I ask you, ye Marriage Registrars, and Couplebeggars, who by the stroke of a pen, make a spinster and bachelor a man and wife-I ask you, was it a marriage?

"Well I should say not, as the legal forms were not strictly adhered to."

I expected no other answer from you.

I ask you, modest maidens, who turn pale at the sight of white gloves, and blush while you weave a garland of roses to adorn the bride's fair brow, was it a marriage?

Ye are silent, ye lovely bridesmaids.

I ask you, pious and decorous matrons, who insist that everything of this kind should be done soberly, seriously, piously, "decently, and in order,” was it a marriage?

it."

"Did he put the ring on her finger ?"

No, but was it a marriage?

66

Well, I don't really know what to say about

But what would you do, if it were your case? "Really, sir, your questions are very awkward, difficult to answer. What did the young lady, Ellen Spenser, do ?"

and very

I must leave you to imagine that, ladies. She did, I suppose, what you would do yourselves. Ask

your own hearts what that is.

CHAPTER XXVII.

"He then uprose

And called for his armes; for he would algates fight.
They bene brought, he quickly does him dight,
And lightly mounted passeth on his way;
No ladie's loves, no sweete entreaties might
Appease his heat, or hastie passage stay;
For he has vowd to beene avengd that day."

SPENSER.

A FEW days after the interment of the good priest, who was laid in the abbey, the Earl received intelligence from the South, which compelled him to tear himself, in haste, from the embrace of the dear object of his choice.

"Oh how I hate these sudden departures," exclaim my readers; "could you not have left him a little longer?"

Not another day: a true knight will start at any moment that he hears the sound of the trumpet of war-from the arms of his ladye-love; and the Earl was a brave soldier: duty, patriotism, honour, glory demanded the sacrifice :—

"But he, halfe discontent, mote nathëlesse
Himself appease, and issewd forth on shore :
The ioyes whereof and happy fruitfulnesse,
Such as he saw she gan him lay before,

And all though pleasaunt, yet she made much more,
The fields did laugh, the flowres did freshly spring;
The trees did bud, and early blossomes bore;
And all the quire of birds did sweetly sing,
And told that gardin's pleasures in their carolling.
"And she more sweete than any bird on bough,
Would oftentimes emongst them beare a part,
And strive to passe (as she could well enough)
Their native musicke by her skilful art;
So did she all, that might his constant hart
Withdraw from thought of warlike enterprize,
And drown in sweete delights apart,

Where noise of armes, or vew of martial guize
Might not revive desire of knightly exercise."

But duty, gentle reader, demanded that he should leave this garden of delights.

"Stuff and nonsense. What do we read of Ulysses? That 'he preferred his old wife to immortality' (vetulam suam prætulit immortalitati); and surely your hero should think more of his new wife than Ulysses did of his old one."

"Old one !" I wish my wife, or Penelope heard you. I see you have not read " John Anderson my Joe."

"Nor you your Bible; for that allows a newly married man to stay at home from the wars with his wife, a whole year.

"*

*"When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business, but he shall be free at home one year, that he may cheer up his wife which he hath taken."-DEUT. xxiv. 5.

Well, I will not argue with you, as you are going to quote Scripture; but our hero thought the separation inevitable; and that being the case, the more expeditiously it was arranged the better. A speedy and unexpected departure shortens the period of sad misgiving and sorrow which anticipates the leave-taking.

The Jesuit proposed to accompany the Earl; to which he could make no reasonable objection, although he felt a strong repugnance to the presence of this man, ever since the morning of the marriage. The old harper, Dermot, also insisted on going with his master to the field. The Earl wished him to remain with Ellen and Mrs. Spenser, but Ellen pressed for his being allowed to go. Mac Rory, the innocent, was left with the ladies. strongly recommended this arrangement.

Archer

Why did the Jesuit recommend that his coadjutor, Mac Rory, as we shall still call him (I have a reason for not mentioning this young gentleman's real name), should be left behind with the ladies?

For two reasons: first, to prevent the possibility of Ellen's joining her husband, should any unexpected casualty or change of circumstance require it; in which case, he would, of course, acknowledge her as his wife. Secondly, Mac Rory was left as a spy, not so much on her, as on him: not, of course, on his

το be made acquainted with Desmonds purposes, almost as soon as they were conWhen Mac Rory heard of the decision,as to remain as a spy on the lovely young of Desmond,—a thrill of pleasure shot is heart.

who made the communication to him,alked up and down one of the dark pashe old abbey,-saw him start, looked up e, and asked the cause.

at," replied Mac Rory,-" it ran across

not a rat, Father Archer; but that young sposed to rat from his allegiance to you. ou to keep an eye upon him, or else