Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-09-19

sword.
molly, since we are to be married,
we must be married at once"
II ain your lordships servant"
"As soon as possible. Are you
ready?'
Ready? suppose could be ready
In a month or six weeks"
why, what Is there to doT'
II have to get things-dresses, house
linen, all kinds of things"
my dear, you are not going to marry
a cit. Everything that you want you
cnn buy. There are plenty of shops.
You want nothing but what you have
your wardrobe, your fine things and
your common things and your jewels.
You must not forget your Jewels"
81 thought that brides were always
provided with things for the house,
but If your lordship has already the
linen and the napery"-
Good gracious How should I know
what ! have? The thing is that you
will need nothing"
"Where will you take me?"
II think, first of all. to my house in
Worcestershire. 1t is not fully fur
nished. The late possessor my cousin,
whom I succeeded. was, unfortunately,
gambler. He had to cut down his
woods and TO sell them. He even had
to sell his furniture and pictures. But
can soon put the house in order At
o., = Ia l., o
and not his predecessor who had sold
these things. IF it Is not SO fine ut
first as you would wish. we can soon
make it worthy of you"
| have often wondered what he in
tended to do with his bride If things
had gone differently. l am now Of
opinion that he intended to take her to
this great country house, which, as
have understood stands in secluded
part of the country, with no near neigh
bors and no town within reach, and
that he intended to leave her there
while he himself went up to London
to resume the old gaming and raking
which he desired so much, although
they had been his ruin. Fate, however,
prevented this design.
"lf you desire my happiness, my
lord
What else Is there in the world that
l should dcslre?"
you will take me to that country
place and live there I fear the world
of fashion, and l have no wish to live
in London. have learned from the
Lady Anastasia how the great ladies
pass their time"
Everything shall be as you wish,
MOlly-cveryt thing, believe me-"
He then, by way Of illustrating this
assurance, proposed a thing which he
himself wished
1--WE must be married Immediately,
Molly. because | am called away by
affairs Of importance to Gloucester
shire. I ought to leave this place not
later than Saturday" The day was
Thursday.
Saturday? We must be married on
SaturdayT
Sooner than Saturday. Tomorrow.
That will give us time enough to make
what little preparations may be neces-
sary."
Tomorrow! But we cannot be mar
ried so soon
Everything is prepared. have the
license. We can be married tomorrow. :"
"Oh" 1t was all she could say.
There is another thing. Your guard
ian would like to make public cere-
mony OF the wedding. He would hang
the town with flags and ring the bells
and summon the band of the marrow
bones and cleavers, while all the world
looked on
Yes. He is so proud Of the marriage
that he would like to celebrate it,"
And you, Molly"
81 should like to be married with no
one to look on and no one to know
anything about it until it was over"
why, then, Molly then we are
agreed was in great fear that you
would not think with me. My dear, if
there is one thing which | abhor it is
the public ceremony and the private
fcasting and mcrriment with which a
wedding is accompanied. We do not
want the town to be all agog. We do
not want to set all tongues wagging,
nor do we want TO be show with a
grand triumphal march and a feast to
last three days afterward.
can we be private, them
''Certainly, | can arrange every
thing Now, Molly, my plan is this:
We will he married privately In St.