The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-21 00:00:00

the romantic attachment which had drawn them together,
quite independently of the wishes of their parents or
peoples (cry of I've dropped a stitch—can you take it up
for me, Araminta ?'). I struck into a really clever para-
graph upon the serious political complications which might
result from their union (a voice, Can you not skip some
of that ?) I passed to a description of the dresses. What
a change ! Every piece of work was laid in the fair lap
beneath it ; every charming head was turned towards me,
every shelly ear was thinking in my accents. Yes, yes,
read that again.' Did you say the slips were pinked or
browned ?" How much a yard that lace ? One hundred
thousand francs—let me see, what is that in pounds ?'
Such were the only interruptions I now received ; and I
had a slight taste of the rapture of a fashionable West-end
preacher. I also got a wrinkle.—ln the following man-
ner : William Bathurst worn a blue coat and brass buttons,
a white waistcoat, poach trowsers, patent leather boots,
white kid gloves, a collar, blue neckcloth, a shirt, a pair of
braces, a flannel waistcoat, and cotton socks. Mr. Tom-
linson, a gentleman with an aristocratic nose, was in even-
ing dress. Mr. Shairish, the other groomsman, a stout and
jocular stockbroker, had an olive coat, a sky-blue waist-
coat, with silver stars all over it (so that his stomach re-
presented space), and lavender trowsers, with a net red
plaid-like pattern meandering over them. This gentleman
was much tickled by the idea of being a groom, called his
principal ' Old Horse,' desired to know if he wanted to be
rubbed down, and was guilty of other similar absurdities
—to all of which William Bathurst returned that awful
smile peculiar to bridegrooms, and men suffering the first
throes of sea sickness.

"But here come the bridesmaids, in apple-green gauze,
poptoplains, and kerseymere shawls, with bonnets of white
crape, a la Jardini&e, with ten flounces, and a curtain, and
a fall of ten feet—or inches, was it ?—of Valentian or
Falernian lace ; and uncommonly well they looked.
"Next came the bride, attired in a magnificent frock of
white watered glace silk, covered'with Brussels lace at—
how much a yard he knows who paid for it ; I did not,
thank goodness ! To this dross there were seven tuckers
and fifteen gathers, and it wa.olpinked so delicately that
you could not distinguish the colour, and gored by a bull
so highly trained, that ho had not hurt it in the least ; and
ironed and mangled, and—and—yes, it was goffered. Over
her head, and enveloping the upper portion of her body,
was a veil of Valenciennes, which cost a great deal too
and her hair was dressed a la maitre d'hôtel.

" Phew I have got over the worst part. The father
of the bride handed her out of the carriage (she wore
silk stockings, by-the-bye—l forgot that), and he had on
a blue coat, buff maistcoat, and grey trowsers. Mrs.
Bathurst had a grey silk gown and a new bonnet. The
coachman, postboys, the mass of the guests, the specta-
tors, including the little boys, were attired in the ordi-
nary way; at least I was unable to distinguish any dif-
ference between their attire and that of other people
in similar respective positions.
" I hope the above is all right. A lady told me what all
the principal dresses were at the time, and I have a reten-
tive memory. Still, if any slight error of detail has crept
unawares into the account, the reader must remember that
I received the information at the time, that is eighteen
years ago, and that I had not then, nor have I now, the
remotest idea of what it all meant."

After this, no one need apprehend that " William
Bathurst" is too serious to be amusing. It is, on
the contrary, as we said at the outset, one• of the
very best and most interesting novels we have seen
this season, and it leads us to anticipate much future
success for its author.