own church, for Miss Monsell had no home of her own, and had been
staying for the last three months at Framley Court. She was given
away by Sir George Meredith, and Lady Lufton herself saw that the
wedding was what it should be, with almost as much care as she had
bestowed on that of her own daughter. The deed of marrying, the
absolute tying of the knot, was performed by the Very Reverend the
Dean of Barchester, an esteemed friend of Lady Lufton's. And Mrs
Arabin, the dean's wife, was of the party, though the distance from
Barchester to Framley is long, and the roads deep, and no railway
lends its assistance. And Lord Lufton was there of course; and
people protested that he would surely fall in love with one of the
four beautiful bridesmaids, of whom Blanche Robarts, the vicar's
second sister, was by common acknowledgement by far the most
beautiful. And there was there another and a younger sister of
Mark's--who did not officiate at the ceremony, though she was
present--and of whom no prediction was made, seeing that she was
then only sixteen, but of whom mention is made here, as it will come
to pass that my readers will know her hereafter. Her name was Lucy
Robarts. And then the vicar and his wife on their wedding tour,
the old curate taking care of the Framley souls the while. And in
due time they returned; and after a further interval, in due course
a child was born to them; and then another; and after that came a
period at which we will begin our story. But before doing so, may
I not assert that all men were right in saying all manner of good
things as to the Devonshire physician, and in praising his luck in
having such a son?

'You were up at the house to-day, I suppose,' said Mark to his
wife, as he sat stretching himself in an easy chair in the
drawing-room, before the fire, previously to his dressing for