第2章

"I’mafraidImust。IndeedIhaven’tbroughtmythingswithme。"

AndthenheagaincaughtMarian’seye，andbegantowishthathisresolutionhadnotbeensosternlymade。

"IsupposeyouaresofondofthatHouseofAssembly，"saidMarian，"thatyoucannottearyourselfawayformorethanoneday。You’llnotbeable，Isuppose，tofindtimetocometoourpicnicnextweek？"

Mauricesaidhefearedthatheshouldnothavetimetogotoapicnic。

"Oh，nonsense，"saidFanny——oneoftheyoungergirls——"youmustcome。

Wecan’tdowithouthim，canwe？"

"Marianhasgotyournamedownthefirstonthelistofthegentlemen，"saidanother。

"Yes；andCaptainEwing’ssecond，"saidBell，theyoungest。

"I’mafraidImustinduceyoursistertoalterherlist，"saidMaurice，inhissternestmanner。"Icannotmanagetogo，andI’msureshewillnotmissme。"

Marionlookedatthelittlegirlwhohadsounfortunatelymentionedthewarrior’sname，andthelittlegirlknewthatshehadsinned。

"Oh，wecannotpossiblydowithoutyou；canwe，Marian？"saidFanny。

"It’stobeatBingley’sDell，andwe’vegotabedforyouatNewcastle；quitenear，youknow。"

"Andanotherfor——"beganBell，butshestoppedherself。

"Goawaytoyourlessons，Bell，"saidMarion。"Youknowhowangrymammawillbeatyourstayinghereallthemorning；"andpoorBellwithasorrowfullooklefttheroom。

"Weareallcertainlyveryanxiousthatyoushouldcome；veryanxiousforagreatmanyreasons，"saidMarian，inavoicethatwasrathersolemn，andasthoughthematterwereoneofconsiderableimport。

"Butifyoureallycannot，whyofcoursethereisnomoretobesaid。"

"Therewillbeplentywithoutme，Iamsure。"

"Asregardsnumbers，Idaresaytherewill；forweshallhaveprettynearlythewholeofthetworegiments；"andMarianasshealludedtotheofficersspokeinatonewhichmightleadonetothinkthatshewouldmuchratherbewithoutthem；"butwecountedonyouasbeingoneofourselves；andasyouhadbeenawaysolong，wethought——wethought——，"andthensheturnedawayherface，anddidnotfinishherspeech。Beforehecouldmakeuphismindastohisanswershehadrisenfromherchair，andwalkedoutoftheroom。Mauricealmostthoughtthathesawatearinhereyeasshewent。

HedidridebacktoSpanishTownthatafternoon，afteranearlydinner；butbeforehewentMarianspoketohimaloneforoneminute。

"Ihopeyouarenotoffendedwithme，"shesaid。

"Offended！ohno；howcouldIbeoffendedwithyou？"

"Becauseyouseemsostern。IamsureIwoulddoanythingIcouldtoobligeyou，ifIknewhow。Itwouldbesoshockingnottobegoodfriendswithacousinlikeyou。"

"Buttherearesomanydifferentsortsoffriends，"saidMaurice。

"Ofcoursethereare。Thereareagreatmanyfriendsthatonedoesnotcareabitfor，——peoplethatonemeetsatballsandplaceslikethat——"

"Andatpicnics，"saidMaurice。

"’Well，someofthemtheretoo；butwearenotlikethat；arewe？"

WhatcouldMauricedobutsay，"no，"anddeclarethattheirfriendshipwasofawarmerdescription？Andhowcouldheresistpromisingtogotothepicnic，thoughashemadethepromiseheknewthatmiserywouldbeinstoreforhim？Hedidpromise，andthenshegavehimherhandandcalledhimMaurice。

"Oh！Iamsoglad，"shesaid。"Itseemedsoshockingthatyoushouldrefusetojoinus。Andmindandbeearly，Maurice；forI

shallwanttoexplainitall。Wearetomeet，youknow，atCliftonGateatoneo’clock，butdoyoubealittlebeforethat，andweshallbethere。"

MauriceCummingresolvedwithinhisownbreastasherodebacktoSpanishTown，thatifMarianbehavedtohimallthatdayatthepicnicasshehaddonethisdayatShandyHall，hewouldaskhertobehiswifebeforehelefther。

