ten o'clock
Before noon the marriage took place , and an hour or two afterward they sat down to a well-furnished table , and the whole party were very merry , particularly as the Colonel , who was most unusually gay , insisted upon the Strawberry sitting at the table , which she had never done before . She acquitted herself , however , without embarrassment , and smiled when they laughed , although she could understand but little of what they said . Mr. Campbell opened two of his bottles of wine to celebrate the day , and they had a very happy party ; the only people who were discontented were three or four of the soldiers outside , who had wanted to marry the Strawberry themselves ; but the knowledge that the Colonel was there , effectually put a stop to any thing like annoyance or disturbance on their part . At sunset , the Colonel and officers departed for the fort , the family remained in the house till past ten o'clock , by which time all the soldiers had gone to bed . Mr. Campbell then read prayers , and offered up an additional one for the happiness of the newly-married couple , after which they all saluted the Strawberry and wished her good-night ; she was then led to the lodge by Martin , accompanied by Alfred , Henry , Malachi , Percival , and John , who all went home with them as a guard from any interruption on the part of the disappointed suitors . `` How cheerful and gay every thing looks now , '' observed Emma to Mary , a few mornings after the celebration of the marriage . `` One could hardly credit that in a few months all this animated landscape will be nothing but one dreary white mass of snow and ice , with no sounds meeting the ear but the howling of the storm and the howling of the wolves . ''