When the words were uttered, Garth lifted the hand he held, and reverently kissed it.
This was not in the rubric, and proved disconcerting to the clergyman.He threw up his head suddenly, and inquired: "Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?" And as, for the moment, there was no response, he repeated, the question wildly; gazing into distant corners of the church.
Then the duchess, who up to that time had been feeling a little bored, realised that her moment had come, and rejoiced.She sailed out of her pew, and advanced to the chancel step."My dear good man," she said; "_I_ give my niece away; having come north at considerable inconvenience for that express purpose.Now, go on.
What do we do next?"
Dr.Rob broke into an uncontrollable chuckle.The duchess lifted her lorgnette, and surveyed him.Margery searched her prayer-book in vain for the duchess's response.It did not appear to be there.
Flower looked in distressed appeal at the doctor.But the doctor was studying, with grave intentness, a stencilled pattern on the chancel roof; and paid no attention to Flower's nudge.
The only people completely unconscious of anything unusual in the order of proceedings appeared to be the bride and bridegroom.They were taking each other "in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation." They were altogether absorbed in each other, standing together in the sight of God; and the deportment of "this congregation" was a matter they scarcely noticed."People always behave grotesquely at weddings," Jane had said to Garth, beforehand;"and ours will be no exception to the general rule.But we can close our eyes, and stand together in Sightless Land; and Deryck will take care it is valid.""Not in Sightless Land, my beloved," said Garth; "but in the Land where they need no candle neither light of the sun.However, and wherever, I take YOU as my wife, I shall be standing on the summit of God's heaven."So they stood; and in their calmness the church hushed to silence.
The service proceeded; and the minister, who had not known how to keep them from clasping hands when the rubric did not require it, found no difficulty in inducing them to do so again.
So they took each other--these two, who were so deeply each other's already--solemnly, reverently, tenderly, in the sight of God, they took each other, according to God's holy ordinance; and the wedding ring, type of that eternal love which has neither beginning nor ending, passed from Garth's pocket, over the Holy Book, on to Jane's finger.
When it was over, she took his arm; and leaning upon it, so that he could feel she leaned, guided him to the vestry.
Afterwards, in the brougham, for those few precious minutes, when husband and wife find themselves alone for the first time, Garth turned to Jane with an eager naturalness, which thrilled her heart as no studied speech could have done.He did not say: "My wife."That unique moment had been theirs, three years before.
"Dearest," he said, "how soon will they all go? How soon shall we be quite alone? Oh, why couldn't they drive to the station from the church?"Jane looked at her watch."Because we must lunch them, dear," she said."Think how good they have all been.And we could not start our married life by being inhospitable.It is just one o'clock; and we ordered luncheon at half-past.Their train leaves the station at half-past four.In three hours, Garth, we shall be alone.""Shall I be able to behave nicely for three hours?" exclaimed Garth, boyishly.
"You must," said Jane, "or I shall fetch Nurse Rosemary.""Oh hush!" he said."All that is too precious, to-day, for chaff.
Jane"--he turned suddenly, and laid his hand on hers--"Jane! Do you understand that you are now--actually--my wife?"Jane took his hand, and held it against her heart, just where she so often had pressed her own, when she feared he would hear it throbbing.
"My darling," she said, "I do not understand it.But I know--ah, thank God!--I know it to be true."
