will go with you
anyway--and--and risk it. I hope we may find a priest," and she
flushed scarlet from her throat to her hair.

Brandon kissed her and said: "You shall go, my brave girl. You make me
blush for my faint-heartedness and prudence. I will make you my wife
in some way as sure as there is a God."

Soon after this Brandon forced himself to insist on her departure, and
I went with her, full of hope and completely blinded to the dangers of
our cherished scheme. I think Brandon never really lost sight of the
danger, and almost infinite proportion of chance against this wild,
reckless venture, but was daring enough to attempt it even in the face
of such clearly seen and deadly consequences.

What seems to be bravery, as in Mary's case, for example, is often but
a lack of perception of the real danger. True bravery is that which
dares a danger fully seeing it. A coward may face an unseen danger,
and his act may shine with the luster of genuine heroism. Mary was
brave, but it was the feminine bravery that did not see. Show her a
danger and she was womanly enough--that is, if you could make her see
it. Her wilfulness sometimes extended to her mental vision and she
would not see. In common with many others, she needed mental
spectacles at times.

_CHAPTER XV_

_To Make a Man of Her_

So it was all arranged, and I converted part of Mary's jewels into
money. She said she was sorry now she had not taken de Longueville's
diamonds, as they would have added to her treasure; I, however,
procured quite a large sum, to which I secretly added a goodly portion
out of my own store. At Mary's request I sent part to Bradhurst at
Bristol, and retained the rest for Brandon to take with him.

A favorable answer soon came from Bristol, giving the young nobleman a
separate room in consideration of the large purse he had sent.

The next step was to procure the gentleman's wardrobe for Mary. This
was a little troublesome at first, for, of course, she could not be
measured in the regular way. We managed to overcome this difficulty by
having Jane take the measurements under instructions received from the
tailor, which measurements, together with the cloth, I took to the
fractional little man who did my work.

He looked at the measurements with twinkling eyes, and remarked: "Sir
Edwin, that be the curiousest shaped man ever I see the measures of.
Sure it would make a mighty handsome woman, or I know nothing of human
dimens