"Yes, it's all over," he repeated grimly. "But I should hate to go
through it again."
They hurried on through the nipping January air.
"I'm afraid we shall be late for dinner, Jules. It must be after
half-past six, and then we have so many things to do to-night. My trunks
aren't all packed yet."
"I would help you if I could," Jules replied, "but I must go back to the
church. Father Labiche gave me the Stations of the Cross for penance. He
said he thought it would do me good before I was married to reflect on
the sufferings of Christ," he explained with a smile.
"Then you told him you were going to be married?" she laughed, her
breath steaming in the air.
"He asked how I happened to come to confession after staying away so
long; so I had to acknowledge that I did it to please you."
The little apartment was in commotion over Blanche's marriage and
departure two days later; the _petit salon_ was littered with dresses,
and the two girls were greatly excited over their new frocks. Jules saw
that he was in the way, and soon after dinner he left his friends,
saying that he would have the carriages ready for them at half-past
seven in the morning; Blanche, her mother, and Monsieur Berthier would
ride with him in one, and in the other the girls would go with Madeleine
and Pelletier, who had been invited on account of his long business
association with the family.
That night at church Jules did his best to put himself into a religious
frame of mind and to feel a proper pity for the sufferings of Christ. As
he passed from station to station in the Way of the Cross, he reflected
seriously on the significance of each, and he said his prayers devoutly.
But his mind was constantly distracted by the thought of the girl he
loved and of his marriage the next day. At the most inopportune moments
visions of Blanche would haunt him as she looked in the ring, climbing
the rope and whirling through the air.
When his prayers were said he felt radiantly happy. He had done his
duty, and he felt that he deserved to be rewarded. It was only nine
o'clock, but he hurried home at once to go on with his packing. When he
went to bed that night, he dreamed that he was making his first
appearance in the circus at Vienna, holding the rope for his wife, and
speaking the thrilling words of warning to the audience.
In the morning Jules and Blanche received communion at early mass, and
later they went with Madame Perrault and Monsieur Berthier to the
Mayor's office, where the civil marriage ceremony was performed. This
Jules regarded merely as a formality, though it made him feel that she
was at last his, his forever! No one could take her away from him now!
The next morning was clear and cold, and the sun shone as he looked out
of his window in the dismantled apartment. He smiled as he thought that
his lonely days as a bachelor were over. At ten o'clock he drove to the
_rue St. Honore_ with Madeleine, who looked a dozen years younger in her
simple black silk with a piece of white lace at her throat, the gift of
Madame Perrault. Blanche, in her white satin dress with the bunch of
white roses he had sent to her in her hand, had never seemed to him so
beautiful. It was after eleven o'clock when they reached _St. Philippe_,
and a crowd of idlers hung about the door and followed them into the
church.
To Jules the mass that preceded the marriage ceremony seemed
interminable; he kept glancing at Blanche's flushed face and downcast
eyes, and plucking at his gloves. Then, when he found himself standing
before the priest, holding Blanche's hand, and listening to the solemn
words of the service, he came near bursting into tears. He thought
afterward how ridiculous he would have been if he hadn't been able to
control himself. He was relieved when the service was ended, and as he
walked to the vestry with his wife on his arm, he could have laughed
aloud for joy.
When the register had been signed and they had shaken hands with the
priest, they drove at once to the _cafe_ in the _avenue de l'Opera_,
where Jules had ordered a sumptuous breakfast. There they remained till
four o'clock. Monsieur Berthier was the gayest of them all, and he was
seconded by Jeanne, who pretended to flirt desperately with Jules and
made pert speeches to Pelletier. Then they all returned to the _rue St.
Honore_, where Blanche changed her wedding finery for a travelling
dress.
During the farewell between Blanche and her family, Jules suffered; he
never could bear the sight of women in tears. He was greatly relieved
when he put his almost hysterical wife and Madeleine into the carriage,
and slammed the door behind him.