d the blessing.

"Ego conjungo vos in matrimonium, in nomine Patris et Filii, et Spiritus
Sancti, Amen."

The ring having been blessed before them, Stephen placed it on
Marjorie's finger saying the prescribed words, after which they awaited
the prayers of the priest. Father Farmer turned to the altar and at
once began the Nuptial Mass, according to the ceremony of the Catholic
Church, and pronounced over them the Nuptial Blessing.

This made an end of the marriage ceremony.

It would be difficult to describe the feelings of Marjorie as she turned
from the sanctuary and made her way down the aisle of the little church.
Her hand lay on Stephen's arm, but it seemed to her as if she were
hanging from it. She was happy; that, of course. But she thought, too,
that she was extremely nervous, and the more she thought over herself,
the more she felt that she appeared extremely self-conscious.

The church was quite filled with friends, yet she dared not look up to
measure its capacity, but guarded her eyes with the strictest custody.
The organ was playing an appropriate march which she tried to follow in
her mind in order that she might thereby absorb the greater part of her
attention. Stephen was with her, for she could feel him, although she
was quite certain that she never laid an eye on him during the whole
time. Her people were there, so were her many friends and acquaintances,
and Stephen's relatives and friends as well, but these, too, were absent
as far as her concentration of mind was concerned. Only one thought was
uppermost in her mind and that was to leave the church as soon as
possible, for she felt that every eye was focused upon her.

It had been intended that the affair should be charmingly simple, both
on account of the sad and melancholy days through which the country was
passing and the natural tendencies of the parties concerned to avoid all
semblance of display. Their names had been published at three public
masses; the Catholic Church required that. They had been married by
Father Farmer with a nuptial high mass. The wedding breakfast would be
served at the home of the bride. But the number of invited guests would
be limited strictly to the members of the family and one or two intimate
friends so as to include Jim Cadwalader and Sergeant Griffin.
Furthermore there would be no honeymoon on account of the uncertainty
which invariably had defined the duration of Stephen's stay in the city.

It was only