made his declaration, fired up and
cried: 'I declare before Heaven that till this moment I never knew she
was a wife! I found her in her father's house an unhappy girl--unhappy,
as I believe, because of the loneliness and dreariness of that
establishment, and the want of society, and for nothing else whatever.
What this statement about her being your wife means I am quite at a loss
to understand. Are you indeed married to him, Laura?'

Laura nodded from within her tearful handkerchief. 'It was because of my
anomalous position in being privately married to him,' she sobbed, 'that
I was unhappy at home--and--and I didn't like him so well as I did at
first--and I wished I could get out of the mess I was in! And then I saw
you a few times, and when you said, "We'll run off," I thought I saw a
way out of it all, and then I agreed to come with you--oo-oo!'

'Well! well! well! And is this true?' murmured the bewildered old
nobleman, staring from James to Laura, and from Laura to James, as if he
fancied they might be figments of the imagination. 'Is this, then,
James, the secret of your kindness to your old uncle in helping him to
find his daughter? Good Heavens! What further depths of duplicity are
there left for a man to learn!'

'I have married her, Uncle Quantock, as I said,' answered James coolly.
'The deed is done, and can't be undone by talking here.'

'Where were you married?'

'At St. Mary's, Toneborough.'

'When?'

'On the 29th of September, during the time she was visiting there.'

'Who married you?'

'I don't know. One of the curates--we were quite strangers to the place.
So, instead of my assisting you to recover her, you may as well assist
me.'

'Never! never!' said Lord Quantock. 'Madam, and sir, I beg to tell you
that I wash my hands of the whole affair! If you are man and wife, as it
seems you are, get reconciled as best you may. I have no more to say or
do with either of you. I leave you, Laura, in the hands of your husband,
and much joy may you bring him; though the situation, I own, is not
encouraging.'

Saying this, the indignant speaker pushed back his chair against the
table with such force that the candlesticks rocked on their bases, and
left the room.

Laura's wet eyes roved from one of the young men to the other, who now
stood glaring face to face, and, being much frightened at their aspect,
slipped out of the room after her father. Him, however, she could hear
going out