l not run away as unprofitable water, as is so
well said in the 'Book of the Wisdom.' But it appears to me, by what I
have learned, that this young lady had some questions to ask in my
presence. Well, Mistress Headstrong, if you will take my advice,
refrain. I am of Paul's faction. It is meet for a woman to be silent. I
say that without the least hope of having my advice attended to. Get ye
up from off that book, Saunders Duff, or I, that am a 'Magister Artium'
of the College of Edinburgh, will kick you into the salt tide, carefully
retaining the folio which is worth many scores of Saunders Duffs!"

Stair understood not one word of his speech. He even began to think he
had fallen among a collection of amiable lunatics, when Patsy turned
swiftly upon him and, without a quiver of the voice, with her eyes dark
and level upon his face, demanded point blank--

_"Will you, Stair Garland, take me, Patricia Ferris, for your wife?"_

The world spun round the astonished Stair. He clutched at the thing
which happened to be nearest. This chanced to be the arm of Godfrey
McCulloch, who seemed to wear a smile of diabolic sarcasm on his face.

"Steady there--stand up and say 'Yes' or 'No!' Will you or won't you?"

"I WILL!" cried Stair Garland, finding his voice in a manner that scared
the gulls on the cliff ledges, so wild and raucous it was.

_"Then I, Patricia Ferris, take you for my husband!"_

"Before God and these witnesses!" added the man with the ragged college
cloak: "to wit, before me, James Fraser, Magister Artium, minister of
this pairish, and of the unworthy Saunders Duff, session clerk of the
same. Saunders, ye were braw at the sittin' afore. Clatch doon noo, man,
and make your entry. Get all the names and surnames, while I collect the
fees. The business is, ecclesiastically speaking, a little irregular
(though perfectly legal), but that will doubtless be considered in the
matter of the marital dues. If I am duly satisfied as to these, I shall
know how to arrange with the Presbytery."

"Let me attend to this business," said Godfrey McCulloch, suddenly
alive, and forestalling Stair Garland. "Step this way, minister."

And while the session clerk, cross-legged like a Turk on the sand, made
his entries with much dipping of ink out of a tax-collector's bottle
swung from his breast pocket, weird screechings of goose-quill, and
dabbings of pounce box, the sound of confused argumentation came from
the other group.

"I