"Brave girl!" cried Sinclair, his relief coming out in almost a shout.
"You stopped there at the last minute?"
"Ah, if I had! No, I didn't stop. I went on to the altar and met him there, and—"
"You weren't married to him?"
"I was!"
"Go on," Sinclair said huskily.
"The end of it came somehow. I found a flood of people calling to me and pressing around me, and all the time I was thinking of nothing but the new ring on my finger and the weight—the horrible weight of it!
"We went back to my father's house. I managed to get away from all the merrymaking and go to my room. The minute the door closed behind me and shut away their voices and singing into the distance, I felt that I had saved one last minute of freedom. I went to the window and looked out at the mountains. The stars were coming out.
"All at once my knees gave way, and I began to weep on the window sill. I heard voices coming, and I knew that I mustn't let them see me with the tears running down my face. But the tears wouldn't stop coming.
"I ran to the door and locked it. Then someone tried to open the door, and I heard the voice of my Aunt Jane calling. I gathered all my nerve and made my voice steady. I told her that I couldn't let anyone in, that I was preparing a surprise for them.
"'Are you happy, dear?' asked Aunt Jane.