CHAPTER V.
"CAN YOU PERFORM THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY AT ONCE, REVEREND SIR?"
It was the hour of eleven by the village clock. Eleven sounded from theold clock on the mantel. The fire burned low in the grate of Rev. Dr.Warner's study. The air was growing chill in the room. Still, the oldpastor, who had looked after the village flock for nearly half acentury, heeded neither the time nor the chill, he was so intent uponthe sermon he was writing for the morrow.
He had scarcely concluded the last line ere he heard a well-known tapupon the door.
He smiled as he arose from his chair, crossed the room and flung openthe door.
He knew well whom he should find standing there, old Adam, the villagesexton and grave digger, who always stopped when he saw a light in thestudy window.
"Come in, Adam," said the reverend gentleman; "come up to the fire andwarm yourself; it's a wild night to be about. Has any one sent you herefor me?"
"No, parson," replied Adam, hobbling in. "There's no call for you to beout on this terrible night, thank Heaven. It's quite by chance that Ileft my own fireside myself. I had an errand at the other end of thevillage. The weather caught me returning--a regular blizzard--and I havebeen floundering about in the drifting snow for hours. I thought I hadlost my way until I saw the light in the window, and--"
But the rest of the sentence was never finished, for at that moment bothmen heard distinctly the sound of carriage wheels without, accompaniedby the loud neighing of horses.
Before they could express their wonderment there was a loud peal at thefront door bell.
The reverend gentleman answered the summons in person.
Before him stood three persons, two men and a woman, a slender figurewearing a long dark cloak, and whose face was covered by a thick veil.
Both men had their coat collars turned up and their hats pulled low overtheir faces to protect them from the stinging cold.
"You are the Rev. Dr. Warner?" queried one of the gentlemen. Theminister bowed in the affirmative, hurriedly bidding his guests toenter.
"You will pardon our errand," exclaimed the stranger who had alreadyspoken, "but we are here to enlist your services. Can you perform awedding ceremony in the old chapel across the way? Our time is limited.We are in all haste to catch a train, and wish the marriage to takeplace with the least possible delay."
"Certainly, certainly, sir," returned the good man. "I am always pleasedto join two souls in holy matrimony. Step in; the lady must bethoroughly chilled. This is a dreadful night."
"We prefer to make our way directly over to the chapel," remarked theman who had spoken up to this point. "The lady is warm, having but justleft the carriage, a few steps beyond."
"As you will," responded the pastor. Turning to the old sexton, he said,quietly: "Will you step over to the church, Adam, brush the snow fromthe steps and light the lamps about the altar?"
Adam hastened to carry out his commands. He had scarcely completed histask when the bridal party entered, preceded by the pastor.
Adam watched them curiously as they filed down the aisle, both men stillsupporting the slender figure quite until the altar was reached.
The Rev. Dr. Warner, shivering with the severe cold of the place, pickedup his book quickly.
"Which is the bridegroom?" he asked, looking from one muffled figure tothe other. The man toward the left of the girl dropped back a pace ortwo, silently waving his hand toward his friend.
The old minister had never heard the names of the contracting partiesbefore, and the idle thought for an instant found lodgment in his mindwhether or no they could be fictitious. Then he blamed himself roundlyfor his momentary suspicion, and went on hurriedly with the ceremony.
The man answered in a low, guarded voice. There was a tone in it whichsomehow jarred on the good minister's sensitive nerves. The girl's voicewas pitifully fluttering, almost hysterical.
But that was not an uncommon occurrence. Few brides are calm andself-possessed.
"You will please lift your veil for the final benediction," said theaged pastor, pausing, book in hand, and gazing at the slim, silent,dark-robed figure, who had made her responses faintly, gaspingly, almostinaudibly. Again it was the stranger to the left who complied with hisrequest, but for one instant both the clergyman and the old sextoncaught sight of a face white as death, yet beautiful as an angel's,framed in a mass of dead-gold hair; but the flickering of the lampscaused strange shadows to flit over it. There was a moment of uttersilence, broken only by the howling of the wind outside.
Then slowly the minister's voice broke the terrible silence by utteringthe words: "Then I pronounce you man and wife, and whom God hath joinedtogether let no man put asunder."
As the last word echoed through the dim old church the cold steel of arevolver, which had been pressed steadily to the girl's throbbing heartby the hand of the bridegroom, concealed by her long cloak, was quicklywithdrawn.
"My wedded wife!" murmured the man, and in his voice there was a tone ofmocking triumph. The girl swooned in his arms, but, turning quickly withher, he hurried forward into the dense shadows of the church, carryingher to the coach in waiting without attracting attention.
He could scarcely restrain himself from shouting aloud, so exuberantwere his spirits.
"Rave. Do whatever you like. You cannot change matters now. I am yourhusband, ay, the husband of a girl worth a million of money. When we areout of hearing of the old parson I will give three rousing cheers tocelebrate the occasion and give vent to my triumph--ay, three cheers anda tiger with a will and a vengeance."
The appearance of his friend, who had remained behind to adjust thelittle matters that needed attention, put a stop to his hilarity for themoment.
"Well, what's next on the programme? What do you suggest now, Halloran?"he exclaimed, as that individual sprang into the coach and took his seatwith chattering teeth.
"I propose that you drive to the nearest inn or hostelry, or whateverthey choose to call it hereabouts. I understand there is one some fivemiles from here, and, indeed, the horses won't last much longer thanthat."
"I'm governed by your advice," replied his companion, with a hilariouslaugh. "Give the order to get to the hostelry as soon as the driver canmake it. Anything will suit me. I'm not proud, even if I have made acool million in an hour's time. Ha! ha! ha!"
"Are you mad?" whispered his companion, giving him a violent nudge.
"Bah! You needn't fear that she will hear what I'm saying. The punylittle dear has swooned again. Didn't you notice that I had to fairlycarry her from the altar?"
"These dainty little heiresses have to be handled with kid gloves,"remarked Halloran. "Fainting when anything goes wrong seems to be theirespecial weakness."
"She will soon find out that I will not tolerate that kind of thing!"exclaimed Armstrong, as he insisted upon being called from that momentout.
"Be easy with her. Don't show your hand or your temper until you gethold of the money," warned Halloran. "Remember you are playing for agreat stake, and the surest way of winning is by keeping the girl inlove with you."
"She is mine now. I am her lord and master. I shall not bother makinglove to the milk-and-water, sentimental creature, as the other oneprobably did. She isn't my style, and I have little patience with her.There was a decided feeling of antagonism between us from the start, andthen my forcing her to go through the ceremony at the point of a coldsteel weapon will not have the effect of endearing me to her ladyship.She is sure to hate me, but that won't bother me a snap of my finger."
"Don't get independent too soon," remarked Halloran. "Pride always goethbefore a fall, you know. You haven't the money in your hands yet. Don'tlose sight of that important fact, my dear boy."
They talked on for half an hour or more; then suddenly the driver drewrein.
"This is the country tavern, and my horses cannot go any further; theyare dead lame and played out," he announced.