I Forbid the Banns! — page 149: what you’re looking at

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

ON AN OAK SETTEE. 139 under twelve thousand pounds a year. It was clearly his duty to protect her from them all. ‘““T-love thee so dear that I only can leave thee,” sang Mrs. Browning's heroic lover. That was all very fine and heroic ; but would the resolution bear to be regarded as equally heroic if the man was leaving the girl whom he loved to become the victim of an unprincipled adventurer ? Was there anything heroic in delivering her over to a life of degradation and misery ? His mind was fully made up. He would be her protector. He would shelter her with that great love of his, so. that no danger should approach her. She would never know any- thing but happiness with him. Oh, it was perfectly true what she had said: they were already wedded. They had the sanction of Heaven, whose best gift to man is love, for their union ; what did it matter whether or nota priest was concerned in the transaction ? All the hierarchy could not bring them nearer to each other than they were. Heaven was everything. ‘They were one in the sight of Heaven. ‘That was warrant enough for him. As for that colonial adventurer—well, he would find out that he might as well have remained in Australia crushing his quartz. Bertha Lancaster would not be a gold mine to him. He laughed aloud at the thought of the discomfiture of the colonial adventurer. His laugh was anything but frank and honest. (EMMMIGLVOo|KS (EC)