Weston naming one family of cousins who must be included, and another of very old acquaintance who could not be left out, it became a certainty that the five couple would be at least ten, and a very interesting speculation in what possible manner they could be disposed of.
Every door was now closed, the passage plan given up, and the first scheme of dancing only in the room they were in resorted to again; and with such goodwill on Frank Churchill's part, that the space which a quarter of an hour before had been deemed barely sufficient for five couple, was now endeavoured to be made out quite enough for ten.
After a
couple of days the miller came and said that he must tell him that the old donkey which was to have three beatings and only one meal had died.
"You shall catch it for this, my gentleman, when you get home!" burst in female accents from the human heap--those of the unhappy partner of the man whose clumsiness had caused the mishap; she happened also to be his recently married wife, in which assortment there was nothing unusual at Trantridge as long as any affection remained between wedded
couples; and, indeed, it was not uncustomary in their later lives, to avoid making odd lots of the single people between whom there might be a warm understanding.
Soon, however, prudence and foresight drew the young couple from their Eden; it was necessary to work to live.
The profits of his office and the sale of Ginevra's pictures gave the young couple a competence of which they were justly proud, for it was the fruit of their industry.
'This young couple formed at length the healthy resolution of interchanging their discoveries, openly, sensibly, and tenderly.
'One of this young couple, and that one your nephew, fearful, however, that in the tenderness of your affection for him you would be bitterly disappointed by so wide a departure from his projected life, forbore to tell you the secret, for a few days, and left it to be disclosed by me, when I should come down to speak to you, and he would be gone.
"We're sure cut out for each other when it comes to dancin'," he said, as they made their way to rejoin the other couple.
Just the same, if' you can spare a few minutes from each other after a couple more whirls, Mary an' me'd be complimented to have your presence at dinner."
A devil born to a young
couple is measurably recognizable by them as a devil before long, but a devil adopted by an old
couple is an angel to them, and remains so, through thick and thin.
There were three other
couples, following the bride and bridegroom: first, Martin Poyser, looking as cheery as a bright fire on this rimy morning, led quiet Mary Burge, the bridesmaid; then came Seth serenely happy, with Mrs.
He tried all sorts of pictures, taking them from the lives of friends of his, for he knew many different married
couples; but he saw them always, walled up in a warm firelit room.
Marriage was as yet in a rude state, and
couples had a way of quarrelling and separating.
He knew young married
couples in all their varieties:--The
couples who try to behave as if they had been married for many years; the
couples who attempt no concealment, and take advice from competent authorities about them.
