They were to be man and wife, as
surely, and unalterably, as he now stood before her.
"Give me your hand, Mary." She did. "With this ring, on the day of
November 2, 1749, I pledge to you my life, in the eyes of God and man.
Mary. Will you have me as your husband?"
She nodded fiercely, then all at once burst into tears.
"You remember then," he added gently, "that this is your seventeenth
birthday as well? I have not forgotten. It is the date I set long ago,
when you were but a child, to speak openly of my love for you. I tell
you now, if you did not already know it, that you have been my beacon
and guiding star, the hope which I held fast to my heart, when all
others deserted me. I love you, Mary, with every drop of my mortal
blood. I'll love you in this world, and if there is a God, then surely
I will love you in the next."
He kissed her, long and full. Then began to pace, as if to master his
own emotions.
"All right then," he said, moving still. "Our safety.
"The immediate danger---that of a sudden search---has already been
addressed by my mother and myself.
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