AndMissJackalsowastobeatthepicnic。

"Thereisnoneedofgoingearly，"saidshe，whenhernephewmadeafussaboutthestarting。"Peopleareneververypunctualatsuchaffairsasthat；andthentheyarealwaysquitelongenough。"ButMauriceexplainedthathewasanxioustobeearly，andonthisoccasionhecarriedhispoint。

WhentheyreachedCliftonGatetheladieswerealreadythere；notincarriages，aspeoplegotopicnicsinotherandtamercountries，buteachonherownhorseorherownpony。Buttheywerenotalone。

BesideMissLesliewasagentleman，whomMauriceknewasLieutenantGraham，oftheflag—shipatPortRoyal；andatalittledistancewhichquiteenabledhimtojoinintheconversationwasCaptainEwing，thelieutenantwiththenarrowwaistofthepreviousyear。

"Weshallhaveadelightfulday，MissLeslie，"saidthelieutenant。

"Oh，charming，isn’tit？"saidMarian。

"Butnowtochooseaplacefordinner，CaptainEwing；——whatdoyousay？"

"Willyoucommissionmetoselect？YouknowI’mverywellupingeometry，andallthat？"

"Butthatwon’tteachyouwhatsortofaplacedoesforapicnicdinner；——willit，Mr。Cumming？"AndthensheshookhandswithMaurice，butdidnottakeanyfurtherspecialnoticeofhim。"We’llallgotogether，ifyouplease。Thecommissionistooimportanttobelefttoone。"AndthenMarianrodeoff，andthelieutenantandthecaptainrodewithher。

ItwasopenforMauricetojointhemifhechose，buthedidnotchoose。Hehadcomethereeversomuchearlierthanheneedhavedone，dragginghisauntwithhim，becauseMarianhadtoldhimthathisserviceswouldbespeciallyrequiredbyher。Andnowassoonasshesawhimshewentawaywiththetwoofficers！——wentawaywithoutvouchsafinghimaword。Hemadeuphismind，thereonthespot，thathewouldneverthinkofheragain——neverspeaktoherotherwisethanhemightspeaktothemostindifferentofmortals。

Andyethewasamanthatcouldstrugglerightmanfullywiththeworld’stroubles；onewhohadstruggledwiththemfromhisboyhood，andhadneverbeenovercome。Nowhewasunabletoconcealthebitternessofhiswrathbecausealittlegirlhadriddenofftolookforagreenspotforhertableclothwithoutaskinghisassistance！

Picnicsare，Ithink，ingeneral，rathertediousfortheelderlypeoplewhoaccompanythem。Whenthejointsbecomealittlestiff，dinnersareeatenmostcomfortablywiththeaccompanimentofchairsandtables，andaroofoverheadisanagrementdeplus。But，nevertheless，picnicscannotexistwithoutacertainallowanceofelderlypeople。TheMissMariansandCaptainsEwingcannotgoouttodineonthegrasswithoutsomeonetolookafterthem。Sotheelderlypeoplegotopicnics，inadulltameway，doingtheirduty，andwishingthedayover。Nowonthemorninginquestion，whenMarianrodeoffwithCaptainEwingandlieutenantGraham，MauriceCummingremainedamongtheelderlypeople。

AcertainMr。Pomken，agreatJamaicaagriculturist，oneoftheCouncil，amanwhohadknownthegoodoldtimes，gothimbythebuttonandheldhimfast，discoursingwiselyofsugarandruin，ofGadsdenpansandrecreantnegroes，onallofwhichsubjectsMauriceCummingwasknowntohaveanopinionofhisown。ButasMr。Pomken’swordssoundedintooneear，intotheotherfellnotes，listenedtofromafar，——theshrilllaughingvoiceofMarianLeslieasshegaveherhappyordertohersatellitesaroundher，andeverandanonthebasshaw—hawofCaptainEwing，whowasmadewelcomeasthechiefofherattendants。ThateveninginawhispertoabrothercouncillorMr。PomkencommunicatedhisopinionthatafteralltherewasnotsomuchinthatyoungCummingassomepeoplesaid。ButMr。PomkenhadnoideathatthatyoungCummingwasinlove。

