"MACRORIE--OLD CHAP--I'M--GOING--TO--BE--MARRIED!!!"
At that astounding piece of intelligence, I sat dumb and stared fixedly
at Jack for the space of half an hour, he regarded me with a mournful
smile. At last my feelings found expression in a long, solemn,
thoughtful, anxious, troubled, and perplexed whistle.
I could think of only one thing. It was a circumstance which Jack had
confided to me as his bosom-friend. Although he had confided the same
thing to at least a hundred other bosom-friends, and I knew it, yet, at
the same time, the knowledge of this did not make the secret any the
less a confidential one; and I had accordingly guarded it like my
heart's blood, and all that sort of thing, you know. Nor would I even
now divulge that secret, were it not for the fact that the cause for
secrecy is removed. The circumstance was this: About a year before, we
had been stationed at Fredericton, in the Province of New Brunswick.
Jack had met there a young lady from St. Andrews, named Miss Phillips,
to whom he had devoted himself with his usual ardor. During a
sentimental sleigh-ride he had confessed his love, and had engaged
himself to her; and, since his arrival at Quebec, he had corresponded
with her very faithfully. He considered himself as destined by Fate to
become the husband of Miss Phillips at some time in the dim future, and
the only marriage before him that I could think of was this. Still I
could not understand why it had come upon him so suddenly, or why, if
it did come, he should so collapse under the pressure of his doom.
"Well," said I, after I had rallied somewhat, "I didn't think it was to
come off so soon. Some luck has turned up, I suppose."
"Luck!" repeated Jack, with an indescribable accent.
"I assure you, though I've never had the pleasure of seeing Miss
Phillips, yet, from your description, I admire her quite fervently, and
congratulate you from the bottom of my heart."
"Miss Phillips!" repeated Jack, with a groan.
"What's the matter, old chap?"
"It isn't--_her_!" faltered Jack.
"What!"
"She'll have to wear the willow."
"You haven't broken with her--have you?" I asked.
"She'll have to forgive and forget, and all that sort of thing. If it
was Miss Phillips, I wouldn't be so confoundedly cut up about it."
"Why--what is it? who is it? and what do you mean?"
Jack looked at me. Then he looked down, and frowned. Then he looked at
me again; and then he said, slowly, and with powerful effort: