“No; Nettie told me that Society had put off all the forthcoming weddings until this freak of nature had passed—how silly of Society! I do not wish to wait, for the very good reason that I believe this state of affairs will continue.”
“And I hope it may last for ever, for I owe to it your love, Gwen. Let us dispense with the public function.”
“Then no wedding?”
“No, at least, no bridesmaids, no wedding cake, no invitations above all.”
“No.” Gwen absently gazed in front of her, murmuring softly, “My uncle, the Bishop of Warren, would officiate at our small chapel at Harewood, and father would give me away. It would be very strange. No stole, no Bishop’s sleeves, none of the canonical vestments that form part of the religious rites. All this had not struck me, so engrossed was I with our own appearance; but when once you knock down part of the ceremony, the other must inevitably disappear in the downfall; and in the total destruction of outward signs, it seems as if the principle of religion had also received a fatal blow.”
“Then no wedding march, no benediction?”
“No, Lionel. Do not the triumphant chords vibrate more sonorously in our two exultant hearts, than in any organ?” and she lifted her beautiful eyes high above the tops of the trees. Lionel bent his head, and touched her softly-luxuriant hair with his lips.
Nettie, who at a distance caught sight of his movement, could not help smiling and thinking that the British race was becoming less self-conscious.
“Gwen,” murmured her lover, “listen to the two linnets on that branch. Have they invited their friends and relations to come and witness their betrothal? Happiness is timorous, and shuns the world. Those who truly love, fly from the crowd, to murmur their loving vows uninterrupted by comments and gossip.”
“My Lion, you have put into words what my heart has felt for days. Surely marriage is an action which only concerns those who are interested. Besides, the social laws of morality which governed our old world cannot any longer apply to our own. Let us return to Nettie; she is sure to furnish us with useful suggestions for carrying out our plan.” They turned back, and very soon were met by Nettie and Eva; the former, with her sprightly physiognomy, brought their wandering minds back to practical life and to bare facts.