Certainly, though there had been a good many marriages since we had come to the Turon, the church had never held a handsomer couple.
Jeanie was quietly dressed in plain white silk.She had on a veil;no ornaments of any kind or sorts.It was a warmish day, and there was a sort of peach-blossom colour on her cheeks that looked as delicate as if a breath of air would blow it away.When she came in and saw the crowd of bronze bearded faces and hundreds of strange eyes bent on her, she turned quite pale.Then the flush came back on her face, and her eyes looked as bright as some of the sapphires we used to pick up now and then out of the river bed.Her hair was twisted up in a knot behind;but even that didn't hide the lovely colour nor what a lot there was of it.
As she came in with her slight figure and modest sweet face that turned up to Jim's like a child's, there was a sort of hum in the church that sounded very like breaking into a cheer.
Jim certainly was a big upstanding chap, strong built but active with it, and as fine a figure of a man as you'd see on the Turon or any other place.
He stood about six feet and an inch, and was as straight as a rush.There was no stiffness about him either.He was broad-shouldered and light flanked, quick on his pins, and as good a man -- all round -- with his hands as you could pick out of the regular prize ring.He was as strong as a bullock, and just as good at the end of a day as at the start.
With the work we'd had for the last five or six months we were all in top condition, as hard as a board and fit to work at any pace for twenty-four hours on end.He had an open, merry, laughing face, had Jim, with straight features and darkish hair and eyes.Nobody could ever keep angry with Jim.He was one of those kind of men that could fight to some purpose now and then, but that most people found it very hard to keep bad friends with.
Besides the miners, there were lots of other people in church who had heard of the wedding and come to see us.I saw Starlight and the two Honourables, dressed up as usual, besides the Commissioner and the camp officers;and more than that, the new Inspector of Police, who'd only arrived the day before.Sir Ferdinand Morringer, even he was there, dividing the people's attention with the bride.Besides that, who should I see but Bella and Maddie Barnes and old Jonathan.
They'd ridden into the Turon, for they'd got their riding habits on, and Bella had the watch and chain Starlight had given her.
I saw her look over to where he and the other two were, but she didn't know him again a bit in the world.He was sitting there looking as if he was bored and tired with the whole thing --hadn't seen a soul in the church before, and didn't want to see 'em again.
I saw Maddie Barnes looking with all her eyes at Jim, while her face grew paler.She hadn't much colour at the best of times, but she was a fine-grown, lissom, good-looking girl for all that, and as full of fun and games as she could stick.Her eyes seemed to get bigger and darker as she looked, and when the parson began to read the service she turned away her head.I always thought she was rather soft on Jim, and now I saw it plain enough.He was one of those rattling, jolly kind of fellows that can't help being friendly with every girl he meets, and very seldom cares much for any one in particular.He had been backward and forward a good deal with father before we got clear of Berrima, and that's how poor Maddie had come to take the fancy so strong and set her heart upon him.
It must be hard lines for a woman to stand by, in a church or anywhere else, and see the man she loves given away, for good and all, buckled hard and fast to another woman.Nobody took much notice of poor Maddie, but I watched her pretty close, and saw the tears come into her eyes, though she let 'em run down her face before she'd pull out her handkerchief.
Then she put up her veil and held up her head with a bit of a toss, and I saw her pride had helped her to bear it.I don't suppose anybody else saw her, and if they did they'd only think she was cryin' for company --as women often do at weddings and all kinds of things.But I knew better.
She wouldn't peach, poor thing! Still, I saw that more than one or two knew who we were and all about us that day.
We'd only just heard that the new Inspector of Police had come on to the field; so of course everybody began to talk about him and wanted to have a look at him.Next to the Commissioner and the P.M., the Inspector of Police is the biggest man in a country town or on a goldfield.He has a tremendous lot of power, and, inside of the law, can do pretty much what he pleases.
He can arrest a man on suspicion and keep him in gaol for a month or two.
