myself.”

“but that is silly, you know, to feel that way. i have seen much stouter persons dance. didn’t you ever do ‘pitch in tucker’?”

[372]“away back in the dark ages, perhaps; in the days of my slender youth.”

“but you haven’t forgotten?”

“well, i suppose i could manage it with some one to set me right when i make a mistake.”

“oh, then you will have to do it. i shall be very much offended if you don’t and you certainly ought to dance at your granddaughter’s wedding; it wouldn’t be respectable not to.” jack put on her most pleading expression and, as usual, won the day.

so in a few minutes the best man was bowing before mercedes, one of the ushers had claimed mary lee, the young cousin had smiled inquiringly at jean and had met an assenting smile, and so it went till every one was provided with a partner except tucker, who properly could have none. mr. kirk and miss dolores led off, and “pitch in tucker” gaily rang out from under nan’s touch. tucker was left in the person of an old family friend of mr. pinckney’s age who showed such alertness as soon allowed him to secure jack as a partner, leaving mr. pinckney looking wildly around.

it was a merry dance and every one felt better after it. then the older persons begged for a chance to rest, while the younger ones[373] asked for a two-step and then for a waltz. the old friend, dr. winters, put mr. pinckney to shame by dancing the round dances and doing it well.

“come on, nick,” he cried, “it would reduce your weight if you kept up this sort of thing.”

“i should think it would,” groaned mr. pinckney, still puffing after his recent exertions in tucker. “i don’t want to drop in an apoplectic fit on the very eve of the wedding.” but he was induced to try the virginia reel which nan informed them was the same as the old dance of sir roger de coverly, and this ended the evening’s dancing. then jennings brought in refreshments and they settled down into a quiet talk, but there was less restraint and every one felt that he or she knew every one else much better because of the rollicking dance.

the music was the first thing on nan’s mind in the morning and after some discussion over the telephone she arranged it to her satisfaction. some of grieg’s bridal music, one of chopin’s études, the prize song from the meistersinger, and some spanish dances were stipulated for, the rest being left to the discretion of the musicians who promised no popular airs and no lohengrin.

[374]as the wedding was to be at high noon the house below was given over to the florists early in the day while up-stairs the five little maids were dressing the bride and themselves. charlotte and jo arrived promptly and were permitted to see miss dolores before she should go down. she was very lovely in her trailing satin gown, and her veil of spanish lace, arranged mantilla-wise, the orange-blossoms confining it placed as a spanish girl might have worn them, for so maid of honor and bridesmaids decided it should be. “it is not so conventional,” said nan, “and it is so becoming.”

mary lee could scarcely take her eyes from this beautiful vision long enough to attend to her own toilet, an unusual state of things for mary lee. however, she did give attention enough to herself to appear very dainty and pretty in her soft buff frock by the time she should be ready, and had full five minutes in which to admire herself after she was dressed. “isn’t it a good thing,” she said to nan, “that we shall not have to wear our frocks on the same occasion again? you will be in new york and i in washington. they are so exactly alike, you see, and people might think there were two sets of twins in the family if we dressed in pairs.”

[375]nan laughed. the thought would never have bothered her. “well, i will try to wear mine out at college festivities,” she promised, “so as not to disgruntle you, mary lee. are the twinnies ready?”

“yes, mother and aunt helen saw to them. i left jean clutching your bracelet preparatory to putting it on. of course jack has worn hers since she got out of bed this morning.”

“ready, girls?” inquired mrs. roberts coming to the door. “it is time.”

“oh, is it?” mary lee drew a quick breath, then she flew off to miss dolores. “please, please,” she whispered tearfully, “kiss me the last one before you become mrs. kirk.”

the girls gathered around her. she kissed one after another, mary lee last, then they descended the stairs in order, the twins going first and feeling very important.

it was all over in what seemed an incredible short space of time, and then every one began to chatter, and there was much kissing all around. the musicians struck up the grieg music and then the wedding breakfast was served which was made as lively an affair as possible by the united efforts of the guests, each seeming to feel it his or her bounden duty to keep up mr. pinckney’s spirits. once or twice he looked at miss dolores, wiped his[376] eyes and turned quickly away, then some one would start up a funny story and presently down both sides the table every one would be laughing.

after a while mrs. roberts looked at her watch and whispered something to the bride who arose and left them. some one began a song, but the girls realized that this was a most important moment and they all rushed to the foot of the stairs. at the top miss dolores turned and smiled down upon them, then she tossed her bouquet in the air and—jack caught it!

“jack corner, you little wretch!” jo took her by the shoulders and shook her. “do you mean to say you are going to be married before any of us?”

“very likely,” returned jack calmly, “if carter wants me to and mother says i may.”

this raised such a laugh as made even mr. pinckney forget his granddaughter and when, in a few minutes, she came down ready for her journey, he was as ready as the rest with confetti.

but after bride and groom were whirled away, mary lee in tears sought the library where she could get over her little weep alone. she was softly crying in the depths of a big chair when mr. pinckney appeared in the doorway[377] wiping his eyes and looking the picture of misery. at sight of mary lee he stopped short, gave a little sigh, then a chuckle and went off. he returned in a moment with jack who, beholding her sister behaving in what she considered a disgraceful manner, marched up to her and said:

“well, mary lee, i’d be ashamed of myself to be seen with a red nose on miss dolores’ wedding day and before such a nice-looking young man as mr. howard kirk. he has been asking where you were.”

mary lee drew herself out of the depths of the chair, caught the twinkle in mr. pinckney’s eyes and rushed up-stairs to bathe her face, powder her nose and presently appear in better trim.

charlotte, jo and nan were marching up and down the hall, arms around one another’s waist, softly singing a college song, jean was entertaining the boy cousin, the other three ushers had departed at the time of the disappearance of the bride and groom, and the best man looked rather out in the cold. so to him mary lee turned her attention. jack, sitting very close to mr. pinckney, was assuring him of her everlasting devotion and telling him in the most approving manner that he had behaved beautifully.

[378]“you are a true comforter.” mr. st. nick smiled down at the earnest little face. “it isn’t the first time you have played that part, either. well, you children gave her to me, and you are the ones who should rally around me now that she is taken away.”

“but she isn’t really taken very far and she will soon be back again with mr. kirk as a grandson. think of that, you will have a real live grandson. besides, you see, you have had her much longer than you expected in the beginning, for she was to have been married last christmas, only mr. kirk’s mother was so ill. i am rather glad, myself, that they had to put it off, for now we are having the good time and it would have all been past and gone if they had married when they first said. i can’t get over the idea of your having a grandson,” she added after a moment.

“i am thinking about that, myself,” answered mr. pinckney a little ruefully, “but i reckon i can stand it.”

october was at hand. in a few days college and school life would begin when, as nan remarked to her chums, the four corners would become a triangle in washington, but she hoped an acute angle might be found in new york. her thoughts were busy with the new life stretching out before her. jack and jean[379] were absorbed in the good time of the present moment. mary lee looked across the room at mr. pinckney and mrs. kirk who smiled back at her. they were all three following in thought the two who had that day faced the future together.