bride were the good resolutions he had made -- made
and so soon broken....

As for Sir Jacques, he had never been to a wedding
since he had been last forced to do so as a boy by
his determined mother. The refusal of all marriage
invitations was an eccentricity which friends and patients
easily pardoned to the successful and popular
surgeon, and so the present ceremony had the curious
interest of complete novelty. He had meant to read
over the service to see what part he himself had to
play, but the morning had slipped away and he had
not had time.

Jervis, in answer to perhaps the most solemn and
awful question ever put to man, had just answered
fervently "I will," and Rose's response had also been
uttered very clearly, when suddenly someone gave
Sir Jacques a little prod, and the Dean, with the words,
"Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?"
made him a quiet sign.

Sir Jacques came forward, and in answer, said _"I_
do," in a loud tone. And then he saw the Dean take
Jervis's right hand and place it in Rose's left, and utter
the solemn words with which even he was acquainted.

"I, Jervis, take thee, Rose, to be my wedded wife,
to have and to hold from this day forward, for better
for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in
health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part,
according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight
thee my troth."

A series of tremendous promises to make and to
keep! But for the moment cynicism had fallen away
from Sir Jacques's heart, and somehow he felt sure

[[270]]

p269 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p270w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p271

v?