OR WHICH WILL HE WED ? 409 



her figure, her personal deficiencies, were successively quizzed, criticised, 

 condemned, and ridiculed : and this by the very beinj^ who, with all the 

 fervency of passion and the semblance of sincerity, had wooed her to be 

 his! Poor Miss Werner!' Lady Eleanor, resplendent in loveliness, 

 smiled at the downfall of her dingy rival, and triumphed in the assurance 

 that the image of the forsaken could never endanger her own dominion 

 over the affections of the enraptured Henry. The preparations for her 

 nuptials rapidly went on, while the devoted lover, elevated to the pin- 

 nacle of joy, poured transports of tenderness into her not unwilling ear. 

 Another week passed by. May smiled upon the metropolis, and St. 

 George's presented one of those brilliant, sublime, and impressive scenes 

 which teem with interest and reflection, alike to old and young. There 

 were glittering equipages and gorgeous liveries, favors and fair flowers ; 

 there was a travelling chariot, with four bright bays and outriders in 

 green and gold ; there were beadles looking ostentatiously big in oflfilce, 

 and street-keepers duly marshalling the old women and nursery-girls 

 who, that morning, forsook the greensward of the square for the more 

 attractive portico of the church. Attic windows were tenanted by gos- 

 sipping house-maids and upper servants, who descanted on the glories 

 of the hammer-cloths, and the dresses of the bride's-maids ; while 

 many a fair girl, budding into womanhood, timidly, but eagerly, peeped 

 from the friendly coverture of the drawing-room blinds, and watched 

 for the re-appearance of the bride, her young heart fluttering like a bird 

 in a cage, and a bright blush burning upon her cheek. At length a 

 bustle and a stretching upon tip-toe in the triple rows assembled upon 

 the steps of the church, a mustering of blended dignity and humility 

 on the parts of the beadles, and a quick drawing up of the dark and 

 handsome ** Houlditch" destined to convey the new married pair to some 

 Elysian retirement, disclosed the termination of the binding ceremony. 

 , In another minute the huge doors were thrown open, and the nuptial 

 party came forth. There was the venerable Dowager Countess of ****; 

 whose stateliness of manner, step, and gesture, bespoke her high 

 Milesian lineage, — there was Colonel Atherstone, with the ** swarthy, 

 ill-favoured, and elderly," with a countenance of smiles and witchery, 

 and there were four sweet girls in bridal white and blushes. The 

 fashionable journals of the day may be consulted for the quality, 

 quantity, and pricelessness of the satin, poyntz, and pearls displayed 

 upon this auspicious occasion, and to these we refer all curious on the 

 subject. The bridegroom, ** the worshipper of beauty," the wooer of 

 Kate Werner, looked handsomer than usual : the fine bloom upon his 

 cheek, the lustre of his bright blue eye, the eloquent smile of tenderness 

 upon his lip, interpreted the happiness of his heart : the bride, the Lady 

 Eleanor Atherstone, hung calmly, gracefully, and confidingly upon his 

 arm ; she was veiled, but not so closely as to preclude from observation 

 that her brow was softly shaded with thought, while a sweet pensiveness 

 mingled with her glance, and that if the ruby upon her lip was less rich 

 than ordinary, the pure carnation that reigned fitfully upon her cheek 

 compensated for the loss, and heightened, if possible, the almost ideal 

 beauty of her features. At the instant of her appearance, a group of 

 white clouds in the azure sky parted, and the sun burst through them, 

 shedding a beam of brightness and glory upon her head ; the old women 

 looked at each other with an air of indescribable satisfaction, and 

 mumbled " happy is the bride that the sun shines on ;" while involun- 

 tary blessings hovered upon the tongues of the better-informed beholders. 

 In the next instant the small foot of the bride was on the step of the 

 carriage, the bridegroom sprang in beside her, the door was closed, and 