Andthenthedinnercame，spreadoverhalfanacre。Mauricewasamongthelastwhoseatedhimself；andwhenhedidsoitwasinanawkwardcomfortlesscorner，behindMr。Pomken’sback，andfarawayfromthelaughterandmirthoftheday。ButyetfromhiscomfortlesscornerhecouldseeMarianasshesatinherprideofpower，withherfriendJuliaDavisnearher，aflirtasbadasherself，andhersatellitesaroundher，obedienttohernod，andhappyinhersmiles。

"NowIwon’tallowanymorechampagne，"saidMarian，"orwhowilltherebesteadyenoughtohelpmeovertherockstothegrotto？"

"Oh，youhavepromisedme！"criedthecaptain。

"Indeed，Ihavenot；haveI，Julia？"

"MissDavishascertainlypromisedme，"saidthelieutenant。

"Ihavemadenopromise，anddon’tthinkIshallgoatall，"saidJulia，whowassometimesinclinedtoimaginethatCaptainEwingshouldbeherownproperty。

AllwhichandmuchmoreofthekindMauriceCummingcouldnothear；

buthecouldsee——andimagine，whichwasworse。Howinnocentandinaneare，afterall，theflirtingsofmostyoungladies，ifalltheirwordsanddoingsinthatlinecouldbebroughttopaper！Idonotknowwhethertherebeasarulemorevocalexpressionofthesentimentoflovebetweenamanandwomanthanthereisbetweentwothrushes！Theywhistleandcalltoeachother，guidedbyinstinctratherthanbyreason。

"Youaregoinghomewiththeladiesto—night，Ibelieve，"saidMauricetoMissJack，immediatelyafterdinner。MissJackacknowledgedthatsuchwasherdestinationforthenight。

"ThenmygoingbacktoSpanishTownatoncewon’thurtanyone——for，totellthetruth，Ihavehadenoughofthiswork。"

"Why，Maurice，youwereinsuchahurrytocome。"

"ThemorefoolI；andsonowIaminahurrytogoaway。Don’tnoticeittoanybody。"

MissJacklookedinhisfaceandsawthathewasreallywretched；andsheknewthecauseofhiswretchedness。

"Don’tgoyet，Maurice，"shesaid；andthenaddedwithatendernessthatwasquiteuncommonwithher，"Gotoher，Maurice，andspeaktoheropenlyandfreely，onceforall；youwillfindthatshewilllistenthen。DearMaurice，do，formysake。"

Hemadenoanswer，butwalkedaway，roamingsadlybyhimselfamongthetrees。"Listen！"heexclaimedtohimself。"Yes，shewillalteradozentimesinasmanyhours。Whocancareforacreaturethatcanchangeasshechanges？"Andyethecouldnothelpcaringforher。

Ashewenton，climbingamongrocks，heagaincameuponthesoundofvoices，andheardespeciallythatofCaptainEwing。"Now，MissLeslie，ifyouwilltakemyhandyouwillsoonbeoverallthedifficulty。"Andthenapartyofsevenoreight，scramblingoversomestones，camenearlyonthelevelonwhichhestood，infullviewofhim；andleadingtheotherswereCaptainEwingandMissLeslie。

Heturnedonhisheeltogoaway，whenhecaughtthesoundofastepfollowinghim，andavoicesaying，"Oh，thereisMr。Cumming，andI

wanttospeaktohim；"andinaminutealighthandwasonhisarm。

"Whyareyourunningawayfromus？"saidMarian。

"Because——oh，Idon’tknow。Iamnotrunningaway。Youhaveyourpartymadeup，andIamnotgoingtointrudeonit。"

"Whatnonsense！Docomenow；wearegoingtothiswonderfulgrotto。

Ithoughtitsoill—naturedofyou，notjoiningusatdinner。Indeedyouknowyouhadpromised。"

Hedidnotanswerher，buthelookedather——fullintheface，withhissadeyesladenwithlove。Shehalfunderstoodhiscountenance，butonlyhalfunderstoodit。

"Whatisthematter，Maurice？"shesaid。"Areyouangrywithme？

Willyoucomeandjoinus？"

"No，Marian，Icannotdothat。Butifyoucanleavethemandcomewithmeforhalfanhour，Iwillnotkeepyoulonger。"

Shestoodhesitatingamoment，whilehercompanionremainedonthespotwhereshehadlefthim。"Come，MissLeslie，"calledCaptainEwing。"Youwillhaveitdarkbeforewecangetdown。"

