and been enamoured ofit.
It never rains but it pours, and on the very day after he posted hispacket to Burley he received a registered letter from his uncle. Itcontained a bill of exchange for fifty pounds. Archie blushed scarletwhen he saw it.
Now had this letter and its contents been from his father, knowing allhe did of the straits at home, he would have sent the money back. Buthis uncle evidently knew whom he had to deal with; for he assured Archiein his letter that it was a loan, not a gift. He might want it he said,and he really would be obliging him by accepting it. He--Uncle Ramsay--knew what the world was, and so on and so forth, and the letter ended byrequesting Archie to say nothing about it to his parents at present.
"Dear old boy," said Archie half aloud, and tears of gratitude sprang tohis eyes. "How thoughtful and kind! Well, it'll be a loan, and I'llpray every night that God may spare him till I get home to shake hishonest brown paw, and thrust the fifty pounds back into it. No, itwould be really unkind to refuse it."
He went straight away--walking on feathers--to Bob's hotel. He foundhim and Harry sitting out on the balcony drinking sherbet. He took aseat beside them.
"I'm in clover, boys," he cried exultingly, as he handed the cash to Bobto look at.
"So you are," said Bob, reading the figures. "Well, this is what my oldmother would call a Godsend. I always said your Uncle Ramsay was asgood as they make 'em."
"It looks a lot of money to me at present," said Archie. "I'll have allthat to begin life with; for I have still a few pounds left to pay mylandlady, and to buy a blanket or two."
"Well, as to what you'll buy, Archie," said Bob Cooper, "if you don'tmind leaving that to us, we will manage all, cheaper and better than youcould; for we're old on the job."
"Oh! I will with pleasure, only--"
"I know all about that. You'll settle up. Well, we're all going to besettlers. Eh? See the joke?"
"Bob doesn't often say funny things," said Harry; "so it must be a finething to be going to get married."
"Ay, lad, and I'm going to do it properly. Worst of it is, Archie, Idon't know anybody to invite. Oh, we must have a dinner! Botherbreakfasts, and hang honeymoons. No, no; a run round Sydney will suitSarah better than a year o' honeymooning nonsense. Then we'll all gooff in the boat to Brisbane. That'll be a honeymoon and a half initself. Hurrah! Won't we all be so happy! I feel sure Sarah's ajewel."
"How long did you know her, Bob, before you asked her the momentousquestion?"
"Asked her _what_!"
"To marry you."
"Oh, only a week! La! that's long enough. I could see she was trueblue, and as soft as rain. Bless her heart! I say, Archie, who'll weask?"
"Well, I know a few good fellows--"
"Right. Let us have them. What's their names?"
Out came Bob's notebook, and down went a dozen names.
"That'll be ample," said Archie.
"Well," Bob acquiesced with a sigh, "I suppose it must. Now we're goingto be spliced by special licence, Sarah and I. None of your doingthings by half. And Harry there is going to order the cabs andcarriages, and favours and music, and the parson, and everythingfirstchop."
The idea of "ordering the parson" struck Archie as somewhat incongruous;but Bob had his own way of saying things, and it was evident he wouldhave his own way in doing things too for once.
"And," continued Bob, "the ex-policeman's wife and I are going to buythe bonnie things to-morrow. And as for the `bobby' himself, we'll haveto send him away for the day. He is too fond of one thing, and wouldspoil the splore."
Next day sure enough Bob did start off with the "bobby's" wife to buythe bonnie things. A tall, handsome fellow Bob looked too; and thetailor having done his best, he was altogether a dandy. He wouldpersist in giving his mother, as he called her, his arm on the street,and the appearance of the pair of them caused a good many people to lookafter them and smile.
However, the "bonnie things" were bought, and it was well he had someoneto look after him, else he would have spent money uselessly as well asfreely. Only, as Bob said, "It was but one day in his life, whyshouldn't he make the best of it?"
