blessing which cheered Septimus all the
way to the Ravenswood Hotel.

CHAPTER XI

"Good heavens, mother, they're married!" cried Zora, staring at a telegram
she had just received.

Mrs. Oldrieve woke with a start from her after-luncheon nap.

"Who, dear?"

"Why, Emmy and Septimus Dix. Read it."

Mrs. Oldrieve put on her glasses with faltering fingers, and read aloud the
words as if they had been in a foreign language: "Septimus and I were
married this morning at the Chelsea Registrar's. We start for Paris by the
2.30. Will let you know our plans. Love to mother from us both. Emmy."

"What does this mean, dear?"

"It means, my dear mother, that they're married," said Zora; "but why they
should have thought it necessary to run away to do it in this
hole-and-corner fashion I can't imagine."

"It's very terrible," said Mrs. Oldrieve.

"It's worse than terrible. It's idiotic," said Zora.

She was mystified, and being a woman who hated mystification, was angry.
Her mother began to cry. It was a disgraceful thing; before a registrar,
too.

"As soon as I let her go on the stage, I knew something dreadful would
happen to her," she wailed. "Of course Mr. Dix is foolish and eccentric,
but I never thought he could do anything so irregular."

"I have no patience with him!" cried Zora. "I told him only a short while
ago that both of us would be delighted if he married Emmy."

"They must come back, dear, and be married properly. Do make them," urged
Mrs. Oldrieve. "The Vicar will be so shocked and hurt--and what Cousin Jane
will say when she hears of it--"

She raised her mittened hands and let them fall into her lap. The awfulness
of Cousin Jane's indignation transcended the poor lady's powers of
description. Zora dismissed the Vicar and Cousin Jane as persons of no
account. The silly pair were legally married, and she would see that there
was a proper notice put in _The Times_. As for bringing them back--she
looked at the clock.

"They are on their way now to Folkestone."

"It wouldn't be any good telegraphing them to come back and be properly
married in church?"

"Not the slightest," said Zora; "but I'll do it if you like."

So the telegram was dispatched to "Septimus Dix, Boulogne Boat,
Folkestone," and Mrs. Oldrieve took a brighter view of the situation.

"We have done what we can, at any rate," she said by way of
self-consolation.

Now it so happened that Emmy, like many another person at thei