l!"

And he wrung Hawbury's hand as though all his soul was in that grasp.

But all this could not satisfy the impatience of the Baron. This was
all very well in its way, merely as an episode; but he was waiting for
the chief incident of the piece, and the chief incident was delaying
very unaccountably.

So he strode up and down, and he fretted and he fumed and he chafed,
and the trumpeter kept blowing away.

Until at last--

Just before his eyes--

Up there on the top of the bank, not far from where Dacres and Mrs.
Willoughby had made their appearance, the Baron caught sight of a
tall, lank, slim figure, clothed in rusty black, whose thin and
leathery face, rising above a white neck-tie, peered solemnly yet
interrogatively through the bushes; while just behind him the Baron
caught a glimpse of the flutter of a woman's dress.

[Illustration:
"HE GAVE A LOUD CRY OF JOY, AND THEN SPRANG UP THE BANK."]

He gave a loud cry of joy, and then sprang up the bank.

* * * * * *

But over that meeting I think we had better draw a veil.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

ASTONISHING WAY OF CONCLUDING AN ADVENTURE.

The meeting between the Baron and Minnie gave a new shock to poor Mrs.
Willoughby, who looked with a helpless expression, and walked away for
a little distance. Dacres and Hawbury were still eagerly conversing
and questioning one another about their adventures. Tozer also had
descended and joined himself to the priest; and each of these groups
had leisure for a prolonged conversation before they were interrupted.
At length Minnie made her appearance, and flung herself into her
sister's arms, while at the same time the Baron grasped Tozer by both
hands, and called out, in a voice loud enough to be heard by all,

"You shall marry us, parson--and this very day, by thunder!"

These words came to Mrs. Willoughby's ears in the midst of her first
joy at meeting her sister, and shocked her inexpressibly.

"What's that, Minnie darling?" she asked, anxiously. "What is it? Did
you hear what that dreadful--what the--the Baron said?"

Minnie looked sweetly conscious, but said nothing.

"What _does_ he mean?" asked her sister again.

"I suppose he means what he says," replied Minnie, with a timid air,
stealing a shy look at the Baron.

"Oh dear!" said Mrs. Willoughby; "there's another dreadful trouble, I
know. It's very, very hard--"

"Well, I'm sure," said Minnie, "I can't help it. They all do so. Th