Mr. Trevennick admitted that no honeymoon was bad. He went further and
declared the omission of such an institution to be unprincipled. He even
said that had he known of this serious defect in the ceremonies he should
certainly have abstained from lending the brightness of his bunting to
them. Then he went to eye the flags from different points of view, while
Sally, in a minority of one, turned to Joan.

"And what do you say?" she asked. "You'm 'mazin' quiet an' tongue-tied for
you. I s'pose you'm thinkin' of the time when Joe Noy comes home. I lay
you'll have a honeymoon anyways."

"Iss, that you may depend 'pon," said Mrs. Tregenza.

And Joan, who had in truth been thinking of her sweetheart's return, grew
red, whereat they all laughed. But she felt secretly superior to every one
of them, for the shrinking process began to extend beyond Joe now. A
fortnight before, she had been much gratified by allusions to the future
and felt herself an important individual enough. Then, she must have shared
her stepmother's pity at the poverty of the pageant which had just passed
by. But now the world had changed. Matrimony with Joe Noy was not a subject
which brought present delight to her, but the little bride who had just
gone to her wedding filled Joan's thoughts. What was in that girl's heart,
she greatly wondered. Did Milly Penn feel for long-legged Mark Taskes what
Joan felt for "Mister Jan"? Was it possible that any other woman had ever
experienced similar mysterious splendors of mind? She could not tell, but
it seemed unlikely to her; it appeared improbable that an ordinary man had
power to inspire another heart with such golden magic as glorified her own.

Presently she departed with her stepmother, whereupon Sally Trevennick