The Glascock marriage was a great affair in Florence so much so, that there were not a few who regarded it as a strengthening of peaceful relations between the United States and the United Kingdom, and who thought that the Alabama claims and the question of naturalisation might now be settled with comparative ease. An English lord was about to marry the niece of an American Minister to a foreign court. The bridegroom was not, indeed, quite a lord as yet, but it was known to all men that he must be a lord in a very short time, and the bride was treated with more than usual bridal honours because she belonged to a legation. She was not, indeed, an ambassador’s daughter, but the niece of a daughterless ambassador, and therefore almost as good as a daughter. The wives and daughters of other ambassadors, and the ambassadors themselves, of course, came to the wedding; and as the palace in which Mr Spalding had apartments stood alone, in a garden, with a separate carriage entrance, it seemed for all wedding purposes as though the whole palace were his own. The English Minister came, and his wife, although she had never quite given over turning up her nose at the American bride whom Mr Glascock had chosen for himself. It was such a pity, she said, that such a man as Mr Glascock should marry a young woman from Providence, Rhode Island. Who in England would know anything of Providence, Rhode Island? And it was so expedient, in her estimation, that a man of family should strengthen himself by marrying a woman of family. It was so necessary, she declared, that a man when marrying should remember that his child would have two grandfathers, and would be called upon to account for four great-grandfathers. Nevertheless Mr Glascock was Mr Glascock; and, let him marry whom he would, his wife would be the future Lady Peterborough. Remembering this, the English Minister’s wife gave up the point when the thing was really settled, and benignly promised to come to the breakfast with all the secretaries and attaches belonging to the legation, and all the wives and daughters thereof. What may a man not do, and do with eclat, if he be heir to a peer and have plenty of money in his pocket?
Mr and Mrs Spalding were covered with glory on the occasion; and perhaps they did not bear their glory as meekly as they should have done. Mrs Spalding laid herself open to some ridicule from the British Minister’s wife because of her inability to understand with absolute clearness the condition of her niece’s husband in respect to his late and future seat in Parliament, to the fact of his being a commoner and a nobleman at the same time, and to certain information which was conveyed to her, surely in a most unnecessary manner, that if Mr Glascock were to die before his father, her niece would never become Lady Peterborough, although her niece’s son, if she had one, would be the future lord. No doubt she blundered, as was most natural; and then the British Minister’s wife made the most of the blunders; and when once Mrs Spalding ventured to speak of Caroline as her ladyship, not to the British Minister’s wife, but to the sister of one of the secretaries, a story was made out of it which was almost as false as it was ill-natured. Poor Caroline was spoken of as her ladyship backward and forwards among the ladies of the legation in a manner which might have vexed her had she known anything about it; but nevertheless, all the ladies prepared their best flounces to go to the wedding. The time would soon come when she would in truth be a ‘ladyship,’ and she might be of social use to any one of the ladies in question.
But Mr Spalding was, for the time, the most disturbed of any of the party concerned. He was a tall, thin, clever Republican of the North, very fond of hearing himself talk, and somewhat apt to take advantage of the courtesies of conversation for the purpose of making unpardonable speeches. As long as there was any give and take going on in the melee of words he would speak quickly and with energy, seizing his chances among others; but the moment he had established his right to the floor, as soon as he had won for himself the position of having his turn at the argument, he would dole out his words with considerable slowness, raise his hand for oratorical effect, and proceed as though Time were annihilated. And he would go further even than this, for fearing by experience the escape of his victims, he would catch a man by the button-hole of his coat, or back him ruthlessly into the corner of a room, and then lay on to him without quarter. Since the affair with Mr Glascock had been settled, he had talked an immensity about England, not absolutely taking honour to himself because of his intended connection with a lord, but making so many references to the aristocratic side of the British constitution as to leave no doubt on the minds of his hearers as to the source of his arguments. In old days, before all this was happening, Mr Spalding, though a courteous man in his personal relations, had constantly spoken of England with the bitter indignation of the ordinary American politician. England must be made to disgorge. England must be made to do justice. England must be taught her place in the world. England must give up her claims. In hot moments he had gone further, and had declared that England must be whipped. He had been specially loud against that aristocracy of England which, according to a figure of speech often used by him, was always feeding on the vitals of the people. But now all this was very much changed. He did not go the length of expressing an opinion that the House of Lords was a valuable institution; but he discussed questions of primogeniture and hereditary legislation, in reference to their fitness for countries which were gradually emerging from feudal systems, with an equanimity, an impartiality, and a perseverance which soon convinced those who listened to him where he had learned his present lessons, and why. ‘The conservative nature of your institutions, sir,’ he said to poor Sir Marmaduke at the Baths of Lucca a very few days before the marriage, ‘has to be studied with great care before its effects can be appreciated in reference to a people who, perhaps, I may be allowed to say, have more in their composition of constitutional reverence than of educated intelligence.’ Sir Marmaduke, having suffered before, had endeavoured to bolt; but the American had caught him and pinned him, and the Governor of the Mandarins was impotent in his hands. ‘The position of the great peer of Parliament is doubtless very splendid, and may be very useful,’ continued Mr Spalding, who was intending to bring round his argument to the evil doings of certain scandalously extravagant young lords, and to offer a suggestion that in such cases a committee of aged and respected peers should sit and decide whether a second son, or some other heir should not be called to the inheritance, both of the title and the property. But Mrs Spalding had seen the sufferings of Sir Marmaduke, and had rescued him. ‘Mr Spalding,’ she had said, ‘it is too late for politics, and Sir Marmaduke has come out here for a holiday.’ Then she took her husband by the arm, and led him away helpless.
