246 EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



CHAPTER XVIII 



February 14th. — Owing to ignorant noncom- 

 pliance with some legal regulations, the marriage 

 of our Appu could not take place on the date 

 originally fixed ; and it was only yesterday that 

 the ceremony was really performed, in the 

 Roman Catholic Church at Kandy. In the early 

 afternoon, as I sat working in the verandah, I 

 was startled by the approach of the bridal 

 procession. F'irst came the bride and bride- 

 groom, hand in hand, followed by a little girl 

 of six, in the inevitable pink frock made very 

 long, with a veil of needle-run net hanging from 

 the back of her head ; beside the girl walked 

 a particularly sharp boy of ten, in white jacket 

 and cloth, and embroidered velvet cap ; and 

 behind them came two women — one the aunt 

 in a heliotrope silk cloth and beautiful jewellery 

 — the other the mother who being a widow was 

 quite enveloped — head included — in white 

 muslin. 



The bride's dress was extremely picturesque, 



