The morning passed in a dream. More presents came and had to be acknowledged. She had to ring up the shop that was supplying her shoes, and tell them to send at once. Then Sarah appeared, ready, as she said, for the fray. Sarah was going to help her to dress, with Miss Arden; Sarah was cheerful, and full of jokes; she made Elizabeth laugh.

The orange-blossom was exotic in scent, and heavy. They fixed her wreath over her veil and coaxed her hair into curls about her ears.

“How pale you are, my darling!” Miss Arden sighed.

“Rot!” said Sarah briskly. “Now for the pearls! Elizabeth, you lucky little beast!”

The pearls lay milk-white against her neck, and rose slightly with the heave and fall of her breast. The lilies lay upon the table, tied with white satin ribbon, and beside them her long kid gloves reposed chastely between folds of tissue paper.

They told her to look at herself in the glass. She saw a stranger, white and with apprehensive eyes.

“It hangs well,” she said, in a gasp. “I think—if you’d put a pin just there ...”

Then Sarah said she must fly; someone came to take the trunks to the station cloakroom; Miss Arden hurried away to put the finishing touches to her own toilette.

Elizabeth wandered about her room, to see that nothing had been forgotten. How funny it would be to see Stephen in a cut-away coat and top-hat! Yesterday when he came he had said that his boot-maker hadn’t sent yet. She wondered whether he had had to ring up too, and whether it was an unlucky sign. Stephen had said that he was getting the wind up, but that he looked to John to pull him through. Perhaps John would pull her through too; he looked as though he would be able to do anything.

Lawrence called up the stairs to tell them that Aunt Anne’s car was waiting, with Mrs. Cockburn, who was to accompany her, inside. Aunt Anne answered that she was just coming, and returned to Elizabeth’s room, pulling on her gloves.

“Ready, darling? Come down and show your father how lovely you are.” She picked up Elizabeth’s coat of white fur, and then put it down again, and held out her arms. Elizabeth went to her, in a rush. The tears were trembling on the end of her lashes.

“Oh, Auntie—oh, Auntie!”

Lawrence called again, impatiently. They went down to him, and when he saw Elizabeth he said, Well, well, well! a sure sign that he was impressed. Aunt Anne was fussy, and said, Take care you don’t crush her dress. She said you must not forget your gloves, and then she was gone in a whirl of mauve silk, into the waiting car.