They came at last, and one bright, cloudless morning Uncle Joshua got out
his carriage and proceeded to Frankfort, where, as he had expected, he met
Julia and his expected son-in-law. His greeting of the former was kind and
fatherly enough, but the moment he saw the latter, he felt, as he
afterward said, an almost unconquerable desire to flatten his nose, gouge
his eyes, knock out his teeth and so forth, which operations would
doubtless have greatly astonished Dr. Lacey and given him what almost
every man has, viz., a most formidable idea of his wife's relations.
He, however, restrained his wrath, and when, at a convenient time, Dr.
Lacey, with a few ominous "ahems" and made-up coughs, indicated his
intention of asking for Julia, Uncle Joshua cut him short by saying,
"Never mind, I know what you want. You may have her and welcome. I only
wish she would make as good a wife as you will husband. But mind now, when
you find out what for a fury you've got, don't come whinin' round me, for
I give you fa'r warnin'."
Here Dr. Lacey thought proper to say that possibly Mr. Middleton did not
understand his daughter.
"Not understand her?" repeated Mr. Middleton. "What's to hinder? She's my
own gal, and I like her well enough; but don't I know she's as fiery as a
baker's oven?"
"She is greatly changed," continued Dr. Lacey. "Don't you give her credit
for that?"
"Changed?" replied Mr. Middleton. "So's lightnin' changed! It's one of her
tricks. Depend on it, you'll find it so." And Mr. Middleton walked off in
search of his promising daughter.
Strange as it may seem, the old man's remarks had no other effect on Dr.
Lacey than to cause him to pity Julia, who he fancied was misunderstood
and misused. He believed her reformation to be sincere, and could not help
feeling that Mr. Middleton was mistaken in his opinion of both his
daughters.
After tramping all over the house, banging doors and shouting at least a
dozen times, "Ho, Tempest, whar for gracious sakes are you?" Mr. Middleton
at length found his daughter in Mrs. Miller's room consulting with Kate
about her bridal dress. Kate, too, was wholly deceived by Julia's
gentleness and apparent frankness of manner, and readily complied with her
request that she should be with her the two days preceding the marriage,
for the purpose of assisting in the arrangement of affairs. This being
settled, Mr. Middleton and his daughter started for home, which they
reached about sunset.