wedding late that afternoon, if you will have the church and the parson ready."
"But, my dear boy, isn't that rather sudden?"
"Not sudden enough for me! But really, so far as I am concerned, I shall wait as long as Joy wishes. Now that we are married already, I fancy it doesn't much matter. Only that anything which could possibly bind me closer to Joy will always be a happiness to me, I don't care whether we have a third marriage at all." Mrs. Ogilvie caught her daughter's eye and answered at once:
"So be it then! Thursday afternoon at six. I suppose there can be no objection as to canonical hours?" The Sheriff answered:
"I can tell you that. The License of the Archbishop goes through and beyond all canonical hours and all places—in South Britain of course. Armed with that instrument you can celebrate the marriage when and where you will," Joy and Athlyne were by this time holding hands and whispering.
"Of course Joy will stay with us till then—Athlyne." Mrs. Ogilvie spoke the last word with a pause; it was the first time she had used his name.
"Not 'of course.'" he answered. "She is the head of her house now and must be free to do as she please. But I am sure she will like to come to you." Joy made a protesting "moue" at him as she said:
"Of course I'd like to be with Mother and Daddy, and Judy—if I—if I am not to be with you—Oh, darling! you're hurting me. You're so frightfully strong!"
Breakfast being over, the party broke up and moved about the room. Joy was sitting on the sofa with her Mother when Mrs. O'Brien came sidling up by the wall. When she got close she curtsied and said:
"Won't ye tell me now, me Lady, if I'm to be the wan to nurse yer childher?"
"Oh dear! But Mrs. O'Brien, I said only yesterday that