In spite of these drawbacks to the success, if ought can be said to be a drawback on success of which the successful one is unconscious, the marriage was prepared with great splendour, and everybody who was anybody in Florence was to be present. There were only to be four bridesmaids, Caroline herself having strongly objected to a greater number. As Wallachia Petrie had fled at the first note of preparation for these trivial and unpalatable festivities, another American young lady was found; and the sister of the English secretary of legation, who had so maliciously spread that report about her ‘ladyship,’ gladly agreed to be the fourth.
As the reader will remember, the whole party from the Baths of Lucca reached Florence only the day before the marriage, and Nora at the station promised to go up to Caroline that same evening. ‘Mr Glascock will tell me about the little boy,’ said Caroline; ‘but I shall be so anxious to hear about your sister.’ So Nora crossed the bridge after dinner, and went up to the American Minister’s palatial residence. Caroline was then in the loggia, and Mr Glascock was with her; and for a while they talked about Emily Trevelyan and her misfortunes. Mr Glascock was clearly of opinion that Trevelyan would soon be either in an asylum or in his grave. ‘I could not bring myself to tell your sister so,’ he said; ‘but I think your father should be told or your mother. Something should be done to put an end to that fearful residence at Casalunga.’ Then by degrees the conversation changed itself to Nora’s prospects; and Caroline, with her friend’s hand in hers, asked after Hugh Stanbury.
‘You will not mind speaking before him will you?’ said Caroline, putting her hand on her own lover’s arm.
‘Not unless he should mind it,’ said Nora, smiling.
She had meant nothing beyond a simple reply to her friend’s question, but he took her words in a different sense, and blushed as he remembered his visit to Nuncombe Putney.
‘He thinks almost more of your happiness than he does of mine,’ said Caroline; ‘which isn’t fair, as I am sure that Mr Stanbury will not reciprocate the attention. And now, dear, when are we to see you?’
‘Who on earth can say?’
‘I suppose Mr Stanbury would say something, only he is not here.’
‘And papa won’t send my letter,’ said Nora.
‘You are sure that you will not go out to the Islands with him?’
‘Quite sure,’ said Nora. ‘I have made up my mind so far as that.’
‘And what will your sister do?’
‘I think she will stay. I think she will say good-bye to papa and mamma here in Florence.’
‘I am quite of opinion that she should not leave her husband alone in Italy,’ said Mr Glascock.
‘She has not told us with certainty,’ said Nora; ‘but I feel sure that she will stay. Papa thinks she ought to go with them to London.’
‘Your papa seems to have two very intractable daughters,’ said Caroline.
‘As for me,’ declared Nora, solemnly, ‘nothing shall make me go back to the Islands unless Mr Stanbury should tell me to do so.’
‘And they start at the end of July?’
‘On the last Saturday.’
‘And what will you do then, Nora?’
‘I believe there are casual wards that people go to.’
‘Casual wards!’ said Caroline.
‘Miss Rowley is condescending to poke her fun at you,’ said Mr Glascock.
‘She is quite welcome, and shall poke as much as she likes; only we must be serious now. If it be necessary, we will get back by the end of July, won’t we, Charles?’
‘You will do nothing of the kind,’ said Nora. ‘What! give up your honeymoon to provide me with board and lodgings! How can you suppose that I am so selfish or so helpless? I would go to my aunt, Mrs Outhouse.’
‘We know that that wouldn’t do,’ said Caroline. ‘You might as well be in Italy as far as Mr Stanbury is concerned.’
‘If Miss Rowley would go to Monkhams, she might wait for us,’ suggested Mr Glascock. ‘Old Mrs Richards is there; and though of course she would be dull —’
‘It is quite unnecessary,’ said Nora. ‘I shall take a two-pair back in a respectable feminine quarter, like any other young woman who wants such accommodation, and shall wait there till my young man can come and give me his arm to church. That is about the way we shal............