"Iwillcomewithyou，"whisperedshetoMaurice，"butwaitamoment。"Andshetrippedback，andinsomefiveminutesreturnedafteraneagerargumentwithherfriends。"There，"shesaid，"I

don’tcareaboutthegrotto，onebit，andIwillwalkwithyounow；——

onlytheywillthinkitsoodd。"Andsotheystartedofftogether。

BeforethetropicaldarknesshadfallenuponthemMauricehadtoldthetaleofhislove，——andhadtolditinamannerdifferingmuchfromthatofMarian’susualadmirers，hespokewithpassionandalmostwithviolence；hedeclaredthathisheartwassofullofherimagethathecouldnotridhimselfofitforoneminute；"norwouldhewishtodoso，"hesaid，"ifshewouldbehisMarian，hisownMarian，hisveryown。Butifnot——"andthenheexplainedtoher，withallalover’swarmth，andwithalmostmorethanalover’sliberty，whatwashisideaofherbeing"hisown，hisveryown，"andindoingsoinveighedagainstherusuallight—heartednessintermswhichatanyratewerestrongenough。

ButMarianhereitallwell。Perhapssheknewthatthelessonwassomewhatdeserved；andperhapssheappreciatedatitsvaluetheloveofsuchamanasMauriceCumming，weighinginherjudgmentthedifferencebetweenhimandtheEwingsandtheGrahams。

Andthensheansweredhimwellandprudently，withwordswhichstartledhimbytheirprudentseriousnessascomingfromher。Shebeggedhispardonheartily，shesaid，foranygriefwhichshehadcausedhim；butyethowwasshetoheblamed，seeingthatshehadknownnothingofhisfeelings？Herfatherandmotherhadsaidsomethingtoherofthisproposedmarriage；something，butverylittle；andshehadansweredbysayingthatshedidnotthinkMauricehadanywarmerregardforherthanofacousin。Afterthisanswerneitherfathernormotherhadpressedthematterfurther。Astoherownfeelingsshecouldthensaynothing，forshethenknewnothing；——

nothingbutthis，thatshelovednoonebetterthanhim，orratherthatshelovednooneelse。Shewouldaskherselfifshecouldlovehim；buthemustgivehersomelittletimeforthat。Inthemeantime——andshesmiledsweetlyathimasshemadethepromise——shewouldendeavourtodonothingthatwouldoffendhim；andthensheaddedthatonthateveningshewoulddancewithhimanydancesthatheliked。Maurice，withaself—denialthatwasnotverywise，contentedhimselfwithengagingherforthefirstquadrille。

Theyweretodancethatnightinthemess—roomoftheofficersatNewcastle。Thisschemehadbeenaddedonasanadjuncttothepicnic，anditthereforebecamenecessarythattheladiesshouldretiretotheirownortheirfriends’housesatNewcastletoadjusttheirdresses。MarianLeslieandJuliaDaviswerethereaccommodatedwiththeloanofasmallroombythemajor’swife，andastheywerebrushingtheirhair，andputtingontheirdancing—shoes，somethingwassaidbetweenthemaboutMauriceCumming。

"AndsoyouaretobeMrs。C。ofMountPleasant，"saidJulia。"Well；

Ididn’tthinkitwouldcometothatatlast。"

"Butithasnotcometothat，andifitdidwhyshouldInotbeMrs。

C。，asyoucallit？"

"Theknightoftheruefulcountenance，Icallhim。"

"Itellyouwhatthen，heisanexcellentyoungman，andthefactisyoudon’tknowhim。"

"Idon’tlikeexcellentyoungmenwithlongfaces。Isupposeyouwon’tbelettodancequickdancesatallnow。"

"IshalldancewhateverdancesIlike，asIhavealwaysdone，"saidMarian，withsomelittleasperityinhertone。

"Notyou；orifyoudo，you’llloseyourpromotion。You’llneverlivetobemyLadyRue。AndwhatwillGrahamsay？Youknowyou’vegivenhimhalfapromise。"

"That’snottrue，Julia；——Inevergavehimthetenthpartofapromise。"

"Well，hesaysso；"andthenthewordsbetweentheyoungladiesbecamealittlemoreangry。But，nevertheless，induetimetheycameforthwithfacessmilingasusual，withtheirhairbrushed，andwithoutanysignsofwarfare。

