I Forbid the Banns! — page 176: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

166 ‘7 FORBID THE BANNS!” and led her into the drawing room; ‘‘nothing here is worthy of you. You glorify everything by your presence.’ She gave herself to his arms and looked up to His face. ‘‘T feel that I have reached a new and lovelier world,’’ said she, as they seated themselves on a little couch that was made to hold only one in its chaste embrace—it was, how- ever, quite capacious enough for them at this moment. ‘'l feel that I am simply recalling the incidents in some book of English life which I have read long ago. ‘Too passing sweet to be substantial’—that is the line which has come to my mind often since we heard the blackbird welcoming us.”’ ‘“My best beloved,’ he whispered, ‘‘I shall live for you. I shall live to make you happy.’’ ‘You have done soalready,’’ shesaid. ‘‘My heart is full of content. My soul hasfound its husband-soul. Life can give us nothing better than this.”’ The sound of the gong separated them. The lunch was as graceful as the best they had partaken of during the past week in Piccadilly, and the white Burgundy was far better than any wine they had had. He drank to her across the table, ‘‘Welcome to the Court,’’ and she replied with love in her eyes. He brought her out to the terrace and they sat together on one of the garden seats, listening to the music of the woodland, of the shrubberies, of the gardens. The world seemed full of music to this girl, who had never known any- thing in nature more musical than the Australian bush. The soft sunshine, the songs of the thrush and the blackbird, the drowsy cawing of the rooks, the sweet smell of the grass of the lawns and of the myriad primroses of the terraces mingled and became to her as the expression of a joy, the existence of which had never suggested itself to her. He was a part of this joy—he in whose hand she had laid herown. She could not fancy the song of the thrush being heard without the scent of the primrosescomingtoher. She m GOMIcboOoks co