"Bishop's licence?" "Certainly! You just go up to the Registrar's in Douglas, sign your names in a book, pay a few pounds, get the Bishop's certificate, and then you can be married wherever you like and as quietly as you please. And that's what we're going to do now." "Now? You mean to-day?" "Well, no, not to-day. I have to go to the Castle this afternoon. They're unveiling a portrait of the old Deemster. And what do you think, Bess?" "What?" "There's a whisper that Stowell is to be made Deemster in succession to his father. Glorious, isn't it? Splendid chap! Straight as a die! Rather young, certainly, but there's not one of the old gang fit to hold a candle to him. He's to go up to London to-morrow, so I want to see the last of him. But I'll be down by the first train after the boat sails in the morning, and then we'll go back to Douglas together." They had reached the gate of the old maid's house by this time and Gell was looking at his watch. "Pshew! I must be off! Ceremony begins at three and it's that already. Wouldn't miss it for worlds. By-bye! ... Another one! .... Oh, but you must, though." Bessie looked after him as he hurried down the road, swinging his arms and pitching his shoulders, as he always did when his heart was glad. Then she went indoors, ran upstairs and set herself to think things out. She must go before Alick could get back. When he arrived to-morrow she must be on her way to her mother's. It was earlier than she had intended, but there was no help for that now. And then it would be all right in the end--the _Sheean ny Feaynid_ (the Voices of Infinity) had said so. After her child had been born her mother would take it and bring it up as her own--she had heard of such things happening in Manx houses, hadn't she? And when all was over and everything was covered up, she would come back, and then .... then Alick and she would be married. In the light of what the witch-doctor had said it seemed to her so natural, so simple, so sure. But later in the evening, it tore her heart woefully to think of Alick coming from Douglas on the following day and finding her gone. So she wrote this note and stole out and posted it: "Don't come to-morrow. I'll be writing again in the morning, telling you the reason why." CHAPTER TWENTY VICTOR STOWELL'S VOW The old Court-house at Castle Rushen was full to overflowing. Nearly all the great people of the island were there--the Legislative Council, the Keys, the leaders of the Bar, the more prominent members of the clergy, the long line of insular officials, with their wives and daughters. A pale shaft of spring sunshine from the lantern light was on the new portrait of the Deemster, which had been hung on the eastern wall and was still covered by a white sheet.