Pagina 448 di 896

He gave his arm to his daughter, and took her down-stairs to the

chariot which Mr. Lorry had hired in honour of the day. The rest

followed in another carriage, and soon, in a neighbouring church,

where no strange eyes looked on, Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette

were happily married.

Besides the glancing tears that shone among the smiles of the

little group when it was done, some diamonds, very bright and

sparkling, glanced on the bride's hand, which were newly released

from the dark obscurity of one of Mr. Lorry's pockets. They

returned home to breakfast, and all went well, and in due course

the golden hair that had mingled with the poor shoemaker's white

locks in the Paris garret, were mingled with them again in the

morning sunlight, on the threshold of the door at parting.

It was a hard parting, though it was not for long. But her father

cheered her, and said at last, gently disengaging himself from

her enfolding arms, "Take her, Charles! She is yours!"