My letter contained a cheque for a hundred pounds, as payment for a wager lost to me, and wishing me every happiness.  I ardently wished I could have been near the writer at that instant, and I fancy he would not only have felt most unhappy, but that he would have spent a mauvais quart d’heure, as our Gallic neighbours say.  So much for Johnson, who never troubled us again.

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FOOTNOTE: 

8:  I find, on enquiry, that this Society has some hundreds of well-authenticated accounts of these occult occurrences, and it really seems that we are often sceptical of these phenomena, without taking the trouble to investigate the cases that come under our immediate notice to discover their truthfulness.

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CHAPTER XXII.

M. OUDIN ARRIVES—­THE WEDDING DAY—­DIVISION OF THE SPOIL—­ALEC RETURNS TO JETHOU—­WEDDING GIFTS—­THE END.

Delays being dangerous, it was quickly decided that our wedding should take place on October 15th, my father’s birthday.  Among the invitations sent out was one to M. Oudin, of Paris, asking him to come and spend a fortnight with us, so that he could kill two birds with one stone, viz., be present at the wedding, and take with him the treasure we had found on his island.

On Michaelmas Day we received an acceptance of the invitation, and on Old Michaelmas Day, which is a time of some note in Norfolk, our visitor arrived.

M. Oudin was greatly pleased with our fresh-water Broads, and as he was fond of angling and shooting he was very interested and happy.  We showed him the treasure, of which he made notes in his pocket book, but further he appeared to take little notice of the matter.  From his arrival until the wedding day was a period of excitement, and everyone about the place seemed to regard it as a festival; and truly such it was, for every day fun of some kind was afoot, especially in the evening, for then King Misrule held his sway.

M. Oudin spent most of his daylight on the Broad or the adjoining river with Alec, in a small sailing skiff.  These two, with rods, gun, and dog ("Begum"), used to bring in quite a good supply of fish and water-fowl, which they captured in the quiet spots a little from the house.

At length the wedding day arrived, and a bright happy day it proved, and everything went “as happy as the wedding bells,” and they rang merry peals till quite midnight.

Our whole village only contains about three hundred and fifty persons, so everyone who wished came to a meal spread upon long tables on the lawn, and from noon till midnight, dancing, singing, boating, etc., were in full swing.  At ten p.m. a huge bonfire was lighted, which had not died out when our people arose the next day.

Before going to the church, M. Oudin requested an audience of Priscilla, father, mother, Alec, and myself, and a red-letter day it turned out to be for us.  Briefly, M. Oudin’s harangue was this: