'This must never leave you,' he said.
'It never shall,--having come from you.'
'It was the first present that I gave to my wife, and it is the
first that I shall give to you. You may imagine how sacred it is
to me. On no other hand could it be worn without something which
to me would be akin to sacrilege. Now I must not keep you longer
or Silverbridge will be storming about the house. He of course
will tell me when it is to be; but do not you keep him long
waiting.' Then he kissed her and led her up into the drawing-
room. When he had spoken a word of greeting to Mrs Boncassen, he
left them to their own devices.
After that they spent the best part of an hour in going over the
house; but even that was done in a manner unsatisfactory to
Silverbridge. Wherever Isabel went, there Mrs Boncassen went also.
There might have been some fun in showing even the back kitchens
to his bride-elect by herself;--but there was one in wandering
about those vast underground regions with a stout old lady who was
really interested with the cooking apparatus and the washhouses.
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