"We can all hope for a last-minute reprieve," said Peter. "And until we're shotgunned into it, we can always have a double wedding with the cross-couples getting married. Y'see, Hedgerly claimed there hadn't been either a divorce nor a death-and-remarriage in the family for generations. Now the thing we gotta do is to get married to whom we want, and the only way we can even come close is to get close enough to a preacher to have him do the job. All at once and no one first. Finis, conclusion." Tony nodded slowly. "Me, I've been half-psychopathically afraid of any Gentleman of the Cloth ever since Hedgerly turned up," he said. "So we can all go and be certain that the other is irreparably and thoroughly committing nonretractable matrimony. Then pooh for Grandson Hedgerly!" Peter went to the telephone and dialed the number of the private airport. Ten minutes later they were on their way to the port, and when they arrived they looked carefully, but did not see the odious one. They paid no attention to the other plane idling in the background. * * * * * Hedgerly arrived as they took off into the blue. His plane was waiting and he leaped in quickly and told the pilot to follow the other plane. "What's the hurry?" grinned the pilot. Hedgerly smiled a sly smile. "It's a very long tale," he said. "But the summation of it all is that there are two couples in that ship who intend to get married." "Double wedding, huh?" "Right. That's what they intend." "And are you the irate father, the angry brother, or the jilted lover?" grinned the pilot. He gunned the engine, and the plane roared down the tarmac and lofted. The pilot wasted no time in following the other plane. When the roar of the engine diminished for flying speed, the pilot turned to Hedgerly, who was obviously waiting for a semblance of silence before he spoke. "I'm none of those," he said with a smile. "I'm merely a very interested character whose future depends upon seeing the right thing done." "Such as?" "Well, Party A wants to marry Party B while Party X wants to marry Party Y. This must not be. However, it must be that Party A marries Y whilst Party B marries X." "Clear as a Raymond A. Chandler plot," grinned the pilot. "Well, they've been trying to outwit me for quite some time," remarked Hedgerly. "Right at the present time, they're heading for this double wedding. The trouble is that they're so befuddled and worried about doing the wrong thing that that they'll pay no attention to what the preacher is saying?" "Who does?" laughed the pilot. "It would be better for their little plot if they did," said Hedgerly with a sly grin. "For, you see, I'm going to see that the preacher marries the proper parties." "How?"