"All her prospects blighted for ever.
Swears she never can love another."

At this my grandfather's eyes grew moist, and he coughed as if he had
swallowed some tobacco-smoke.

"And as for me, to have Juana at my lips, as it were, and yet not
mine--for she's as inflexible as if she'd been born a Mede or
Persian--to know that you are coming between me and happiness as
surely as if you were an inexorable father or a cruel guardian--worse,
indeed; for those might be evaded. Major, major, have you no
compassion!--two days of this will drive me crazy."

The Major changed his pipe from his right hand to his left, and,
stretching the former across the table, sympathetically pressed that
of the Ensign.

"Do, Major," quoth Garry, changing his flank movement for a direct
attack--"do consent to make yourself and me happy; do empower me to
negotiate for our all going to church to-morrow." (My grandfather gave
a little jump in his chair at this, as if he were sitting on a pin.)
"I'll manage it all, you shan't have the least trouble in the matter."

My grandfather spoke not.

"Silence gives consent," said the Ensign, rising. "Come, now, if you
don't forbid me, I'll depart on my embassy at once; you needn't speak,
I'll spare your blushes. I see this delay has only been from modesty,
or perhaps a little ruse on your part. Once, twice, thrice,--I go."
And he vanished.

The Major remained in his chair, in the same posture. His pipe was
smoked out, but he continued to suck absently at the empty tube. His
bewilderment and perturbation were so great that, though he sat up
till two in the morning, during which time he smoked eleven pipes, and
increased the two glasses of grog with which he was accustomed to
prepare for his pillow to four, he was still, when he went to bed,
as agitated as ever.

In this state of mind he went to the altar, for next day a double
ceremony was performed, making Owen happy with Juana, and giving
Carlota a husband and me a grandfather. The Major was more like a
proxy than a principal in the affair; for Owen, taking the entire
management upon himself, left him little more to do than to make the
necessary responses.

Carlota made a very good-tempered, quiet, inobtrusive helpmate, and
continued to be fond of her spouse even after he was a grey-headed
colonel. My grandfather, though credulous in most matters, could with
difficulty be brought to consider himself married. He would sometimes
seem to forget th