"Yes," continued my mother; "we were married within heaven dedicated walls by a man of God, and the blessing of the holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity was pronounced upon our union.

Remember this, my dearly beloved child, remember that in the bosom of the church, surrounded by all the solemnities of religion, with the golden ring, the uttered vow, and on bended knee, I was wedded to Henry Gabriel St.James.
"My step-mother refused to be present.

She had sufficient regard to the world's opinion to plead indisposition as an excuse; but it was a false one.

She never forgave me for winning the love of the man whom she had herself resolved to charm, and from the hour of our introduction to the day of my marriage, my life was clouded by the gloom of her ill temper.
"We immediately departed for New York, where St.James resided, and our bridal home was adorned with all the elegancies which classic taste could select, and prodigal love lavish upon its idol.

I was happy then, beyond the dream of imagination.