"Oh that would be a lark!"
she said. Then her face fell. "But where amI to get a man's dress? There is not time if I am to be in Carlisleto-morrow morning."
"Be easy as to that, dear. A man's dress is on its way to you now bypost. It should be here by now. I am afraid you will have to take chanceas to its fit. It is of pretty thick cloth, however, so that it willlook all right."
"What sort of dress is it?"
"A servant's, a footman's. I thought it would probably avoid suspicioneasier than any other."
"That goes! Oh this is too thrilling;" she stopped suddenly and said:
"But how about Mrs. Jack?"
"She will go early this afternoon to Carlisle and put up at a littlehotel out of the way. I have got rooms in one close to the station. Atfirst I feared it would not be possible for her to be with us; but thenwhen I thought it over, I came to the conclusion that you might not careto let the matter come off at all unless she were present. And besidesyou would want her to be with you to-night when you are in a strangeplace." Again she asked after another pause of thought:
"But how am I to change my clothes? I can't be married as a footman; andI can't go to a strange hotel as one, and come out as a young lady."
"That is all thought out. When you leave here you will find me waitingfor you with a bicycle in the wood on the road to Ellon. You will haveto start about half past five. No one will notice that you are using alady's wheel. You will come to Whinnyfold where you will find a skirtand jacket and cap. They are the best I could get. We shall ride intoAberdeen as by that means we shall minimise the chance of being seen.There we will catch the eight train to Carlisle where we shall arriveabout a quarter to two. Mrs. Jack will be there ready for you and willhave the dress you will want to-morrow."
"Oh, poor dear won't she be flustered and mystified! How lucky it isthat she likes you, and is satisfied with you; otherwise I am afraid shewould never agree to such precipitancy. But hold on a minute! Won't itlook odd to our outside friends on the watch if a footman goes out anddoesn't return."
"You will return to-morrow late in the evening. Mrs. Jack will be homeby then; she must arrange to keep the servants busy in some distantpart of the house, so that you can come in unobserved. Besides, thedetectives have to divide their watches; the same men will not be onduty I take it. Anyhow, if they do not consider the outgoing of afootman as sufficiently important to follow him up they will not troublemuch about his incoming."
This all seemed feasible to Marjory; so we talked the matter over andarranged a hundred little details. These things she wrote down for Mrs.Jack's enlightenment, and to aid her memory when she would be alone tocarry out the plans as arranged.
Mrs. Jack was a little hard to convince; but at last she came round. Shepersisted to almost the end of our interview in saying that she couldnot understand the necessity for either the hurry or the mystery. Shewas only convinced when at last Marjory said:
"Do you want us to have all the Chicago worry over again, dear? Youapprove of my marrying Archie do you not? Well, I had such a sickener ofproposals and all about it, that if I can't marry this way now, I won'tmarry at all. My dear, I want to marry Archie; you know we love eachother."
"Ah, that I do, my dears!"
"Well then you must help us; and bear with all our secrecy for a bit;won't you dear?"
"That I will, my child!" she said wiping tears from the corners of hereyes.
So it was all settled.
CHAPTER XXVI
A WHOLE WEDDING DAY
Fortune favoured us admirably in our plans. Mrs. Jack, taking only herdressing bag and a few odd parcels, went by the afternoon train fromEllon to Aberdeen. In hearing of the household she regretted that shehad to go alone, as Miss Marjory was unable to leave her room. Aboutfive o'clock I was in the wood as appointed; and in about half an hourMarjory joined me in her footman's livery. I had a flannel coat in mybag which we exchanged for that which she wore and which we hid in thewood. We were thus less noticeable. We reached Whinnyfold a little aftersix, and Marjory went into the house and changed her dress which wasleft ready. She was not long; and we were soon flying on our road toAberdeen. We arrived a little before eight and caught the mail; arrivingat Carlisle at ten minutes to two o'clock. In the hotel we found Mrs.Jack anxiously awaiting us.
In the early morning we were ready; and at eight o'clock we all wenttogether to St. Hilda's Church, where the clergyman was waiting as hadbeen arranged. All formalities were gone through and Marjory and Iwere made one. She looked oh! so sweet in her plain white frock; andher manner was gentle and solemn. It all seemed to me like a dream ofinfinite happiness; from which every instant I feared I should wake, andfind in its stead some grim reality of pain, or terror, or unutterablecommonplace.
When we went back to breakfast at the hotel, we did not even go throughthe form of regarding it as in any way a wedding feast. Marjory and Ihad each our part to play, and we determined--I certainly did--to playit well. Mrs. Jack had been carefully coached by Marjory as to how sheshould behave; and though now and again she looked from one to the otherof us wistfully, she did not make any remark.
After a little shopping we got the 12:53 train, arriving at Aberdeen at6:20. Mrs. Jack was to go on by the 7 train to Ellon where the carriagewas to meet her. My wife and I got our bicycles and rode to Whinnyfoldby Newburgh and Kirkton so as to avoid observation. When she had changedher clothes in our own house, we started for Crom. In the wood shechanged her coat and left her bicycle.
Before we parted she gave me a kiss and a hug that made my blood tingle.
"You have been good" she said "and that is for my husband!" Once againshe held up that warning finger which I had come to know so well, andslipped away. She then went on alone to the Castle, whilst I waited innervous expectancy of hearing the whistle which she was to blow in caseof emergency. Then I rode home like a man in a dream.
I left my bicycle at the hotel, and after some supper walked bythe sands to Whinnyfold, stopping to linger at each spot which wasassociated with my wife. My wife! it was almost too much to think of; Icould hardly realise as yet that it was all real. As I sat on the SandCraigs I almost fancied I could see Marjory's figure once again on thelonely rock. It seemed so long ago, for so much had happened since then.
And yet it was but a few days, all told, since we had first met. Thingshad gone in a whirl indeed. There seemed to have been no pause; no roomfor a pause. And now I was married. Marjory was my wife; mine for goodor ill, till death did us part. Circumstances seemed to have driven usso close together that we seemed not new lovers, not bride and groom,but companions of a lifetime.
And yet.... There was Marjory in Crom, compassed round by unknowndangers, whilst I, her husband of a few hours, was away in anotherplace, unable even to gaze on her beauty or to hear her voice. Why, itwas not like a wedding day or a honeymoon at all. Other husbands insteadof parting with their wives were able to remain with them, free to comeand go as they pleased, and to love each other unfettered as they would.Why....