They walked out of the church together, and when they stood in the sunlight he turned to her.

“My darling, my wife,” he said, in an impassioned voice, “may Heaven send to us a life bright as this sunshine, love as pure—­life and death together!  I pray Heaven that no deeper cloud may come over our lives than there is now in the sky above us.”

These words were spoken at only eleven in the morning.  If he had known all that he would have to suffer before eleven at night, Lord Arleigh, with all his bravery, all his chivalry, would have been ready to fling himself from the green hill-top into the shimmering sea.

Chapter XXIV.

It was the custom of the Arleighs to spend their honeymoon at home; they had never fallen into the habit of making themselves uncomfortable abroad.  The proper place, they considered, for a man to take his young wife to was home; the first Lord Arleigh had done so, and each lord had followed this sensible example.  Norman, Lord Arleigh, had not dreamed of making any change.  True, he had planned with his fair young bride that when the autumn month had passed away they would go abroad, and not spend the winter in cold, foggy England.  They had talked of the cities they would visit—­and Madaline’s sweet eyes had grown brighter with happy thoughts.  But that was not to be yet; they were to go home first, and when they had learned something of what home-life would be together, then they could go abroad.

Lady Peters went back to Verdun Royal on the same morning; her task ended with the marriage.  She took back with her innumerable messages for the duchess.  As she stood at the carriage-door, she—­so little given to demonstration—­took the young wife into her arms.

“Good-by, Madaline—­or I should say now, Lady Arleigh—­good-by, and may Heaven bless you!  I did not love you at first, my dear, and I thought my old friend was doing a foolish thing; but now I love you with all my heart; you are so fair and wise, so sweet and pure, that in making you his wife he has chosen more judiciously than if he had married the daughter of a noble house.  That is my tribute to you, Madaline; and to it I add, may Heaven bless you, and send you a happy life!”

Then they parted; but, as she went home through all the glory of the sunlit day, Lady Peters did not feel quite at ease.

“I wish,” she said to herself, “that he had not dropped the Wedding-ring; it has made me feel uncomfortable.”

Bride and bridegroom had one of the blithest, happiest journeys ever made.  What cloud could rise in such a sky as theirs.  They were blessed with youth, beauty, health; there had been no one to raise the least opposition to their marriage; before them stretched a long golden future.

The carriage met them at the station, it was then three in the afternoon, and the day continued fair.

“We will have a long drive through the park, Madaline,” said Lord Arleigh.  “You will like to see your new home.”