t does she
bring to the man she marries? Herself, everything she is, everything
she can be, to be made or marred by him, and never, never, never to be
the same to any other man whatsoever as long as life shall last."

More than ever now, but for other reasons, I wanted to fly from the
room.

"Friends," cried Father Dan, "we don't know much of the bridegroom in
this parish, but we know the bride. We've known her all her life. We
know what she is. I do, anyway. If you are her father, Mr. O'Neill, sir,
I am her father also. I was in this house when she was born. I baptized
her. I took her out of the arms of the angel who bore her. So she's my
child too, God bless her. . . ."

His voice was breaking--I was sobbing--though he was speaking so loudly
I could scarcely hear him--I could scarcely see him--I only knew that he
was facing about in our direction and raising his trembling hand to my
husband.

"She is my child, too, I say, and now that she is leaving us, now that
you are taking her away from us, I charge you, my lord, to be good and
faithful to her, as you will have to answer for her soul some day."

What else he said I do not know. From that moment I was blind and deaf
to everything. Nevertheless I was conscious that after Father Dan had
ceased to speak there was a painful silence. I thought the company
seemed to be startled and even a little annoyed by the emotion so
suddenly shot into their midst. The Bishop looked vexed, my father
looked uncomfortable, and my husband, who had been drinking glass after
glass of brandy, was muttering something about "a sermon."

It had been intended that Mr. Eastcliff should speak for the
bridesmaids, and I was afterwards told by Betsy Beauty that he had
prepared himself with many clever epigrams, but everybody felt there
could be no more speaking of any kind now. After a few awkward moments
my father looked at his watch and said it was about time for us to start
if we were to catch the steamer, so I was hurried upstairs to change for
our journey.

When I came down again, in my tailor-made travelling dress with sables,
the whole company was in the hall and everybody seemed to be talking at
the same time, making a noise like water in a weir.

I was taken possession of by each in turn. Nessy MacLeod told me in an
aside what an excellent father I had. Betsy Beauty whispered that Mr.
Eastcliff was so handsome and their tastes were so similar that she
hoped I would invite him to