The moment I arrived in London I drove straight off without delay to
Emily's. I had telegraphed beforehand that I had been granted a free
pardon, but had not stopped to tell her why or under what conditions.
Emily met me in tears in the passage. "Harold! Harold!" she cried,
flinging her arms wildly around me. "Oh, my darling! my darling! how can
I ever say it to you? Mamma says she won't allow me to see you here any
longer."
It was a terrible blow, but I was not unprepared for it. How could I
expect that poor, conventional, commonplace old lady to have any faith
in me after all she had read about me in the newspapers?
"Emily," I said, kissing her over and over again tenderly, "you must
come out with me, then, this very minute, for I want to talk with you
over matters of importance. Whether your mother wishes it or not, you
must come out with me this very minute."
Emily put on her bonnet hastily and walked out with me into the streets
of London. It was growing dark, and the neighbourhood was a very quiet
one; or else perhaps even my own Emily would have felt a little ashamed
of walking about the streets of London with a man whose hair was still
cropped short around his head like a common felon's.
I told her all the story of my release, and Emily listened to it in
profound silence.
"Harold!" she cried, "my darling Harold!" (when I told her the tale of
my desperate battle over the fallen warder), "you are the bravest and
best of men. I knew you would vindicate yourself sooner or later. What
we have to do now is to show that Mactavish stole the Wulfric. I know he
stole it; I read it at the trial in his clean-shaven villain's face. I
shall prove it still, and then you will be justified in the eyes of
everybody."
"But how can we manage to communicate meanwhile, darling?" I cried
eagerly. "If your mother won't allow you to see me, how are we ever to
meet and consult about it?"
"There's only one way, Harold--only one way; and as things now stand you
mustn't think it strange of me to propose it. Harold, you must marry me
immediately, whether mamma will let us or not!"
"Emily!" I cried, "my own darling! your confidence and trust in me makes
me I can't tell you how proud and happy. That you should be willing to
marry me even while I am under such a cloud as this gives me a greater
proof of your love than anything else you could possibly do for me. But,
darling, I am too proud to take you at your word. For your sake, Emily,
I will never marry you until all the world has been compelled
unreservedly to admit my innocence."
Emily blushed and cried a little. "As you will, Harold, dearest," she
answered, trembling, "I can afford to wait for you. I know that in the
end the truth will be established."