lace, I will nevertheless be there; close, close to the bride; to hold
something for her, to touch her dress, to feel that I am near to her,
to--to--to--' and she threw her arms round her companion, and kissed her
over and over again. 'No, Trichy; I won't be Augusta's bridesmaid; I'll
bide my time for bridesmaiding.'

What protestations Beatrice made against the probability of such an
event as foreshadowed in her friend's promise we will not repeat. The
afternoon was advancing, and the ladies also had to dress for dinner,
to do honour to the young heir.



CHAPTER V

FRANK GRESHAM'S FIRST SPEECH

We have said, that over and above those assembled in the house, there
came to the Greshamsbury dinner on Frank's birthday the Jacksons of the
Grange, consisting of Mr and Mrs Jackson; the Batesons from Annesgrove,
viz., Mr and Mrs Bateson, and Miss Bateson, their daughter--an unmarried
lady of about fifty; the Bakers of Mill Hill, father and son; and Mr
Caleb Oriel, the rector, with his beautiful sister, Patience. Dr
Thorne, and his niece Mary, we count among those already assembled at
Greshamsbury.

There was nothing very magnificent in the number of the guests thus
brought together to do honour to young Frank; but he, perhaps, was
called on to take a more prominent part in the proceedings, to be made
more of a hero than would have been the case had half the county been