ButMarianhadtostandanotherattackbeforethebusinessoftheeveningcommenced，andthiswasfromnolessdoughtyanantagonistthanheraunt，MissJack。MissJacksoonfoundthatMauricehadnotkepthisthreatofgoinghome；andthoughshedidnotabsolutelylearnfromhimthathehadgonesofartowardsperfectingherdearesthopesastomakeaformaloffertoMarion，neverthelessshedidgatherthatthingswerefastthatwaytending。Ifonlythisdancingwereover！shesaidtoherself，dreadingtheunnumberedwaltzeswithEwing，andtheviolentpolkaswithGraham。SoMissJackresolvedtosayonewordtoMarian——"Awisewordingoodseason，"saidMissJacktoherself，"howsweetathingitis。"

"Marian，"saidshe。"Stephereamoment，Iwanttosayawordtoyou。"

"Yes，auntSarah，"saidMarian，followingherauntintoacorner，notquiteinthebesthumourintheworld；forshehadadreadofsomefurtherinterference。

"AreyougoingtodancewithMauriceto—night？"

"Yes，Ibelieveso，——thefirstquadrille。"

"Well，whatIwasgoingtosayisthis。Idon’twantyoutodancemanyquickdancesto—night，forareasonIhave；——thatis，notagreatmany。"

"Why，aunt，whatnonsense！"

"Nowmydearest，dearestgirl，itisallforyourownsake。Well，then，itmustout。Hedoesnotlikeit，youknow。"

"Whathe？"

"Maurice。"

"Well，aunt，Idon’tknowthatI’mboundtodanceornottodancejustasMr。Cummingmaylike。Papadoesnotmindmydancing。Thepeoplehavecomeheretodanceandyoucanhardlywanttomakemeridiculousbysittingstill。"Andsothatwiseworddidnotappeartobeverysweet。

Andthentheamusementoftheeveningcommenced，andMarianstoodupforaquadrillewithherlover。Shehoweverwasnotintheverybesthumour。Shehad，asshethought，saidanddoneenoughforonedayinMaurice’sfavour。Andshehadnoidea，asshedeclaredtoherself，ofbeinglecturedbyauntSarah。

"DearestMarion，"hesaidtoher，asthequadrillecametoaclose，"itisanyourpowertomakemesohappy，——soperfectlyhappy。"

"Butthenpeoplehavesuchdifferentideasofhappiness，"shereplied。"Theycan’tallseewiththesameeyes，youknow。"Andsotheyparted。

Butduringtheearlypartoftheeveningshewassufficientlydiscreet；shedidwaltzwithLieutenantGraham，andpolkwithCaptainEwing，butshedidsoinatamermannerthanwasusualwithher，andshemadenoemulousattemptstodancedownothercouples。Whenshehaddoneshewouldsitdown，andthensheconsentedtostandupfortwoquadrilleswithtwoverytamegentlemen，towhomnolovercouldobject。

"Andso，Marian，yourwingsareregularlyclippedatlast，"saidJuliaDaviscominguptoher。

"Nomoreclippedthanyourown，"saidMarian。

"IfSirRuewon’tletyouwaltznow，whatwillherequireofyouwhenyou’remarriedtohim？"

"IamjustaswellabletowaltzwithwhomIlikeasyouare，Julia；

andifyousaysointhatway，Ishallthinkit’senvy。"

"Ha——ha——ha；Imayhaveenviedyousomeofyourbeauxbeforenow；I

daresayIhave。ButIcertainlydonotenvyyouSirRue。"Andthenshewentofftoherpartner。

AllthiswastoomuchforMarian’sweakstrength，andbeforelongshewasagainwhirlingroundwithCaptainEwing。"Come，MissLeslie，"

saidhe，"letusseewhatwecando。GrahamandJuliaDavishavebeensayingthatyourwaltzingdaysareover，butIthinkwecanputthemdown。"

Marianasshegotup，andraisedherarminorderthatEwingmightputhisroundherwaist，caughtMaurice’seyeasheleanedagainstawall，andreadinitasternrebuke。"Thisistoobad，"shesaidtoherself。"Heshallnotmakeaslaveofme，atanyrateasyet。"Andawayshewentasmadly，moremadlythanever，andfortherestoftheeveningshedancedwithCaptainEwingandwithhimalone。

