heart when Mr. Clay made his astounding revelation.

"I don't suppose it really matters what our position is as long as
we love each other," she said unsteadily. "And so--and so you are
forgiven; but don't do it again."

"My dear, there are no more titles in our family that I know of,"
he answered, as he lifted her veil to kiss her; "so there is not
the remotest chance that you will ever have higher rank than a
countess's."

"I don't want to have higher rank than a countess's," she answered
soberly. "But I mean, don't keep things back in future, Jervis, or
I shall always be in fear. I want to know the bad as well as the
good!"

"Do you call it bad to find yourself a countess?" he asked, with an
air of mock horror.

"I find it difficult to get used to the idea," she said, with a
rather watery smile; for the greatness thrust upon her was by no
means to her mind.

Later on, when she came out with her husband to drink a cup of
coffee with the group under the trees, although she was the same
Katherine, quick to smile, and with a pleasant word for everyone,
there was already a difference, and she carried herself with an
added stateliness which caused Mrs. Jenkin to remark with a
sentimental air that greatness had eaten into her soul.

But it was Oily Dave who took the chief credit for the whole
business, and, having succeeded in cornering the bishop and Mr.
Clay, he proceeded to inform them of the manner in which he had
helped the match along. "If it hadn't been for me there wouldn't
have been no interesting occasion such as this here to-day," he
said, standing before them, the fishing boots planted wide apart,
the "top" hat carefully held in his left hand: for of course he
could not have his head covered in presence of a bishop; moreover,
the hat, being too big for him, had a trick of coming down over his
face like an extinguisher.

"Pray, what was it that you did to help the business forward?"
asked the bishop, with a twinkle in his eye, whilst Mr. Clay's
stiff black hair nearly curled with horror at the thought of a
low-class person like Oily Dave having anything to do with making
the marriage of his client, the Earl of Compton.

"I gave the girl, I mean her ladyship, the chance to save the young
man's life, and that, I take it, was the starting-point of the
whole affair."

"Without doubt it helped the process," replied the bishop with a
laugh; and then Mr. Selincourt intervened by saying it was time for