ONE:"Are they married?" I softly asked Harry at the first opportunity, but he could not tell me. He knew only that Ferry had been expected to arrive about an hour before midnight; if he arrived later the wedding would be deferred until to-day. On our whole ride we met no one from Gallatin until near the edge of the town we passed a smiling rider who called after us, "You-all a-hurryin' for nothin'!"We must find a wife for him, she said. I dare say we shall be able to fit him out with a wife. He seems a polite sort of young man too. I shouldnt wonder if plenty of our Bracebridge young ladies would be willing to become Mrs Silverside, or whatever the mans name is.
TWO:With these words he withdrew, and was not seen any more that evening. Fred wished to know what a water-spout was like, and was promptly set at rest by the Doctor.
TWO:The party remained three days at Canton. They rose early every morning, and went on excursions through and around the city, and it is fair to say that they did not have a single idle moment. Each of the boys made careful notes of what he saw and heard, and by the end of their stay both had enough to fill a small volume. They returned to Hong-kong on the fourth day, and on the morning after their return they sat down to write the story of their adventures. But before they began writing the projected letter a discussion arose between them, which was about like this:
THREE:Mrs Keeling rose from her chair. The dressing-bell had already sounded, and she had not had a moments rest since before lunch.