showed myself.
"John!" she cried, yet with sense enough not to speak aloud; "oh, you
must be mad, John!"
"As mad as a March hare," said I, "without any news of my darling. You
knew I would come--of course you did."
* * * * *
A WEDDING AND A REVENGE
From 'Lorna Doone'
However humble I might be, no one knowing anything of our part of the
country would for a moment doubt that now here was a great to-do and
talk of John Ridd and his wedding. The fierce fight with the Doones so
lately, and my leading of the combat (though I fought not more than need
be), and the vanishing of Sir Counselor, and the galloping madness of
Carver, and the religious fear of the women that this last was gone to
hell,--for he himself had declared that his aim, while he cut through
the yeomanry,--also their remorse that he should have been made to go
thither, with all his children left behind--these things, I say (if ever
I can again contrive to say anything), had led to the broadest
excitement about my wedding of Lorna. We heard that people meant to come
from more than thirty miles around, upon excuse of seeing my stature and
Lorna's beauty, but in good truth out of sheer curiosity and the love
of meddling.
Our clerk had given notice that not a man should come inside the door of
his church without shilling fee, and women (as sure to see twice as
much) must every one pay two shillings. I thought this wrong; and as
churchwarden, begged that the money might be paid into mine own hands
when taken. But the clerk said that was against all law; and he had
orders from the parson to pay it to him without any delay. So, as I
always obey the parson when I care not much about a thing, I let them
have it their own way, though feeling inclined to believe sometimes that
I ought to have some of the money.
Dear mother arranged all the ins and outs of the way in which it was to
be done; and Annie and Lizzie, and all the Snowes, and even Ruth
Huckaback (who was there, after great persuasion), made such a sweeping
of dresses that I scarcely knew where to place my feet, and longed for a
staff to put by their gowns. Then Lorna came out of a pew half-way, in a
manner which quite astonished me, and took my left hand in her right,
and I prayed God that it were done with.
My darling looked so glorious that I was afraid of glancing at her, yet
took in all her beauty. She was in a fright, no doubt, but nobody should
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