"I shall take possession of my lodgings at Oheton to-morrow," he said.
"I shall have to spend some little time there; but you must promise that I shall see you every evening, Leone. Will you find your way to the mill-wheel? When we are married, I shall try to buy the mill, the stream, and the land all round it; it will be a sacred spot to me. In three weeks, Leone, you will be my wife."
"Yes," she replied, "in three weeks."
The wind fell, the ripple of the green leaves ceased, the birds had sung themselves to sleep, only the water ran laughingly on.
"Lance," cried the girl, suddenly, "do you know what the water says--can you hear it?"
"No," he replied, with a laugh; "I have not such a vivid fancy as you.
What does it say?"
"Nothing but sorrow, nothing but sorrow," she chanted.
"I cannot hear that; if it says anything at all, it is nothing but love, nothing but love."
And then, as the shades of night were coming on, he saw her safely home.
That same evening Lord Chandos and Sir Frank Euston talked long together.
"Of course," said Sir Frank, "if you put me on my honor, I cannot speak, but I beg of you to stop and think."
Lord Chandos laughed; his handsome face was flushed and eager.
"The man who hesitates is lost," he said. "All the thinking in the world cannot alter matters, nor make me love my darling less."
"There is an old proverb I should like to recommend to you," said Sir Frank Euston; "it is this--a young man married is a young man marred."
"I am quite as willing to be marred as to be married," said the young lord, "and married I will be if all the powers on earth conspire against me."
"I know how useless all arguments are," said his friend, "when a man determines to be foolish; but do think for one moment of the terrible disappointment to your parents."
"I do not see it; they have no right to be disappointed; my father married to please himself, why should I not do the same?"
"You are outraging all the laws of your cla.s.s," said Sir Frank. "However beautiful a farmer"s niece may be, we cannot suppose even a miracle could fit her to take the place of the Countess of Lanswell."
A hot flush came over the young lord"s face; a strange quiet came into his voice.
"We will discuss what you like, Frank, but you must not touch the young lady"s name, we will leave that out of the question."
"You have asked me to be the witness of your marriage," said Sir Frank, "and that ent.i.tles me to speak my mind. I do speak it, frankly, honestly, plainly, as I should thank G.o.d for any friend to speak to a brother of my own if he felt inclined to make a simpleton of himself."
"I call myself a sensible man to marry for love, not a simpleton," said Lord Chandos grandly.
"My dear Lance," said his friend, "you make just this one mistake; you are not a man at all, you are a boy."
He stopped suddenly, for the young lord looked at him with a defiant, fierce face.
"You must not say that again, Frank, or we shall be friends no longer."
"I do not want to offend you, Lance; but you are really too young to think of marriage. Your tastes are not formed yet; that which pleases you now you will dislike in six or ten years" time. I a.s.sure you that if you marry this farmer"s niece now, in ten years" time you will repent it in sackcloth and ashes. She is not fit, either by manner, education, or anything else, to be your mother"s daughter, and you know it; you know that when the glamour of her beauty is over you will wonder at your own madness and folly. Be warned in time."
"You may as well reason with a madman as a man in love," said the young lordling, "and I am in love."
"And you are mad," said Sir Frank, quietly; "one day you will know how mad."
Lord Chandos laughed.
"There is method in my madness. Come, Frank, we have been such friends I would do anything you asked me."
"I should never ask you to do anything so foolish, Lance; I wish that I had not given my word of honor to keep your secret; I am quite sure that I ought to send word to the earl and countess at once; I cannot, as I have promised not to do so, but I regret it."
"My dear Frank, nothing in the world would stop me; if anything were done to prevent my marriage now, I would simply await another and more favorable opportunity; my mind is made up. I love the girl with all my heart, and she, no other, shall be my wife. If you refuse to act for me, well and good; I shall find some one else."
"If you would but be reasonable, Lance," said his friend.
"I am not reasonable. When did you ever see reason and love go hand in hand together?"
"They should do so always, and do, when the love is worth having."
"Now, Frank, I have listened patiently; I have heard all that you have had to say; I have weighed every argument, and I remain unconvinced. You have but to say whether you will do this to oblige me or not."
"If I do it, remember, it is under protest, Lance."
"Never mind what it is under, if you only promise."
"I promise, to save you from greater risk, but I do it against my will, my reason, my good sense, my conscience, and everything else."
Lord Chandos laughed aloud.
"You will forget everything of that kind," he said, "when you see Leone."
And the two friends parted, mutually dissatisfied.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE PROPHECY.
"A very impatient young man," said the good old vicar. "No man in his senses would want to be married before ten in the morning. I call it unchristian."
Good old Mr. Barnes had been roused from his early slumbers by the announcement that the young man had come to be married.
Married, while the early morning sun was shining, and the birds singing their morning hymn.
He was almost blind, this good old vicar, who had lived so long at Oheton. He was very deaf, and could hardly hear, but then he did not require very keen sight or hearing at Oheton; there was never more than one marriage in a year, and funerals were very rare; but to be called before nine in the morning to perform the marriage ceremony was something unheard of. He had duly announced the bans, and no one had taken the least notice of them; but to come so early, it was positively cruel.