Very dimly, indeed, burned the lamps among the floral decorations as the family at Wheatlands gathered in the parlor1 for the wedding ceremony, Jessie and her mother in full evening dress, though Leola had sent word down that she would be married simply in her traveling dress.
Outside the gates waited the brand new carriage, with prancing2 white horses, that had brought Giles Bennett and the Methodist preacher who was to perform the ceremony, and in the parlor the bridegroom waited, spick and span in his new black suit, for his bonny bride. Jessie Stirling, at the piano, had already begun the first low notes of the wedding march, and to that sound came Leola slowly down the stairs on the arm of Miss Tuttle, having peremptorily4 declined her guardian5’s escort.
Mrs. Stirling thought it rather ridiculous, as they came in sight, that that silly old maid, Miss Tuttle, had chosen to wear a hat and veil like the bride at the ceremony, but she did not give the poor, drab-faced creature a second look, she was so intent on watching the proceedings6.
Wizard Hermann met the pair at the door, and taking the golden-haired girl by the arm, led her to the rotund bridegroom waiting nervously7 for his happiness.
The minister cleared his throat ready to proceed, but the bride stood still for a moment, facing Giles Bennett, and her low voice said, distinctly:
“The mortgage on Wheatlands—the prize for which I am sold, sir—have you brought it as agreed upon?”
“Examine this paper. Is it bona fide?”
He answered, huskily:
“Yes.”
She looked at Giles Bennett.
“I agree to your conditions,” he said, and directly the fragments of the mortgage fluttered, like a miniature snowstorm, from the bride’s white-gloved hands to the floor.
Then she took his arm, and they moved across to the waiting minister, who began to pray.
In the excitement no one noticed a rapping on the open hall door, nor that poor Miss Tuttle, instead of attending the bride as maid of honor, had sunk into a low seat near the door with her handkerchief hiding her veiled face.
The music played on softly, like a sigh, the dim lights flickered10 forlornly among the fragrant11 flowers, and the short marriage ceremony of the Methodist Church in less than ten minutes made Leola Mead12 the bride of Giles Bennett, who had bought her for her beauty like a slave in the Circassian market.
And just as he pronounced the pair man and wife the man who had been knocking unheard at the hall door strode impatiently to the parlor and looked within at the unexpected sight of a wedding party.
He was a middle-aged13 man of distinguished14 appearance, with dark eyes, grizzled auburn hair and a face bronzed as from travel. No one saw him as he waited at the door, while the witnesses crowded forward with eager congratulations to the smirking15 bridegroom and the veiled bride.
Last of all came the one who had been sitting yonder sobbing16 in her little lace handkerchief, and taking first the hand of Giles Bennett, she exclaimed, earnestly:
“I congratulate you, sir, on winning this rare prize. She will make you very happy, I know.”
Then, with a soft laugh that startled everyone, she threw her arms about the bride, half-sobbing:
“Dear, dear governess, I hate to give you up, even to our kind neighbor, Mr. Bennett, for you have loved him so well, I know it is for your best happiness to leave me!”
With a dexterous17 movement of her hand she flung off her veil, hat and wig18 in one gesture, and stood revealed, beautiful, golden-haired Leola, masquerading in Miss Tuttle’s worn and threadbare black silk gown, a skimpy thing, too short and too tight, and likely to burst with the peal19 of laughter that shrilled20 over her rosy21 lips at their amazed looks.
They all began talking wildly at once, and staring in wonder at the veiled bride, who suddenly followed Leola’s example, and threw off hat, veil and golden wig together, showing Miss Tuttle’s pretty brown waves of hair, and her pale, rather frightened face that turned piteously to her new made husband as she faltered22, weakly:
“I planned this deception23 to save my dear Leola, because she vowed24 that rather than live with you, after she had paid her guardian’s debt, she would kill herself this very night. I couldn’t let her do that, the poor girl, who hasn’t a friend on earth but me, and whom I love as if she were my own child, so, to save her, I carried out this trick, and I am your wife, sir, whether you own me or not. But though I am not as young and pretty as Leola, I will be a better companion for you, Giles, than she would ever be, for she fears and hates you, while I have always respected you highly ever since I knew you, and will try to make you a good wife if you will overlook the little ruse25 by which I won you.”
