"No—not now," he assured her with a confidence he by no means felt.
He was beginning to realize the tremendous difficulties to be overcome. It bothered him to scheme a way to bring about the marriage without attracting an appalling amount of gratuitous publicity, in a community as staid and sober as this. He who would marry secretly should not select a half-grown New England city for his enterprise....
However, one rarely finds any really insuperable obstacles in the way of an especially wrong-headed project.
Whitaker, taking his heart and his fate in his hands, accosted a venerable gentleman whom they encountered as he was on the point of turning off the sidewalk to private grounds.
"I beg your pardon," he began.
The man paused and turned upon them a saintly countenance framed in hair like snow.
"There is something I can do for you?" he inquired with punctilious courtesy.
"If you will be kind enough to direct me to a minister...."
"I am one."
"I thought so," said Whitaker. "We wish to get married."