“‘Friend,’ I then demanded, sternly, ‘are you a minister of Jesus Christ?’
“‘No,’ he muttered, with a vile oath.
“‘Then you were about to personate a bishop of the church and commit sacrilege. I will relieve you from both the mockery and the sin. I will myself perform this marriage ceremony.’
“‘But——’ he began, in an excited manner.
“‘You will please give me the names of the parties about to be united, and the correct ones,’ I interrupted, peremptorily.
“He gave them, and, lighting a taper, I inserted them in the blanks of the certificate with which I had provided myself before leaving home.
“‘Now you can go,’ I added, and pointed to the rear door, which led into the church-yard.
“He hesitated, and began to stammer something about some one being very angry at the turn affairs were taking.
“‘Enough!’ I cried, sternly. ‘Do not dare to interfere with me; you can quietly retire and leave things to take their course; or, since I now recognize you as one of the strangers visiting Rye for the summer, I will cause you to be arrested on the morrow for sacrilege, and having tampered with things belonging to the house of God. Hark!’ I added, as we heard steps entering the chapel; ‘they have come; choose quickly and go; or, if you fear to do that, acknowledge, in the presence of yonder couple, the fraud you were about to commit. I will not have so foul a wrong perpetrated; if a young and trusting maiden believes she is about to become a lawful wife, a wife she shall be; I will not allow her to be deceived.’
“A moment longer he hesitated, as if undecided which course to pursue, then, with a terrible imprecation upon me and the whole proceeding, he turned away and glided forth into the darkness, and I saw him no more.