Part 22 (1/2)
The ood for her to open her whole heart to her friends
But when, exhausted by e, Harry turned to old Madge and said, ”Mother, what should you think of the irl whose words you have been listening to?”
”I should think he was a base coward,” said Madge, ”and, were he my son, I should renounce and curse him”
”Nell, do you hear what our o I will follow you If you persist in leaving us, ill go away together”
”Harry! Harry!” cried Nell
Overcoirl's lips blanched, and she sank into the arht be left alone with her
CHAPTER XVIII NELL'S WEDDING
IT was agreed that the inhabitants of the cottage uard than ever The threats of old Silfax were too serious to be disregarded It was only too possible that he possessed soht be annihilated
Armed sentinels were posted at the various entrances to the ht Any stranger entering the ive an account of hi the inhabitants of Coal Town, the threatened danger to the subterranean colony was made known to them Nell was informed of all the precautions taken, and becah she was not free from uneasiness Harry's determination to follow her wherever she went compelled her to pro the week preceding the wedding, no accident whatever occurred in Aberfoyle The systean to recover from the panic, which had seriously interrupted the work of excavation James Starr continued to look out for Silfax
The oldvindictively declared that Nell should never marry Simon's son, it was natural to suppose that he would not hesitate to commit any violent deed which would hinder their union
The exae and gallery was searched, up to those higher ranges which opened out ahtly supposed that through this old building Silfax passed out to obtain as needful for the support of his miserable existence (which he )
As to the ”fire-an to think that appearance as which, issuing frohted by Silfax He was not far wrong; but all search for proof of this was fruitless, and the continued strain of anxiety in this perpetual effort to detect a ineer--outwardly cal-day approached, his dread of some catastrophe increased, and he could not but speak of it to the old overth the day caiven no token of existence
By daybreak the entire population of Coal Toas astir Work was suspended; overseers and workmen alike desired to do honor to Sie debt of gratitude to these bold and persevering men, by whose means the mine had been restored to its former prosperity The ceremony was to take place at eleven o'clock, in St Giles's chapel, which stood on the shores of Loch Malcole, supporting histheineer, composed in manner, but in reality nerved to expect the worst, and Jack Ryan, stepping superb in full Highland piper's costuineers, the principal people of Coal Town, the friends and coreat fa the population of New Aberfoyle
In the outer world, the day was one of the hottest of the ust, peculiarly oppressive in northern countries The sultry air penetrated the depths of the coal mine, and elevated the te shafts, and the great tunnel of Loch Malcoled with electricity, and the barometer, it was afterwards remarked, had fallen in a remarkable ht burst forth beneath the rocky vault which formed the roof of the enormous crypt of the very mine itself
But the inhabitants were not at thattheround Everybody, as a matter of course, had put on his best clothes for the occasion Madge was dressed in the fashi+on of days gone by, wearing the ”toy” and the ”rokelay,” or Tartan plaid, of matrons of the olden time, old Simon wore a coat of which Bailie Nicol Jarvie himself would have approved
Nell had resolved to show nothing of her itation; she forbade her heart to beat, or her inward terrors to betray theirl appeared before all with a calm and collected aspect She had declined every ornament of dress, and the very siance of her appearance Her hair was bound with the ”snood,” the usual head-dress of Scottish maidens
All proceeded towards St Giles's chapel, which had been handsomely decorated for the occasion
The electric discs of light which illuminated Coal Town blazed like so many suns A luminous atmosphere pervaded New Aberfoyle In the chapel, electric lalass hich shone like fiery kaleidoscopes At the porch of the chapel theparty
It approached, after having passed in stately procession along the shore of Loch Malcolan were heard, and, preceded by the roup advanced into the chapel The Divine blessing was first invoked on all present Then Harry and Nell re the sacred book in his hand, proceeded to say, ”Harry, will you take Nell to be your wife, and will you promise to love her always?”
”I pro man in a firm and steady voice