Thereisanintoxicationquitedistinctfromthatwhichcomesfromstrongdrink。Whenthejudgmentisaltogetherovercomebythespiritsthisspeciesofdrunkennesscomeson，andinthiswayMarianLesliewasdrunkthatnight。FortwohoursshedancedwithCaptainEwing，andeverandanonshekeptsayingtoherselfthatshewouldteachtheworldtoknow——andofalltheworldMr。Cummingespecially—

—thatshemightbelead，butnotdriven。

Thenaboutfouro’clockshewenthome，andassheattemptedtoundressherselfinherownroomsheburstintoviolenttearsandopenedherhearttohersister——"Oh，Fanny，Idolovehim，Idolovehimsodearly！andnowhewillnevercometomeagain！"

Mauricestoodstillwithhisbackagainstthewall，forthefulltwohoursofMarian’sexhibition，andthenhesaidtohisauntbeforeheleft——"Ihopeyouhavenowseenenough；youwillhardlymentionhernametomeagain。"MissJackgroanedfromthebottomofherheartbutshesaidnothing。Shesaidnothingthatnighttoanyone；butshelayawakeinherbed，thinking，tillitwastimetoriseanddressherself。"AskMissMariantocometome，"shesaidtotheblackgirlwhocametoassisther。Butitwasnottillshehadsentthreetimes，thatMissMarianobeyedthesummons。

Atthreeo’clockonthefollowingdayMissJackarrivedatherownhalldoorinSpanishTown。Longasthedistancewassheordinarilyrodeitall，butonthisoccasionshehadprovidedacarriagetobringheroverasmuchofthejourneyasitwaspracticableforhertoperformonwheels。AssoonasshereachedherownhalldoorsheaskedifMr。Cummingwasathome。"Yes，"theservantsaid。"Hewasinthesmallbook—room，atthebackofthehouse，upstairs。"

Silently，asifafraidofbeingheard，shesteppedupherownstairsintoherowndrawing—room；andverysilentlyshewasfollowedbyapairoffeetlighterandsmallerthanherown。

MissJackwasusuallysomewhatofadespotinherownhouse，buttherewasnothingdespoticabouthernowasshepeeredintothebook—

room。Thisshedidwithherbonnetstillon，lookingroundthehalf—

openeddoorasthoughshewereafraidtodisturbhernephew，hesatatthewindowlookingoutintotheverandahwhichranbehindthehouse，sointentonhisthoughtsthathedidnothearher。

"Maurice，"shesaid，"canIcomein？"

"Comein？ohyes，ofcourse；"andheturnedroundsharplyather。"I

tellyouwhat，aunt；IamnotwellhereandIcannotstayoutthesession。IshallgobacktoMountPleasant。"

"Maurice，"andshewalkedcloseuptohimasshespoke，"Maurice，I

havebroughtsomeonewithmetoaskyourpardon。"

Hisfacebecamereduptotherootsofhishairashestoodlookingatherwithoutanswering。"Youwouldgrantitcertainly，"shecontinued，"ifyouknewhowmuchitwouldbevalued。"

"Whomdoyoumean？whoisit？"heaskedatlast。

"Onewholovesyouaswellasyouloveher——andshecannotloveyoubetter。Comein，Marian。"Thepoorgirlcreptinatthedoor，ashamedofwhatshewasinducedtodo，butyetlookinganxiouslyintoherlover’sface。"Youaskedheryesterdaytobeyourwife，"saidMissJack，"andshedidnotthenknowherownmind。Nowshehashadalesson。Youwillaskheronceagain；willyounot，Maurice？"

Whatwashetosay？howwashetorefuse，whenthatsoftlittlehandwasheldouttohim；whenthoseeyesladenwithtearsjustventuredtolookintohisface？

"IbegyourpardonifIangeredyoulastnight，"shesaid。

InhalfaminuteMissJackhadlefttheroom，andinthespaceofanotherthirtysecondsMauricehadforgivenher。"Iamyourownnow，youknow，"shewhisperedtohiminthecourseofthatlongevening。

"Yesterday，youknow——，"butthesentencewasneverfinished。

ItwasinvainthatJuliaDaviswasill—naturedandsarcastic，invainthatEwingandGrahammadejointattemptuponherconstancy。

Fromthatnighttothemorningofhermarriage——andtheintervalwasonlythreemonths——MarianLesliewasneverknowntoflirt。