The women in the crowd smiled and nodded at each other, and Lord Hopton, catching sight of the radiant faces of the lovers, smiled too.
“Now what a happy thing it was,” he said, “that I chose to make a night march, and reached Canon Frome at dawn! Finding the Governor absent, I was minded to see for myself what pranks he was after, and arrived in the nick of time.”
“You were in time to save a life, my lord,” said the Vicar, “and now, an you will, may witness a wedding; we keep to the old custom here and wed at the church door.”
“I’ll not only witness it, but will give away the bride if that is agreeable to you, sir,” he said, glancing at Gabriel.
“My lord, the memory of your kindly dealing will long outlast the bitterness I have just passed through,” said Gabriel.
His face aglow with happiness, and still shining with that spiritual light which had arrested even Norton’s notice, touched the Royalist general.
“I very well know,” he said, laying a kindly hand on his shoulder, “that you were the first to show considerateness in the matter of Bosbury Cross, and till people of widely differing views act with the good sense and moderation shown by you and the Vicar, we shall never have true peace in England.”
He turned to offer his arm to Hilary, when she suddenly perceived Waghorn gravely watching them from a little distance. Running towards him, she took his hand gratefully in hers.
“I shall never forget, Waghorn, that you tried to save Captain Harford,” she said, warmly.
“Mistress,” said Waghorn, earnestly, and with a quiet manliness wholly unlike his former manner, “he was right. In spite of all, evil did not triumph.”