“I advise you not to attack me!  I cherish the kindest and most condescending feelings toward you all, and any injury done to me will be resented by the King, as one done to himself.”

The peasants, however, inspired by the object they had in view, did not listen to this speech, but ran on up to the altar.  On the way this and that person received some unpremeditated blows before the intended object of them was reached.  This was the bridegroom.  Clapping his hands over his head, the latter with great exertion forced a passage for himself through the crowd, who rained blows on his back, shoulders and wherever there was room.  He ran, violently pushing people aside, to the church door; but before he got there he had received certainly more than a hundred blows, and thus, well covered with black-and-blue marks, he left the church on his wedding-day.  Everybody ran after him; the bride’s father and bride followed, the Sexton closed the door immediately after the last one had passed through it and betook himself to the vestry, which had a private exit.  In a few seconds the entire church was empty.

All this time the aristocratic gentleman had remained in the pulpit, while the Pastor stood before the altar, bowing to him with a friendly smile.  The gentleman, when he saw from his Ararat that the blows were not meant for him, grew calm and dropped his arms.  When it was quiet, he asked the clergyman: 

“For heaven’s sake, Pastor, tell me what this furious scene meant; what had the poor man done to his assailants?”

“Nothing, your Excellency,” replied the Pastor who, notwithstanding the dignity of the place, could hardly help laughing at the nobleman in the pulpit.  “This act of beating the bridegroom after the marriage ceremony is an old, old custom which the people refuse to give up.  They say that it is intended to let the bridegroom feel how much blows hurt, so that in the future he will not abuse his rights as a husband toward his wife.”

“Well, but that is certainly a most remarkable custom,” mumbled his Excellency, descending from the pulpit.

The Pastor received him very courteously below and conducted his aristocratic acquaintance into the vestry, in order to let him outdoors from there.  The latter, who was still somewhat frightened, said that he would have to think it over, whether or not he could take part in the further proceedings of the ceremony.  The clergyman, on the way to the vestry, expressed profound regret that he had not been previously advised of his Excellency’s design, because he then would have been in a position to inform him of the beating custom, and thus to avert so great a fright and shock.

After both had departed, peace and silence reigned once more in the church.  It was a pretty little church, dainty and not too gay—­a rich benefactor had done a great deal for it.  The ceiling was painted blue with gold stars.  The pulpit displayed some artistic carving and among the tablets on the floor, which covered the tombs of former pastors, there were even two or three of bronze.  The pews were kept very tidy and clean, and to that end the Justice had exerted his strong influence.  A beautiful cloth adorned the altar, above which rose a twisted column painted to resemble marble.