(MISS AGNES LOCKWOOD TO MRS. FERRARI)

'I promised to give you some account, dear Emily, of the marriageof Mr. Arthur Barville and Miss Haldane. It took place ten days since.But I have had so many things to look after in the absence of the masterand mistress of this house, that I am only able to write to youto-day.

'The invitations to the wedding were limited to members of the familieson either side, in consideration of the ill health of Miss Haldane's aunt.On the side of the Montbarry family, there were present,besides Lord and Lady Montbarry, Sir Theodore and Lady Barville;Mrs. Norbury (whom you may remember as his lordship's second sister);and Mr. Francis Westwick, and Mr. Henry Westwick. The three childrenand I attended the ceremony as bridesmaids. We were joined by twoyoung ladies, cousins of the bride and very agreeable girls.Our dresses were white, trimmed with green in honour of Ireland;and we each had a handsome gold bracelet given to us as a present fromthe bridegroom. If you add to the persons whom I have already mentioned,the elder members of Mrs. Carbury's family, and the old servantsin both houses--privileged to drink the healths of the married pairat the lower end of the room--you will have the list of the company atthe wedding-breakfast complete.

'The weather was perfect, and the ceremony (with music)was beautifully performed. As for the bride, no words can describehow lovely she looked, or how well she went through it all.We were very merry at the breakfast, and the speeches went offon the whole quite well enough. The last speech, before the partybroke up, was made by Mr. Henry Westwick, and was the best of all.He offered a happy suggestion, at the end, which has produced a veryunexpected change in my life here.

'As well as I remember, he concluded in these words:--"On one point,we are all agreed--we are sorry that the parting hour is near,and we should be glad to meet again. Why should we not meet again?This is the autumn time of the year; we are most of us leaving homefor the holidays. What do you say (if you have no engagementsthat will prevent it) to joining our young married friends beforethe close of their tour, and renewing the social success of thisdelightful breakfast by another festival in honour of the honeymoon?The bride and bridegroom are going to Germany and the Tyrol, on theirway to Italy. I propose that we allow them a month to themselves,and that we arrange to meet them afterwards in the North of Italy--say at Venice."

'This proposal was received with great applause, which was changedinto shouts of laughter by no less a person than my dear old nurse.The moment Mr. Westwick pronounced the word "Venice," shestarted up among the servants at the lower end of the room,and called out at the top of her voice, "Go to our hotel,ladies and gentlemen! We get six per cent. on our money already;and if you will only crowd the place and call for the bestof everything, it will be ten per cent in our pockets in no time.Ask Master Henry!"

'Appealed to in this irresistible manner, Mr. Westwick had no choicebut to explain that he was concerned as a shareholder in a new HotelCompany at Venice, and that he had invested a small sum of moneyfor the nurse (not very considerately, as I think) in the speculation.Hearing this, the company, by way of humouring the joke,drank a new toast:--Success to the nurse's hotel, and a speedy risein the dividend!

'When the conversation returned in due time to the more seriousquestion of the proposed meeting at Venice, difficulties beganto present themselves, caused of course by invitations for the autumnwhich many of the guests had already accepted. Only two members ofMrs. Carbury's family were at liberty to keep the proposed appointment.On our side we were more at leisure to do as we pleased.Mr. Henry Westwick decided to go to Venice in advance of the rest,to test the accommodation of the new hotel on the opening day.Mrs. Norbury and Mr. Francis Westwick volunteered to follow him;and, after some persuasion, Lord and Lady Montbarry consentedto a species of compromise. His lordship could not convenientlyspare time enough for the journey to Venice, but he and LadyMontbarry arranged to accompany Mrs. Norbury and Mr. FrancisWestwick as far on their way to Italy as Paris. Five days since,they took their departure to meet their travelling companionsin London; leaving me here in charge of the three dear children.They begged hard, of course, to be taken with papa and mamma.But it was thought better not to interrupt the progress of their education,and not to expose them (especially the two younger girls) to the fatiguesof travelling.

'I have had a charming letter from the bride, this morning,dated Cologne. You cannot think how artlessly and prettily sheassures me of her happiness. Some people, as they say in Ireland,are born to good luck--and I think Arthur Barville is one of them.

'When you next write, I hope to hear that you are in better healthand spirits, and that you continue to like your employment.Believe me, sincerely your friend,--A. L.'

Agnes had just closed and directed her letter, when the eldestof her three pupils entered the room with the startling announcementthat Lord Montbarry's travelling-servant had arrived from Paris!Alarmed by the idea that some misfortune had happened, she ran outto meet the man in the hall. Her face told him how seriously he hadfrightened her, before she could speak. 'There's nothing wrong, Miss,'he hastened to say. 'My lord and my lady are enjoying themselvesat Paris. They only want you and the young ladies to be with them.'Saying these amazing words, he handed to Agnes a letter fromLady Montbarry.

'Dearest Agnes,' (she read), 'I am so charmed with the delightfulchange in my life--it is six years, remember, since I last travelledon the Continent--that I have exerted all my fascinations to persuadeLord Montbarry to go on to Venice. And, what is more to the purpose,I have actually succeeded! He has just gone to his room to writethe necessary letters of excuse in time for the post to England.May you have as good a husband, my dear, when your time comes!In the mean while, the one thing wanting now to make my happinesscomplete, is to have you and the darling children with us.Montbarry is just as miserable without them as I am--though he doesn'tconfess it so freely. You will have no difficulties to trouble you.Louis will deliver these hurried lines, and will take care of youon the journey to Paris. Kiss the children for me a thousand times--and never mind their education for the present! Pack up instantly,my dear, and I will be fonder of you than ever. Your affectionate friend,Adela Montbarry.'

Agnes folded up the letter; and, feeling the need of composing herself,took refuge for a few minutes in her own room.

Her first natural sensations of surprise and excitement at the prospectof going to Venice were succeeded by impressions of a less agreeable kind.With the recovery of her customary composure came the unwelcomeremembrance of the parting words spoken to her by Montbarry'swidow:--'We shall meet again--here in England, or there in Venicewhere my husband died--and meet for the last time.'

It was an odd coincidence, to say the least of it, that the marchof events should be unexpectedly taking Agnes to Venice, after thosewords had been spoken! Was the woman of the mysterious warningsand the wild black eyes still thousands of miles away in America?Or was the march of events taking her unexpectedly, too, on thejourney to Venice? Agnes started out of her chair, ashamed ofeven the momentary concession to superstition which was impliedby the mere presence of such questions as these in her mind.

She rang the bell, and sent for her little pupils, and announcedtheir approaching departure to the household. The noisy delightof the children, the inspiriting effort of packing up in a hurry,roused all her energies. She dismissed her own absurd misgivingsfrom consideration, with the contempt that they deserved. She workedas only women can work, when their hearts are in what they do.The travellers reached Dublin that day, in time for the boatto England. Two days later, they were with Lord and Lady Montbarryat Paris.