306 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



purpose of arranging some of her numerous 

 bows and curls; " Mary Anne, this is neither 

 behaving like a sensible girl, nor a good 

 daughter ; and I count it perfectly insulting 

 to poor dear George, and exceedingly un- 

 grateful to your father and myself — " 



She was here interrupted by the entrance 

 of the bride's-maid, with present honor and 

 prospective pleasure. She had at first voted 

 most warmly in favor of Cheltenham, as the 

 scene of the wedding excursion ; but the 

 bridegroom having with equal consideration 

 and good taste assigned her a companion in 

 office, a charming young man, inasmuch as 

 he was in uniform and unmarried, she was 

 now perfectly contented that they should 

 journey to the Lakes. 



" What ! not ready yet ? " was her excla- 

 mation on entering the room ; " and the car- 

 riage waiting, and the luggage fastened on, 

 and George asking for you every instant. 

 Oh, my dear, what t's the good of making 

 such a fuss ; if you were going to die you 

 could but be unhappy you know ! Come, 

 take my arm, and let me set you an exam- 

 ple ; there, I never saw you look so well, 

 never ! W r e shall have a charming excursion ; 



I seem as if I had known Captain B ten 



years ; now, no more tears, I beg ; every one 

 has been paying you such compliments, 

 and George is so proud of you, and I have 

 been talking about you to the Dickenses, 

 till they are ready to die with spite ! " 



Thus re-assured, the bride suffered herself 

 to be comforted; and she was again led into 

 the drawing-room, the very model of grace- 

 ful resignation. To have looked at her, 

 none but the most uncharitable would have 

 supposed that she herself had ever enter- 

 tained the slightest wish to become a bride. 

 Love, marriage, and decoration, might all 

 have been the result of mere accident and 

 surprise. Her mother consigned her to her 

 husband as the " best of daughters ; " and he 

 of course received her as "an invaluable 

 treasure." Every one came forward to say 

 something equally appropriate and delight- 

 ful, till it appeared that so suitable, so 

 auspicious, so every way happy a union, 

 had never occurred in the annals of matri- 

 mony. At length, the bride, with becoming 

 slowness ascended the carriage, the bride's- 

 maid, having less dignity to support, moved 

 after her at a quicker pace, the gentlemen 

 took their appointed station.-, heads were 

 bowed, and handkerchiefs displayed, the 

 carriage drove off — and thus commenced the 

 first act of the Wedding Excursion. 



But before we proceed, a word about the 

 happy couple, and wedding excursions in 

 general. 



The present bride was devoted to dress, 

 fashion, and gaiety. She had accepted her 

 first offer because it was a good one, and 



she became attached because she was going 

 to be married. Love and lutestring had, for 

 the last few months, occupied her mind in 

 pretty equal proportions ; and her thoughts 

 had been quite as much given to the artists 

 who were to furnish her wedding parapher- 

 nalia, as to the husband elect, on whom 

 would depend the happiness or misery of 

 her married life. The gentleman was a 

 good-natured, good-looking young man ; not 

 over-burdened with talent and feeling, but 

 one who could make himself sufficiently 

 agreeable amongst common-place people, and 

 talk sufficiently well on all common-place 

 topics. Had his bride-elect jilted him, it 

 would not, perhaps, have broken his heart ; 

 nevertheless, he believed her to be a very 

 charming young woman, and was fully re- 

 solved to make her a good husband. The 

 love which subsisted between these " be- 

 trothed," was of that kind on which 

 hundreds and thousands live to their lives' 

 end, and are what the world call " uncom- 

 monly happy." Possessing absolutely no- 

 thing of that depth and delicacy which gives 

 to the sentiment a hallowed character, their 

 love, aided by the occupations and pleasures 

 of society, maintains a bustling existence; but 

 it is ill-suited to retirement : the world is its 

 home, and there only can it have its being. 



W T ith regard to wedding excursions, we 

 would suggest the propriety of suiting the 

 places visited to the parties who visit. In- 

 tellect, as well as heart, — reason, in addition 

 to love, is requisite in those who venture 

 upon seclusion and fine scenery. When the 

 first pleasurable impression is worn off, the 

 devotees of artificial life sigh for worldly 

 haunts and congenial spirits. They grow 

 tired of the lakes, and disgusted with Bolton 

 AJbbey itself. Two common-minded persons 

 may converse agreeably in a crowd, and yet 

 be reduced to bankruptcy when thrown upon 

 nature and each other. Deprived of their 

 usual topics, their conversation languishes 

 into "question, the reply, and the rejoinder ; " 

 ennui ensues, and those who fancied they 

 could love in a desert, discover that they 

 could love much better in the world. And 

 yet, paradoxical as it may seem, those very 

 causes (idleness and seclusion), which oft- 

 times induce a diminution of romantic feeling 

 between a married pair, as often induce it in 

 the minds of two who are disengaged ; 

 although they too be unintellectual,and de- 

 ficient in genuine sensibility We pretend 

 not to argue this position ; but merely to 

 assert and illustrate its general truth. 



About a fortnight had elapsed, since the 

 auspicious day with which this paper com- 

 menced ; during which period, our bridal 

 party had visited much of the scenery of the 

 north : with what effect, the following con- 

 versation will evidence, 



