Whilst the bride, bridegroom, and their
friends were congratulating each other over the wedding breakfast, as
is usual in England on such occasions, Cecilia's father was called out
of the room."
"Too late," remarked Fritz.
"Herbert Philipson had arrived that same morning; but, as Fritz
observes, he was just an hour too late. He had acquired a fortune, but
his long-cherished hopes of happiness were completely blasted."
"Why did he stay away five years without writing?" inquired Mrs.
Wolston.
"He had written several times, but at that time no regular post had
been established, and his letters had never reached their
destination."
"When did he find out that Cecilia was married?"
"Well, some people think it more humane to kill a man by inches rather
than by a single blow of the axe. Not so with Herbert's friends; the
first news that greeted him on landing were, that his ever-remembered
Cecilia was probably at that moment before the altar pledging her vows
to another."
"I should rather have had a chimney-pot tumble on my head," remarked
Willis.
"Herbert was a man in every sense of the word--the mode of his
departure proves that. On hearing this painful intelligence, he simply
covered his face with his hands, and, after a moment's thought,
resolved to see his lost bride at least once more.
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