Fifteen Hundred Miles An Hour 39
"'I am not here to parley. Say this. By the great God, you shall say it
on your bended knees, or my sword shall sheath itself in your heart,'
I shouted, waxing wroth as I thought of my darling's undeserved
disgrace from the mouth of this scoundrel.
"'My words were lies,' he hissed rather than spoke, as he sank upon,
his knees, forced thereto at the point of my naked sword; and a look
of malignant hatred stole over his face, as he glared at me with his
bloodshot, glittering eyes in impotent rage, like some wild-beast
helpless in the hunter's toils.
"'Now take yourself away, and never again molest me or mine, or dare to
meddle with affairs that do not concern you. I stay me from wetting my
hands in blood upon this, my wedding morn--Volinè's nuptial day shall
not be one of bloodshed, but stainless and happy as my bonny bride
herself. Now, get you gone while the spirit of my mercy lingers--go,
and dare not to cross my path again,' and, amidst shouts of derision
and anger, the vanquished Prince left the arena, and we saw him no more.
"Then the heralds stepped forward again, and blew another blast; and
the Marshal commanded silence for the King to speak. He rose from his
daughter's side, looking supremely pleased and gratified, and said:
"'Man of Ramos, thou hast fought fairly and valiantly, and shown mercy
to a vanquished foe, which doth thee great honour. Thou hast answered
thy rival's challenge as only a brave man couldst; and now most freely
do I give thee my daughter to wife. She shall dower thee ten thousand
times more handsomely than any woman of the star-world, Ramos, thou
hast lately left.'
"'And her husband shall not be penniless, for I hereby promise him
the sum of fifty thousand pounds sterling, as soon as communication
is again established between Gathma and Earth, and he may be able to
present my cheque for that amount,' said Temple, jumping to his feet in
excitement.
"'There are riches here enough for both; but still I admire the spirit
that hath prompted thee to make that remark,' the King answered,
smiling. 'Now let the day that dawned on strife and battle set on love
and peace, for my daughter tells me she hath set the remainder thereof
apart for a bridal feast.'
"Then a great, loud shout went up from the assembled throng, and the
heralds played a song of victory upon their brazen instruments, as
I stood blood-stained and ragged from the fray before the King, the
observed of every eye.
"'Oh, King! I crave one more act of royal grace. Let worthy Kios,
disgraced and wronged without cause, find place again in royal favour;
and I would also ask that brave and gallant Kaosp, a captain in your
guard, be freed from captivity and restored to place. Both these men
owe their downfall to the cunning and the knavery of Perodii.'
"''Tis but justice what thou hast asked, and it shall be done.'
"Then, bowing low to the King and Volinè, I withdrew to put myself in
better array. Temple also came, and was congratulating me heartily on
my victory, when the Doctor made his appearance.
"'Well, Graham,' he began, holding out his hand, 'it did my old heart
good to see how you thrashed that villain. So the poor _Sirius_
is avenged; for this public disgrace to such a man as Perodii is a
terrible punishment. Well done, my friend! But let us see your injury.
Ah! merely a flesh wound; deep, but not dangerous, and will soon heal.'
"'But, Doctor, I thought I was too deep in your disfavour ever to win
any __EXPRESSION__s of approval from you again,' I retorted.
"'There, there, Graham, let all differences of opinion be put aside
to-day. I am apt to speak hastily; and old men, with life behind them,
are often too prone to judge the actions of younger men by their own
experience. I withdraw all I have said, and wish, yes, heartily wish,
her and you every happiness. I have too lively a recollection of your
great assistance to my project, both on Earth and during our journey
hither, to grudge you the happiness you have tried so hard to win, and
on which it is evident your heart is fixed. Although my sentiments
regarding women in general may never alter, I shall certainly make an
exception in favour of the wondrous fair lady who is so soon to become
your wife. But mind, Graham, this is the only exception I ever made
during my life's experience of the sex that is as frail as it is fair.'
"'Well and rightly spoken, Doctor,' broke in Temple. 'To-day, of all
others, is a most opportune one to express such opinions. As you say,
we owe a good deal to Graham; and I am sure we all wish him joy and
continued happiness.'
"'I thank you, Doctor, and you, too, Mr. Temple, for your kindly words,
especially for those that relate to the girl I am about to wed. Now,
I am sure you will excuse me; for my place is by her side, after the
hours of suspense she has suffered, since she knew of this fight with
Perodii. We shall meet again, I hope, a little later on, when, perhaps,
I may have the happiness of being supported at the coming ceremony by
two such old and trusty friends.'
