Love Eternal

  So at last, on the twenty-fourth day of December of that fateful year1914, they were married in the Abbey Church. Isobel's uncle, the onewith whom she had stayed in Mexico, and who had retired now from theDiplomatic Service, gave her away, and a young cousin of hers was thesole bridesmaid, for the ceremony was of the sort called a "warwedding." Her dress, however, was splendid of its kind, some rich thingof flowing broidered silk with a veil of wondrous lace.

  Either from accident or by design, in general effect it much resembledthat of the Plantagenet lady which once she had copied from the brass.Perhaps, being dissatisfied with her former effort, she determined torecap it on a more splendid scale, or perhaps it was a chance. At anyrate, the veil raised in two points from her head, fell down like thatof the nameless lady, while from her elbows long narrow sleeves hungalmost to the ground. Beautiful Isobel never was, but in this garb,with happiness shining in her eyes, her tall, well-made form lookedimposing and even stately, an effect that was heightened by herdeliberate and dignified movements. The great church was crowded, forthe news of this wedding had spread far and wide, and its romanticcharacter attracted people both from the neighbouring villages and thelittle town.

  Set in the splendid surroundings of the old Abbey, through the paintedwindows of which gleamed the winter sun, Godfrey in his glitteringIndian uniform and orders, and his bride in her quaint, rich dress,made a striking pair at the altar rail. Indeed it is doubtful whethersince hundreds of years ago the old Crusader and his fair lady, whoseashes were beneath their feet, stood where they stood for this samepurpose of marriage, clad in coat of mail and gleaming silk, anobler-looking couple had been wed in that ancient fane.

  Oddly enough, with the strange inconsequence of the human mind,especially in moments of suppressed excitement, it was of this namelesslady and her lord that Godfrey kept thinking throughout the service,once more wondering who they were and what was their story. Heremembered too how the graves of that unknown pair had been connectedwith his fortunes and those of Isobel. Here it was that they plightedthe troth which now they were about to fulfil. Here it was that he hadbidden her farewell before he went to Switzerland. He could see her nowas she was then, tall and slender in her white robe, and the red ray ofsunshine gleaming like a splash of blood upon her breast. He glanced ather by his side as she turned towards him, and behold! there it shoneagain, splendid yet ominous.

  He shivered a little at the sight of it--he knew not why--and was gladwhen a dense black snow-cloud hid the face of the sun and killed it.

  It was over at last, and they were man and wife.

  "Do these words and vows and ceremonies make any difference to you?"she whispered as they walked side by side down the church, the observedof all observers. "They do not to me. I feel as though all the rites inthe world would be quite powerless and without meaning in face of thefact of our eternal unity."

  It was a queer little speech for her to make, with its thought andbalance; Godfrey often reflected afterwards, expressing as it did agreat truth so far as they were concerned, since no ceremonial, howeverhallowed, could increase their existing oneness or take away therefrom.At the moment, however, he scarcely understood it, and only smiled inreply.

  Then they went into the vestry and signed their names, and everythingwas over. Here Godfrey's former trustee, General Cubitte, grown veryold now, but as bustling and emphatic as of yore, who signed the bookas one of the witnesses, buttonholed him. At some length he explainedhow he had been to see an eminent swell at the War Office, a "dug-out"who was an old friend of his, and impressed upon him his, Godfrey's,extraordinary abilities as a soldier, pointing out that he ought atonce to be given command of a regiment, and how the eminent swell hadpromised that he would see to it forthwith. Oh! if he had only known,he would not have thanked him.

  At last they started for the motor-car, which was to drive them in pompthree hundred yards to the Hall. Some delay occurred. Another motor-carat the church gate would not start, and had to be drawn out of the way.Three or four of the nurses from the hospital and certain local ladiessurrounded Isobel, and burst into talk and congratulations, thusseparating her from Godfrey.

  Overhearing complimentary remarks about himself, he drew back a littlefrom the porch into the church which had now emptied. As he stood theresomeone tapped him on the shoulder. The touch disturbed him; it wasunpleasant to him and he turned impatiently to see from whom it came.There in front of him, bundled up in a rusty black cloak of which thehood covered the head, was a short fat woman. Her face was hidden, butfrom the cavernous recesses of the hood two piercing black eyes shonelike to those of a tiger in its den. After all those years Godfreyrecognised them at once; indeed subconsciously he had known who hadtouched him even before he turned. It was Madame Riennes.

