noon
The flood of soft lamplight from the open hall door threw the portly figure of the rector into full relief , and , touching Lois 's head , as she sat in the shadow at the foot of the steps , with a faint aureole , fell in a broad bright square on the lawn in front of the house . They had begun to speak again of the wedding , when the click of the gate latch and the swinging glimmer of a lantern through the lilacs and syringas warned them that some one was coming , and in another moment the Misses Woodhouse and their nephew stepped across the square of light . Miss Deborah and Miss Ruth were quite unconscious that they gave the impression of carrying Gifford about with them , rather than of being supported by him , for each little lady had passed a determined arm through one of his , and instead of letting her small hand , incased in its black silk mitt , rest upon his sleeve , pressed it firmly to her breast . Ashurst was a place where friendships grew in simplicity as well as strength with the years , and because these three people had been most of the morning at the rectory , arranging flowers , or moving furniture about , or helping with some dainty cooking , and then had gone to the church at noon for the wedding , they saw no reason why they should not come again in the evening . So the sisters had put on their second-best black silks , and , summoning Gifford , had walked through the twilight to the rectory . Miss Deborah Woodhouse had a genius for economy , which gave her great pleasure and involved but slight extra expense to the household , and she would have felt it a shocking extravagance to have kept on the dress she had worn to the wedding . Miss Ruth , who was an artist , the sisters said , and fond of pretty things , reluctantly followed her example .