"'That you may,' answered the Doctor and Temple together, as I hastened
to Volinè, eager to rejoin my darling, and to soothe her fears away."
CHAPTER XIX.
WEDDED!
"'My brave one; my brave one; art thou hurt?" were Volinè's first words
of greeting as we met in her prettily-arranged private room, adjoining
the arena where the King had sat to see the fight, and where I had been
conducted to her presence by the ever-faithful Irolne.
"'No, darling, 't is but a scratch,' I answered, as we kissed and
nestled into each other's arms. 'Volinè, no cloud may dim the lustre of
our happiness now. Surely, bride and groom ne'er had a future so bright
and fair as ours! We leave the long dark vale of sorrow behind us, and
stand at last upon the threshold of our perfect bliss.'
"'Harry, I cannot tell thee my happiness; made all the sweeter,
methinks, by the anguish my soul hath suffered since last we met. But
how proud I am of thee now thou hast vanquished Perodii, and before all
Edos freed my name from evil gossip; I would sooner thee have done this
thing than even my father.'
"'Ah, Volinè, I thought of you when the fight waxed hottest, and
that thought gave new strength to my arm when weakening by desperate
effort. But all is over, and all is well. Now, dear one, tell me of
to-day--when is our bridal feast to be?'
"'Echri and his fellow-Priests have already reached the Palace, and
all is in readiness to commence at setting of the sun; for that is the
hour we people of Edos assign unto this ceremony. But, Harry, what a
strange, strange wooing mine hath been, coloured more with sorrow than
with gladness; and even the early hours of my wedding-day have not been
free from strife.'
"'All has been as you say. But now perfect peace shall be my darling's
portion, and I will devote myself to smoothing her path across life's
stormy way. My arms shall ever be her refuge in sorrow, and her resting
place in joy.'
"'Always?'
"'Until life is done; for I love you with a passion that death can only
destroy.'
"'Oh, Harry, it is sweet to be loved like this. Do all the men of Ramos
love like thee? Methinks there are plenty of maidens in Edos who would
choose them a mate from thy world, rather than mine, if such be so.'
"'Well, darling, that there is love on Earth as sweet, and pure,
and true as ours I will not deny; but there is love that turns to
bitterness and hatred. There are men who betray, deceive, and wrong in
the sacred name of Love; there are men who make vows of affection and
constancy, only to break them.'
"'Ah! it is even so in Gathma, and many the maid of Edos that hath rued
her marriage-vows before she hath well become a wife.'
"'Does my Volinè doubt me--does a single misgiving haunt her heart, now
that she has given that heart to me?'
"'Not one; not one! My faith in thee is boundless. I have no thought
that thou may'st not share. Now let us return. Already the assembly
hath dispersed, and the day draws on. Besides, thou must feel faint and
weary, after thy fight.'
"'Never weary in your precious company, darling,' I answered, as we
rose and left the room. We strolled across the beautiful grounds
together, Volinè resting confidingly on my arm; and, as we walked
along, our happiness seemed too great to be true, for not a single care
pursued us.
"'Let us pass by Siccoth's arbour yet once again as lovers, Harry--the
place where we parted when sorrow overwhelmed us, and hope lay dead.'
"'Ah! Volinè, prospects are brighter now, indeed. See! the dear old
place is just the same--to me the sweetest spot in all wide Gathma; for
here our vows of love were pledged!'
"And as I spoke, the Palace bells rang out a loud and merry peal, like
an omen of good fortune to us.
"'List thee, Harry! My bridal bells! How strange that they should
commence whilst we are here! Oh! how their gladsome peals thrill
through and through my soul! My wedding day! So soon! Harry, do all the
men and women of thy world marry so quickly after betrothal as we?'
"'Not all, my darling, not all. Some tarry months, years; and some even
so long that they do not wed at all. But if any man could love as I
love, or had such a beautiful being for the object of his affections,
the time would be no longer than with us--especially when Fate smiles
so sweetly upon my suit as now,' I answered, kissing her upturned face.
"'Indeed, thou art a consummate flatterer! And yet doth it not seem
unmaidenly for me to yield so quickly and so readily to thy words of
love?'
"'Ah! no, dear one, I prize you all the more for not delaying my
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