She laid her hand on his, and said:  “Dear Jack! it was to be for all time; your home to be my home; your God my God.  I will be ready when you come for me.  I will go exultingly to become your wife; my joy will be the deeper, for it will be chilled with no fear of the future, which it might have been had I known you possessed L100,000.  What you have is enough for us.  But, Jack, let me begin to influence you.  Do not take a shilling of your friend’s money unless you know that we can some time return it.”

Later, Jack found a lovely furnished house, the owner of which desired to vacate for a year; hired it, paid a year’s rent in advance, engaged the servants of the family, and explained that he would bring his wife on the succeeding day.

On that same day, Sedgwick sought Grace, and made clear to her the situation, explaining how Jack had been wronged, what he had advised to do him, and unfolded his own plan to leave the next day, so soon as Browning and Miss Jenvie should be married—­with Jordan for South Africa, to see if it was worth while to try to bring out the property, explaining that if the mine gave no strong promise he would be back in two or three months.  If, on the other hand, he and Jordan decided it was good, he might be absent for a year, and asked her if she would keep the secret of where he had gone, and if she were sure enough of her own heart to undertake to wait for him.

Grace had grown very white and still while Sedgwick was speaking.  When he ceased she continued silent for a moment, and then said: 

“I agree to it all, my king, all but one thing.”

“And what is that, sweet?” asked Sedgwick.

She leaned over, put her arm around her lover’s neck, laid her cheek against his, and said:  “If Jack and Rose are to be married to-morrow, we should be married also.”

“But I am going away, my child,” said Sedgwick.

“I know,” was her response, “but one object of my father in trying to break off the match between Jack and Rose was to try to have Jack marry me.  We should complete the work.  Then, should you need me, or could you send for me, I could go better as your wife than any other way; then, when I gave my heart to you I gave it entirely, and should we never meet, I would, while I lived, want to keep in thought that you were my husband; that I was your wife; that all glory had come to me.”

By this time the tears were flowing fast down her cheeks, and with tears in his own eyes, Sedgwick said: 

“I wanted to ask you, dearest, to become my wife before I went away, but thought it a shame to so involve you, with a future so clouded as mine is to be for the coming months.”

“You forget,” she replied, “that it is my right in your absence to think of you as my husband.”

So it was settled that on the next day, just before noon, they should be married; that they should separate at the church, she to return with her mother, Sedgwick to start with Jordan on their long journey.