'Mother wouldn't mind, I know. She's in a white dress herself now; she doesn't wear black, so why should I?' And Margot was silenced.

Bobby was to wear his best white sailor suit. He had coaxed Margot to buy him a white piece of ribbon with which n.o.bbles was to be decorated, and he and True spent quite half an hour in arranging it in the form of a rosette.

Mr. Allonby was the only one in the house who did not seem impressed by the excitement and stir about the important event. His face was a shade graver than usual when Bobby went to wish him good-night.

'I am going to cut and run to-morrow, sonny. Your uncle understands.

I can't be with you. I shall be out of town.'

Bobby's face fell tremendously.

'Oh, father, I did think you'd come with us. Shall True and I have to walk up the church all alone?'

'There won't be many people there, my boy. And they will send a carriage for you. You won't miss me. Don't look so doleful.'

'Shall I stay with you, father? I would like to 'stremely.'

'No, my boy; I'm going out of town for the day.'

'Do take me with you. Are you going to picnic somewhere?'

Mr. Allonby was silent for a minute, then he said:

'I am going to see mother's grave, sonny. I want to put a stone over it. Can you think of a text she would like written upon it?'

Bobby's face was a picture of sweet seriousness.

'She loved my tex', father. Would it be too long? She made me say it to her before she went away.'

'What was it?'

'"Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, that they may have right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the City."'

Mr. Allonby's face lit up with a smile.

'Thank you, sonny; that will do beautifully. I will have it put over her grave.'

Bobby stole up to bed in an exalted frame of mind. When Margot came to wish him good night, he looked up at her with big eyes.

'You go to sleep, Master Bobby, or you will never be ready to get up to-morrow.'

'It's a most wunnerful day coming,' said Bobby, 'but I wish I could cut myself in halves. The wedding will be lovelly, but seeing my very own tex' being written on mother's grave by father himself would be almost lovelier still. He's going down to do it, Margot; he told me so.'

Margot left him, muttering to herself:

'Such a jumble children do make of things! Weddings and graves be all the same to them; they speak of it in one breath, and would as soon be at one as the other! And of all queer children, Master Bobby be the queerest, though I love him with all my heart! That text of his be all the world to him.'

Downstairs a tired, sad man was gazing into the fire and repeating softly to himself the text that was going to be as precious to him as to his little son:

'"Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, that they may have right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the City."'

Chapter XIII.

THE WEDDING.

At ten o'clock the next morning two little white-clothed children were standing at the sitting-room window waiting for the carriage that was going to take them to the church.

This was the most enjoyable part of it, for they were going to drive alone, and, when it came for them, they went down the steps proudly conscious that several errand boys, and a few heads out of the opposite Windows in the street, were watching their departure.

Margot did not drive with them, but she was going to walk to the church and witness everything from a back seat.

'Now,' said True as they drove off, 'what do you feel like, Bobby?'

'Very kercited!' said Bobby, sitting back with red cheeks and shining eyes.

'I feel we're going to be married ourselves,' said True; 'or, better still, we're a prince and princess going to a fairy ball.'

'Or,' said Bobby gravely, 'we might be going into the Golden Gates, True. We look quite fit to-day.'

True stroked her white silk dress thoughtfully, then she lifted her bouquet of flowers and smelt them. The bouquet was a lovely surprise to her, as it had only arrived about an hour previously.

'Yes,' she said, 'you always think of the best things, Bobby. 'It would be very nice if it could come true, and we could go straight through and see mother. Do you think she would come to meet us if we did?'

'I'm sure G.o.d will tell her to,' said Bobby confidently. 'You see He always is so kind. He'd know we would like to see her.'

They arrived at the church, and to Bobby's astonishment his Uncle James came down the path and took them out of the cab.

'You did not expect to see me here,' he said, 'but your Uncle Mortimer is my brother, you know. Your aunt is abroad, or she would have been here too. Now come along and I'll show you where you're to stand.

There aren't more than half a dozen people in the church.'

True and Bobby stepped into the rather dreary-looking church with great awe. A few children had congregated round the doors, but inside the church looked almost empty. Then their faces brightened as they saw Mr. Egerton come down the aisle towards them.

'That's right, youngsters. Tell them where to wait, Jim, and look after them. Oh, how I wish this affair was over!'

He e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed this more to himself than them, and paced up the aisle again. Bobby looked after him with perplexity.

'He doesn't seem to like it,' he whispered to True.

'No,' said True, who always liked to imbue Bobby with a sense of her superior wisdom. 'Men always hate waiting for anybody, and Margot says a bride always keeps them waiting, for if she didn't it would look as if she were in a hurry to be married.'

Bobby's Uncle James told them where to stand just inside the door, and presently up drove the bride's carriage. She was very quietly dressed in a grey cloth dress and hat, and was accompanied by an old gentleman, a cousin of hers, a General Seaton. She looked very sweet, but very pale, though she smiled faintly at the children. Then hand in hand they walked up the aisle behind her, and the service began. Bobby recognised Miss Robsart in one of the seats at the top of the church, there was also Miss Denton, Lady Isobel's Indian friend; the rest of the company were not known to the children. Much of the service was unintelligible to Bobby, but he drew a sigh of relief when he saw his Uncle Mortimer take Lady Isobel's hand in his.

'She won't be frightened now he's holding her,' he whispered to True; 'but I seed her hands quite shake just now.'

It was soon over, and the little party went into the vestry. Then it was that Lady Isobel put her arms right round Bobby and kissed him pa.s.sionately, and when he looked up at her he saw that her eyes were full of tears.

'Aren't you happy?' he asked.