The Prodigal Son. Hall Sir Caine

up-stairs.

      "Magnus ought to be here, too," said the Governor. "Where is he, I wonder?"

      "Were you asking for Magnus?" said a voice from the hall. It was the Sheriff--a small man with a sly face, wearing a gold-braided uniform like the Governor's.

      "He's at the warehouse, isn't he? Or is he still at the jetty?" asked the Factor.

      "No," said the Sheriff entering. "To tell you the truth, when I passed the hotel he was sitting in the smoking-room."

      "The smoking-room of the hotel?" said the Governor.

      The Factor laughed. "Treating his friends in advance of the event, I suppose! It's bad to let the sledge go ahead of the horse, though."

      "No," said the Sheriff again. "To tell you the truth, he was quite alone."

      "Drinking?" asked the Governor.

      "Nonsense, Stephen! Magnus does not drink," said the Factor.

      "I hope not, but I'm always afraid of it. His grandfather on the maternal side, you know----"

      "Ah, nobody knows what is inside another's coat," said the Bishop. "Anna's father had some trouble in his head--must have had."

      "Even diseases are inherited," said the Governor.

      "But the old man drank after he buried his wife, not before he married her," said the Rector.

      And then Aunt Margret and Anna returned to the room saying, "Here she is at last!" bringing Thora in her simple velvet costume called the kirtle, with silver belt, bell sleeves, and white lace about the neck.

      The Governor took Thora in his arms and kissed her. "But how pale, my child!" he said.

      "You may well say so, Governor," said Aunt Margret. "She has been crying since early morning."

      "Crying?" said the Factor. "Now, I never can understand why a woman must always cry when she is going to be married; it's such a bad compliment to her husband."

      "But I agree with Thora," said the Governor. "If ever there is a time to cry, or, at least, to feel grave and anxious, it is just that moment of life when it is customary to dance and sing as if you were setting out on a triumphal procession instead of taking a leap into the dark."

      "And I agree with the Governor," said the Bishop. "When I see a bride crying so bitterly at the altar that she can hardly utter the responses, I generally know she is going to be a happy wife."

      "Thora might wait until the wedding, though," said Aunt Margret, and then Oscar came dashing into the room.

      "Out walking--lost count of the time--only six minutes to dress--did it in five," he said, in breathless gasps.

      "He's another pale one," laughed the Rector. "Has there been a frost overnight that has nipped all our rose-buds?"

      "Been running to get here," said Oscar, "but I've raced Magnus it seems."

      "Magnus has raced you in another way, my boy," said the Rector, nodding his head toward Thora, who was blushing and looking down; whereupon the Governor muttered:

      "Oscar must not dream of marriage yet awhile. He has his career to think about, and he has not been too earnest about it hitherto."

      "Well, my experience in business," said the Factor, "is that when a woman marries she slackens off, but when a man marries he tightens up."

      At that the Sheriff nudged the Rector, who whispered:

      "The Factor has still another daughter, Rector."

      "What, if he has?" said the Factor. "A man can't have two sisters-in-law to one brother."

      "No, but he can give his brother a sister-in-law, too," said the Rector, and then everybody laughed.

      "That reminds me," said the Factor, "Helga sent us a photograph the other day. Where is it, Thora?"

      "Here it is," said Thora, taking a photograph out of a drawer. Oscar held out his hand for it, and looked at it long and earnestly.

      "How fine! I've scarcely ever seen such a splendid face! Quite grown up, too! Is Helga coming home soon, Factor?"

      "Not very soon," said the Factor.

      And then the lawyer came in with a large portfolio of papers and laid them on the table.

      "Ha, ha!" laughed the Hector. "A rich man's child needs a careful christening, it seems!"

      "You're right, Rector, and it has taken my clerk the entire day to engross the contract, but it was not that which kept me until now--it was this!"

      "The rings!" cried the two elder women, as the lawyer took a small plush box from his pocket.

      "Yes, you may remember that when the rings had to be ordered yesterday morning, Magnus could not be found anywhere, so I was compelled to order them myself. Well, I thought I gave careful instructions, but the idea is abroad in the town, do you know, that it is Oscar, not Magnus, who is to marry Thora--nobody believes anything else--so what does Olaf, the silversmith, do but write 'Oscar' on the inside of one of the rings!"

      "Never!" said Oscar, trying to laugh with the others.

      "Yes, indeed, and the error was not discovered until the very last moment, and then all I could do, as you see, was to have 'Oscar' erased--it was too late to have 'Magnus' inscribed instead."

      "Where is Magnus, I wonder?" said the Governor, walking restlessly before the window.

      "Don't be anxious about Magnus, Stephen," said Anna. "He grows more and more like my poor father. If father promised to be somewhere at a certain time he would turn up to the minute if he had to kill a couple of ponies in getting there."

      The cathedral clock struck five at that moment, and sure enough before the clang of the last stroke had died away Magnus walked into the room. He looked slack and almost untidy in his pea jacket and long boots, and was the only person in the room who had not troubled to dress for the occasion. The Governor's face darkened at sight of him, and the Factor said in a tone of vexation:

      "Well, let us get to work and have it over--I've been spoiling for a smoke this half-hour."

      The lawyer opened his portfolio, and the company gathered about the table, whereupon Aunt Margret cried:

      "Magnus, do you allow of this? Here's Oscar sitting beside Thora."

      "Don't disturb him," said Magnus. "This is good enough for me," and he took a low seat by the side of his mother.

      "Now, come," said the Factor, "let the one who has the best voice start the singing."

      "It must be the lawyer, then," said the Rector, "for every lawyer has a voice of silver--passes it for silver anyway."

      And then, amid the general laughter, the lawyer opened the marriage contract and began to read.

      XI

      The company listened intently, and at the close of every clause the Governor, who was resting his head on his hand and his elbow on the table, said: "Good!" "Very good!" "Generous!" "Most generous!"

      When the lawyer had finished, the other old people leaned back and drew long breaths of satisfaction, but the Governor rose and crossed to the Factor and shook hands with him, saying: "Just like you, old friend!"

      The Factor was gratified by the reception of the document and became bright and almost humorous. Imitating the manner of the auctioneer, he cried: "Anybody bid higher? Then going--going--go----"

      "Wait!" said the Governor. "Hadn't we better ask the opinion of the young people themselves? After all, they are the persons ultimately concerned, and though a cow seldom kicks when you are carrying her clover----"

      There was a general titter, a nodding of many heads and muttered responses of "Just so!" "Just a matter of form!"

      "Very well! Thora, what do you say?" said the Factor, expecting a burst of rapturous approval, but Thora only answered