He insisted on making his mother a present of a nice little gold watch.No, he _wouldn't_ let her have a silver one, and it _should_ be "setwith blue-stones." He would have that one, and no other.
"Too expensive? No, indeed!" he cried. "Make out the bill, master, andI'll knock down my cheque. Hurrah! one doesn't get married everymorning, and it isn't everybody who gets a girl like Sarah when he doesget spliced! So there!"
Archie had told Bob and Harry of his first dinner at the hotel, and howkind and considerate in every way the waiter had been, and how he hadoften gone back there to have a talk.
"It is there then, and nowhere else," said Bob, "we'll have our weddingdinner."
Archie would not gainsay this; and nothing would satisfy the lucky minerbut chartering a whole flat for a week.
"That's the way we'll do it," he said; "and now look here, as long asthe week lasts, any of your friends can drop into breakfast, dinner, orsupper. We are going to do the thing proper, if we sell our bestjackets to help to pay the bill. What say, old chummie?"
"Certainly," said Harry; "and if ever I'm fool enough to get married,I'll do the same kind o' thing."
A happy thought occurred to Archie the day before the marriage.
"How much loose cash have you, Bob?"
"I dunno," said Bob, diving his hands into both his capacious pockets--each were big enough to hold a rabbit--and making a wonderful rattling.
"I reckon I've enough for to-morrow. It seems deep enough."
"Well, my friend, hand over."
"What!" cried Bob, "you want me to bail up?"
"Bail up!"
"You're a downright bushranger, Archie. However, I suppose I mustobey."
Then he emptied his pockets into a pile on the table--gold, silver,copper, all in the same heap. Archie counted and made a note of all,put part away in a box, locked it, gave Bob back a few coins, mostlysilver, and stowed the rest in his purse.
"Now," said Archie, "be a good old boy, Bob; and if you want any moremoney, just ask nicely, and perhaps you'll have it."
There was a rattling thunder-storm that night, which died away at lastfar beyond the hills, and next morning broke bright, and cool, andclear.
A more lovely marriage morning surely never yet was seen.
And in due time the carriages rolled up to the church door, horses andmen bedecked in favours, and right merry was the peal that rang forthfrom Saint James's.
Sarah did not make by any means an uninteresting bride. She had notover-dressed, so that showed she possessed good taste.
As for the stalwart Northumbrian, big-bearded Bob, he really wassplendid. He was all a man, I can assure you, and bore himself as suchin spite of the fact that his black broadcloth coat was rather wrinklyin places, and that his white kid gloves had burst at the sides.
There was a glorious glitter of love and pride in his dark blue eyes ashe towered beside Sarah at the altar, and he made the responses in tonesthat rang through all the church.
After the ceremony and vestry business Bob gave a sigh of relief, andsqueezed Sarah's hand till she blushed.
The carriage was waiting, and a pretty bit of a mob too. And before Bobjumped in he said, "Now, Harry, for the bag."
As he spoke he gave a look of triumph towards Archie, as much as to say,"See how I have sold you."
Harry handed him a bag of silver coins.
"Stand by, you boys, for a scramble," shouted Bob in a voice that almostbrought down the church.
"Coo-ee!"
And out flew handful after handful, here, there, and everywhere, tillthe sack was empty.
When the carriages got clear away at last, there was a ringing cheerwent up from the crowd that really did everybody's heart good to hear.
Of course the bridegroom stood up and waved his hat back, and when atlast he subside
d:
"Och!" he sighed, "that is the correct way to get married. I've got alltheir good wishes, and they're worth their weight in gold, let alonesilver."
The carriages all headed away for the heights of North Shore, and on tothe top of the bay, from whence such a glorious panorama was spread outbefore them as one seldom witnesses. The city itself was a sight; butthere were the hills, and rocks, and woods, and the grand coast line,and last, though not least, the blue sea itself.
The breakfast was _al fresco_. It really
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