Conclusion.

by George Eliot

　　There was one time of the year which was held in Raveloe to beespecially suitable for a wedding. It was when the great lilacs andlaburnums in the old-fashioned gardens showed their golden andpurple wealth above the lichen-tinted walls, and when there werecalves still young enough to want bucketfuls of fragrant milk.People were not so busy then as they must become when the fullcheese-making and the mowing had set in; and besides, it was a timewhen a light bridal dress could be worn with comfort and seen toadvantage.Happily the sunshine fell more warmly than usual on the lilac tuftsthe morning that Eppie was married, for her dress was a very lightone. She had often thought, though with a feeling of renunciation,that the perfection of a wedding-dress would be a white cotton, withthe tiniest pink sprig at wide intervals; so that when Mrs. GodfreyCass begged to provide one, and asked Eppie to choose what it shouldbe, previous meditation had enabled her to give a decided answer atonce.Seen at a little distance as she walked across the churchyard anddown the village, she seemed to be attired in pure white, and herhair looked like the dash of gold on a lily. One hand was on herhusband's arm, and with the other she clasped the hand of her fatherSilas."You won't be giving me away, father," she had said before theywent to church; "you'll only be taking Aaron to be a son to you."Dolly Winthrop walked behind with her husband; and there ended thelittle bridal procession.There were many eyes to look at it, and Miss Priscilla Lammeter wasglad that she and her father had happened to drive up to the door ofthe Red House just in time to see this pretty sight. They had cometo keep Nancy company to-day, because Mr. Cass had had to go away toLytherley, for special reasons. That seemed to be a pity, forotherwise he might have gone, as Mr. Crackenthorp and Mr. Osgoodcertainly would, to look on at the wedding-feast which he hadordered at the Rainbow, naturally feeling a great interest in theweaver who had been wronged by one of his own family."I could ha' wished Nancy had had the luck to find a child likethat and bring her up," said Priscilla to her father, as they satin the gig; "I should ha' had something young to think of then,besides the lambs and the calves.""Yes, my dear, yes," said Mr. Lammeter; "one feels that as onegets older. Things look dim to old folks: they'd need have someyoung eyes about 'em, to let 'em know the world's the same as itused to be."Nancy came out now to welcome her father and sister; and the weddinggroup had passed on beyond the Red House to the humbler part of thevillage.Dolly Winthrop was the first to divine that old Mr. Macey, who hadbeen set in his arm-chair outside his own door, would expect somespecial notice as they passed, since he was too old to be at thewedding-feast."Mr. Macey's looking for a word from us," said Dolly; "he'll behurt if we pass him and say nothing--and him so racked withrheumatiz."So they turned aside to shake hands with the old man. He had lookedforward to the occasion, and had his premeditated speech."Well, Master Marner," he said, in a voice that quavered a gooddeal, "I've lived to see my words come true. I was the first tosay there was no harm in you, though your looks might be again' you;and I was the first to say you'd get your money back. And it'snothing but rightful as you should. And I'd ha' said the "Amens",and willing, at the holy matrimony; but Tookey's done it a goodwhile now, and I hope you'll have none the worse luck."In the open yard before the Rainbow the party of guests were alreadyassembled, though it was still nearly an hour before the appointedfeast time. But by this means they could not only enjoy the slowadvent of their pleasure; they had also ample leisure to talk ofSilas Marner's strange history, and arrive by due degrees at theconclusion that he had brought a blessing on himself by acting likea father to a lone motherless child. Even the farrier did notnegative this sentiment: on the contrary, he took it up aspeculiarly his own, and invited any hardy person present tocontradict him. But he met with no contradiction; and alldifferences among the company were merged in a general agreementwith Mr. Snell's sentiment, that when a man had deserved his goodluck, it was the part of his neighbours to wish him joy.As the bridal group approached, a hearty cheer was raised in theRainbow yard; and Ben Winthrop, whose jokes had retained theiracceptable flavour, found it agreeable to turn in there and receivecongratulations; not requiring the proposed interval of quiet at theStone-pits before joining the company.Eppie had a larger garden than she had ever expected there now; andin other ways there had been alterations at the expense of Mr. Cass,the landlord, to suit Silas's larger family. For he and Eppie haddeclared that they would rather stay at the Stone-pits than go toany new home. The garden was fenced with stones on two sides, butin front there was an open fence, through which the flowers shonewith answering gladness, as the four united people came within sightof them."O father," said Eppie, "what a pretty home ours is! I thinknobody could be happier than we are."