They were all so dazed that no one had tried to interrupt her, but now Giles Bennett, turning furiously on Hermann, cried:
“You hound, you let me be tricked into this fraud, but it shall avail you nothing! I repudiate26 this marriage and the whole transaction. The destruction of that paper shall not prevent me from getting back my money from you. The law will protect me in my rights.”
“I protest I had no hand in this deception. I meant honestly by you, and to prove my word I will have nothing more to do with those women, who have united in this effort to make you a laughing stock, and to get me into trouble. They shall both leave my roof to-night and forever, Giles, but I beg you will be patient with me and grant me a little more time before you bring suit to recover your money,” began Hermann, abjectly27, when a ringing voice cried, “Hold!” and the unobserved stranger at the door strode, uninvited, into the room, adding:
“Ah, Henry Hermann, you know me. I have come at last for my daughter, Leola, and it seems I have unearthed28 some villainy on your part. Will some one tell me the meaning of all this excitement?”
Leola flew to him with a cry of joy.
[Pg 25]
“My father, oh, my father! You have come at last!”
The bronzed stranger clasped her to his heart and kissed her beautiful lips again and again, exclaiming:
“Sweet image of your lovely mother, now an angel in heaven, we shall never be parted again! But now tell me the meaning of this strange scene.”
Clinging fondly to his arm the girl answered, spiritedly:
“That old Falstaff there held a mortgage on my guardian’s estate for fifteen thousand dollars, and offered to cancel it if I would become his wife. So I was persecuted29 into giving him my promise, and to save me from despair and suicide my dear governess planned to deceive them and put herself in my place.”
“But it won’t do any good,” blustered30 the angry Bennett, “I won’t take the old girl on any terms, and I’ll have my money out of Hermann all right, and that soon!”
“Your mortgage is not worth the paper it was written on, for I hold a prior one that Hermann executed to me over thirty years ago, for thirty thousand dollars, as much as the full value of his estate. This money he had from me before my Leola was born, because I admired his scientific attainment32 and wished to make him independent, so that he could prosecute33 his experiments in chemistry. At my dear wife’s death I went abroad with an exploring party to drown my grief. As Hermann’s mother was a kinswoman of mine, I left Leola with him, giving him ten thousand dollars for taking care of her, but it seems that he has betrayed his trust, and but for this noble governess here my poor girl would have been betrayed into a wretched marriage. I have no more use for so unworthy a guardian, but I shall not take revenge by foreclosing my mortgage on his home. I shall leave him in peaceable possession the term of his life; then Wheatlands will revert34 to my daughter, Leola. For the rest, as soon as Leola can pack up to leave I shall take my dear girl away with me to New York, and if Mr. Bennett repudiates35 his pretty bride, she may accompany us. I am rich, and for her love and care of Leola she shall be well repaid.”
The bride and groom3 looked at each other, she pitifully humble36 and entreating37, he angry and resentful, yet on a sudden inclined to make the best of what seemed to him a bad bargain, so that he muttered, ungraciously: “You may come home with me, Amanda.”
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1
parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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2
prancing
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| v.（马）腾跃( prance的现在分词 ) | |
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3
groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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4
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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5
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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6
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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7
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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8
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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10
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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12
mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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13
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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14
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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15
smirking
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| v.傻笑( smirk的现在分词 ) | |
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16
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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17
dexterous
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| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
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18
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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19
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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20
shrilled
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| （声音）尖锐的，刺耳的，高频率的( shrill的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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22
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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23
deception
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| n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计 | |
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24
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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25
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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26
repudiate
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| v.拒绝，拒付，拒绝履行 | |
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27
abjectly
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| 凄惨地； 绝望地； 糟透地； 悲惨地 | |
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28
unearthed
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| 出土的（考古） | |
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29
persecuted
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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30
blustered
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| v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
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31
recoiled
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| v.畏缩( recoil的过去式和过去分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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32
attainment
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| n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣 | |
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33
prosecute
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| vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官 | |
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34
revert
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| v.恢复，复归，回到 | |
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35
repudiates
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的第三人称单数 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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36
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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37
entreating
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
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