OSLA'S WEDDING. 323 



CHAPTEK II. 



Thuesday is invariably the wedding-day in Shetland — 

 at least it used to be — and the previous Saturday is 

 called the " contract " day, when there are some mild 

 festivities at the house of the bride's father. In the 

 afternoon of this day, ISTed and his best man proceeded 

 to the session clerk to give in the names for due 

 proclamation of banns on Sunday, returning to 

 Magnus's house, where a few mutual friends, mostly 

 relations, met and spent some pleasant hours in the 

 evening, but without encroaching on the sanctity of 

 the day of rest. Although the term " contract " was 

 applied to these Saturday proceedings as a whole, there 

 was never anything of the nature of a marriage-con- 

 tract, as usually understood ; but these preliminaries 

 were regarded as a sort of public and formal betrothal, 

 almost amounting in themselves to a marriage. 



On Sunday, due proclamation was made, as always, 

 immediately before divine service commenced; and if 

 any person or persons had any objections why these 

 two, Edward Winwick and Osla Manson, should not 

 be lawfully joined together in matrimony, they were 

 then and there challenged to declare the same, or for 

 ever after hold their peace. A few minutes afterwards, 

 when the service had fairly begun — for it would have 

 been considered very unseemly and unlucky to be 

 present while the proclamation was being made, and 

 dreadfully bad form not to have been in church at all 



