Mr. Caudle, when you brought me home from church, your lawful wedded
wife--little, I say, did I think that I should keep my wedding dinner
in the manner I have done to-day. Fourteen years ago! Yes, I see
you now, in your blue coat with bright buttons, and your white
watered-satin waistcoat, and a moss-rose bud in your button-hole,
which you said was like me. What?

"YOU NEVER TALKED SUCH NONSENSE?

"Ha! Mr. Caudle, you don't know what you talked that day--but I do.
Yes; and you then sat at the table as if your face, as I may say, was
buttered with happiness, and--What? No, Mr. Caudle, don't say that;
_I_ have not wiped the butter off--not I. If you above all men are
not happy, you ought to be, gracious knows!

"Yes, I WILL talk of fourteen years ago. Ha! you sat beside me then,
and picked out all sorts of nice things for me. You'd have given me
pearls and diamonds to eat if I could have swallowed 'em. Yes, I
say, you sat beside me, and--What do you talk about?

"YOU COULDN'T SIT BESIDE ME TO-DAY?

"That's nothing at all to do with it. But it's so like you. I can't
speak but you fly off to something else. Ha! and when the health of
the young couple was drunk, what a speech you made then! It was
delicious! How you made everybody cry as if their hearts were
breaking; and I recollect it as if it was yesterday, how the tears
ran down dear father's nose, and how dear mother nearly went into a
fit! Dear souls! They little thought, with all your fine talk, how
you'd use me.