ch a contract would never be a marriage in my
eyes: and what would become of an union the Church had not blessed?"

"Madame," said Picard, "the Church can bless it still; but it is only
the mayor here that can DO it."

All this time Josephine was blushing scarlet, and looking this way
and that, with a sort of instinctive desire to fly and hide, no matter
where, for a week or so.

"Haw! haw! haw!" roared Raynal; "here is a pretty mother. Wants her
daughter to be unlawfully married in a church, instead of lawfully in a
house. Give me the will!"

"Look here, mother-in-law: I have left Beaurepaire to my lawful wife."

"Otherwise," put in Picard, "in case of death, it would pass to his
heir-at-law."

"And HE would turn you all out, and that does not suit me. Now there
stands the only man who can make mademoiselle my LAWFUL wife. So quick
march, monsieur the mayor, for time and Bonaparte wait for no man."

"Stay a minute, young people," said the mayor. "We should soothe
respectable prejudices, not crush them. Madam, I am at least as old as
you, and have seen many changes. I perfectly understand your feelings."

"Ah, monsieur! oh!"

"Calm yourself, dear madam; the case is not so bad as you think. It is
perfectly true that in republican France the civil magistrate alone can
bind French citizens in lawful wedlock. But this does not annihilate the
religious ceremony. You can ask the Church's blessing on my work; and be
assured you are not the only one who retains that natural prejudice. Out
of every ten couples that I marry, four or five go to church afterwards
and perform the ancient ceremonies. And they do well. For there before
the altar the priest tells them what it is not my business to dilate
upon--the grave moral and religious duties they have undertaken along
with this civil contract. The state binds, but the Church still blesses,
and piously assents to that"--

"From which she has no power to dissent."

"Monsieur Picard, do you consider it polite to interrupt the chief
magistrate of the place while he is explaining the law to a citizen?"

(This closed Picard.)

"I married a daughter last year," continued the worthy mayor.

"What, after this fashion?"

"I married her myself, as I will marry yours, if you will trust me with
her. And after I have made them one, there is nothing to prevent them
adjourning to the church."

"I beg your pardon," cried Raynal, "there are two things to prevent it:
a couple tha