round one neighbour after another the re-united pair
were thrown into juxtaposition with Bob Heartall among the rest who had
been called in; one whose chronic expression was that he carried inside
him a joke on the point of bursting with its own vastness. He took
occasion now to let out a little of its quality, shaking his head at
Selina as he addressed her in an undertone--

'This is a bit of a topper to the bridegroom, ho ho! 'Twill teach en the
liberty you'll expect when you've married en!'

'What does he mean by a "topper,"' the sergeant-major asked, who, not
being of local extraction, despised the venerable local language, and
also seemed to suppose 'bridegroom' to be an anticipatory name for
himself. 'I only hope I shall never be worse treated than you've treated
me to-night!'

Selina looked frightened. 'He didn't mean you, dear,' she said as they
moved on. 'We thought perhaps you knew what had happened, owing to your
coming just at this time. Had you--heard anything about--what I
intended?'

'Not a breath--how should I--away up in Yorkshire? It was by the merest
accident that I came just at this date to make peace with you for my
delay.'

'I was engaged to be married to Mr. Bartholomew Miller. That's what it
is! I would have let 'ee know by letter, but there was no time, only
hearing from 'ee this afternoon . . . You won't desert me for it, will
you, John? Because, as you know, I quite supposed you dead, and--and--'
Her eyes were full of tears of trepidation, and he might have felt a sob
heaving within her.

IV

The soldier was silent during two or three double bars of the tune. 'When
were you to have been married to the said Mr. Bartholomew Miller?' he
inquired.

'Quite soon.'

'How soon?'

'Next week--O yes--just the same as it was with you and me. There's a
strange fate of interruption hanging over me, I sometimes think! He had
bought the licence, which I preferred so that it mightn't be like--ours.
But it made no difference to the fate of it.'

'Had bought the licence! The devil!'

'Don't be angry, dear John. I didn't know!'

'No, no, I'm not angry.'

'It was so kind of him, considering!'

'Yes . . . I see, of course, how natural your action was--never thinking
of seeing me any more! Is it the Mr. Miller who is in this dance?'

'Yes.'

Clark glanced round upon Bartholomew and was silent again, for some
little while, and she stole a look at him, to find that he see