"Still you find it difficult to believe in such a torrent of hard facts. There remains to point out the necessity for a speedy marriage. I supposed that you would be free a fortnight ago at latest. Consequently I named a date which will expire in two days. You must marry the day after to-morrow, if you can bring yourself to the ordeal so soon. You will stop here, I trust, or if not here, then at my lodge, which will be safer. As a leading man among the Americans, they'll seek you sharply. They might find you in my house; but in my lodge you will be safe. Now what say you? You must believe or not--all or none. Accept my simple good faith or reject it." "Your honour upon it?" "May I perish miserably, and vanish from among men, and from the Book of Life, if I am lying to you." "It is enough! No false man would take such an oath as that." Stark leapt to his feet, pressed the other's hand and shook it warmly. "God reward you for your deed, Peter Norcot. Generations to come shall bless you as I do. I believe you with all my heart. I trust you with all that makes life best living to me." "So be it. Now get you gone. For safety I'll hold this document until after your marriage. I have planned the ceremony for the morning of the day after to-morrow. If possible you shall speak to Grace to-morrow, but Malherb has his spies here, and you'll be followed too. Therefore we must run no risk. See John Lee and send him about his business once and for all; next repair to my lodge, where you are expected. There a meal awaits you. Keep close within doors meantime, and I shall come again to you after dark." A few moments later Norcot himself took the American to his door, showed him the lodge at his avenue gates not a quarter of a mile distant and left him there. Then he returned to his study, lighted a taper and carefully destroyed the Special License by fire. "A neat enough copy," he said, as it curled and flamed and vanished; "so like the real thing that a man may be forgiven for calming his mind through the perception of his senses." Next Norcot went to his desk and drew therefrom another document in most respects resembling the first. But it was set out upon thicker paper and the seal was of black wax, not red, as in the case of the destroyed forgery. Meanwhile Stark met Lee, and the hollow unreality of his story fell sinister and threatening upon John's ear. "You don't believe this nonsense," he asked simply when the tale was told. "Every word of it! He has taken a solemn--a terrific oath. He is a man of the highest honour, or I never yet met with one!" "You can credit these unheard-of deeds and believe that he performed them simply that you may get what you wanted?" "Not so. 'Tis all done for her sake. He loved her. Even in losing her, he shows the noble character of his love for ever. His one thought is her happiness."