  "Ah!" she said, in her hateful, remembered voice, "so my little Godfreywho has grown such a big Godfrey now--yes, big in every way, hadrecognition of his dear Godmamma, did he? Oh! do not deny it; I saw youjump with joy. Well, I knew what was happening--never mind how Iknew--and though I am so poor now, I travelled here to assist and givemy felicitations. Eleanor, too, she sends hers, though you guess ofwhat kind they are, for remember, as I told you long ago, speerits arejust as jealous as we women, because, you see, they were women beforethey were speerits."

  "Thank you," broke in Godfrey; "I am afraid I must be going."

  "Oh! yes. You are in a great hurry, for now you have got the plum, myGodfrey, have you not, and want to eat it? Well, I have a message foryou, suck it hard, for very, very soon you come to the stone, which youknow is sharp and cold with no taste, and must be thrown away. Oh!something make me say this too; I know not what. Perhaps that stonemust be planted, not thrown away; yes, I think it must be planted, andthat it will grow into the most beautiful of plum trees in anotherland."

  She threw back her hood, showing her enormous forehead and flabby,sunken face, which looked as though she had lived for years in acellar, and yet had about it an air of inspiration. "Yes," she went on,"I see that tree white with blossom. I see it bending with the goldenfruit--thousands upon thousands of fruits. Oh! Godfrey, it is the Treeof Life, and underneath it sit you and that lady who looks like aqueen, and whom you love so dear, and look into each other's eyes forever and for ever, because you see that tree immortal do not grow uponthe earth, my Godfrey."

  The horrible old woman made him afraid, especially did her last wordsmake him afraid, because he who was experienced in such matters knewthat she had come with no intention of uttering them, that they hadburst from her lips in a sudden semi-trance such as overtakes hersisterhood from time to time. He knew what that meant, that Death hadmarked them, and that they were called elsewhere, he or Isobel, or both.

  "I must be going," he repeated.

  "Yes, yes, you must be going--you who are going so far. The hungry fishmust go after the bait, must it not, and oh! the hook it does not see.But, my leetle big Godfrey, one moment. Your loving old Godmamma, shetumble on the evil day ever since that cursed old Pasteur"--here herpale face twisted and her eyes grew wicked--"let loose the law-dogs onme. I want money, my godson. Here is an address," and she thrust apiece of paper upon him.

  He threw it down and stamped on it. In his pocket was a leather casefull of bank-notes. He drew out a handful of them and held them to her.She snatched them as a hungry hawk snatches meat, with a fierce andcurious swiftness.

  Then at last he escaped, and in another minute, amidst the cheers ofthe crowd, was driving away at the side of the stately Isobel.

  At the Hall, where one of the wards had been cleared for the purpose,there was a little informal reception, at which for a while Godfreyfound himself officiating alone, since Isobel had disappeared withGeneral Cubitte and the brother officer who had acted as his best man.When at length they returned he asked her where she had been, rathersharply perhaps, for his nerves were on edge.

  "To see to some business with the lawyer," she answered.

  "What business, dear?" he inquired. "I thought
you settled all thatthis morning?"

  "It could not be settled this morning, Godfrey, because a will can onlybe signed after marriage."

  "Good gracious!" he exclaimed. "Give me a glass of champagne."

  An hour later they were motoring to London alone, at last alone, and tothis pair Heaven opened its seventh door.

  They dined in the private sitting-room of the suit which under theinspiration of Isobel he had taken at a London hotel, and then afterthe curious-eyed waiters had cleared the table, sat together in frontof the fire, hand in hand, but not talking very much. At length Isobelrose and they embraced each other.

  "I am going to bed now," she said; "but before you come, and perhaps weforget about such matters, I want you to kneel down with me and say aprayer."

  He obeyed as a child might, though wondering, for somehow he had neverconnected Isobel and Prayer in his mind. There they knelt in front ofthe fire, as reverently as though it burned upon an altar, and Isobelsaid her prayer aloud. It ran thus:

  "O Unknown God Whom always I have sought and Whom now I think that Ihave found, or am near to finding; O Power that sent me forth to tasteof Life and gather Knowledge, and Who at Thine own hour wilt call meback again, hear the prayer of Isobel and of Godfrey her lover. This iswhat they ask of Thee: that be their time together on the earth long orshort, it may endure for ever in the lives and lands beyond the earth.They ask also that all their sins, known and unknown, great or small,may be forgiven them, and that with Thy gifts they may do good, andthat if children come to them, they may be blessed in such fashion asThou seest well, and afterwards endure with them through all theexistences to be. O Giver of Life and Love Eternal, hear this, thesolemn marriage prayer of Godfrey and of Isobel."

  Then she rose and with one long look, left him, seeming to his eyes nomore a woman, as ten thousand women are, but a very Fire of spirituallove incarnate in a veil of flesh.