"It is," I answered, looking at him.
He looked hard at me in return and exclaimed, "A mere provision against public curiosity, I presume? For surely you are not married?"
"I am not so sure of that," I answered; "but my story is not yet ended," and I then told him of the marriage service which had been performed by Captain Parsons on board the ship, Carthusian.
"Tut!" cried he, with a decided churchman-like shake of the head when I had made an end, "that's no marriage, man."
"I believe it is then," said I, "though, of course, until you unite us we do not consider ourselves man and wife."
"I should think not," he exclaimed with vehemence. "What! a plain master of a ship empowered to solemnise holy matrimony? Certainly not. No churchman would hear of such a thing."
"Ay, but it's not for the Church, it's the affair of the law. If the law says it's all right the Church is bound to regard it as right."
"Certainly not," he cried, and was proceeding, but I interrupted him by repeating that we had consented to be married by Captain Parsons in the forlorn hope that the contract might be binding.
"But without banns?—without licence?—without the consent of the young lady's guardians? No! no!" he cried, "you are not married. But it is highly desirable," he added, with a look at Grace, "that you should get married without delay. And so what do you propose to do?
"Well, time may be saved by your publishing the banns at once, Frank."