Chapter 41 The Wedding
Behind the house, where the renewed garden awaited the wedding party, every flower was fresh, every trellis full, every leaf warm from the light of the sun. The statue in the fountain was scrubbed clean and now poured an abundant stream from her pitcher into the basin below. The old upright piano had been tuned for the occasion and removed from the house to an open space beneath one of the fruit trees. Faithfulness played it while Love accompanied her on the guitar.
The people of the house approached along the winding paths and stood about in a half circle. Grace and Truth stood together in front of the others.
The sisters sang:
Truth loves Reason and kisses her
As the ocean kisses the strand.
Reason loves Truth and kisses him
As the sea is kissed by the sand.
Though Reason will never be deep as Truth
They have joined their hands in the joy of youth,
And her eyes are as clear as they once were dim,
And she walks with him hand in hand.
The bride appeared at the back door, and Faithfulness struck up the wedding march. Reason came slowly up the flower-lined central path. Behind her came the flower girl Goodness and the ring bearer Kindness. As she came near to Grace and Truth, her grandfather joined her. In a few minutes, Conscience had given her away to Truth, rings had been exchanged, and Grace had married them.
Then Love and Faithfulness sang:
Come Faith, come Joy, Humility,
And dance the lowly ground
Where Reason and Truth are wed today
And the meaning of life is found.
Make merry with the mandolin
And ring their celebration in,
For our risen Lord has come to stay
And to please His ear with the sound.