At last the hour arrived, and the bridal party descended to the
drawing-room in appropriate order, and stood up before Father Banks. The
ceremony was soon over, and Emily was clasped in Mrs. Ellis's arms, who
called her "daughter," and kissed her cheek with such warm affection that
she no longer felt herself an orphan, and paid back with tears and embraces
the endearments that were lavished upon her by her new relatives.
Father Banks took an early opportunity to give them each some good advice,
and managed to draw them apart for that purpose. He told them how imperfect
and faulty were all mankind--that married life was not all _couleur de
rose_--that the trials and cares incident to matrimony fully equalled its
pleasures; and besought them to bear with each other patiently, to be
charitable to each other's faults--and a reasonable share of earthly
happiness must be the result.
Then came the supper. Oh! such a supper!--such quantities of nice things as
money and skill alone can bring together. There were turkeys innocent of a
bone, into which you might plunge your knife to the very hilt without
coming in contact with a splinter--turkeys from which cunning cooks had
extracted every bone leaving the meat alone behind, with the skin not
perceptibly broken.
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