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ON HIS WAY THROUGH THE WORLD 235
" You have been cruelly injured, Caroline," says the Captain,
wagging his old nose over his handkerchief.
Caroline seemed to be very well versed in the law of the
transaction. "You mean, sir," she said slowly, "that if me and
Mr. Brandon was married to each other, he knowing that he was
only playing at marriage, and me believing that it was all for
good, we are really married."
" Undoubtedly you are, madam—my client has—that is, I have
had advice on the point."
" But if we both knew that it was—was only a sort of a
marriage—an irregular marriage, you know ?"
"Then the Act says that to all intents and purposes the
marriage is null and void."
" But you didn't know, my poor innocent child !" cries Mr.
Gann. " How should you 1 How old was you ? She was a child
in the nursery, Mr. Bond, when the villain inveigled her away from
her poor old father. She knew nothing of irregular marriages."
" Of course she didn't, the poor creature," cries the old gentleman,
rubbing his hands together with perfect good-humour. " Poor
young thing, poor young thing !"
As he was speaking, Caroline, very pale and still, was sitting
looking at Ridley's sketch of Philip, which hung in her little room.
Presently she turned round on the attorney, folding her little hands
over her work.
"Mr. Bond," she said, "girls, though they may be ever so
young, know more than some folks fancy. I was more than sixteen
when that—that business happened. I wasn't happy at home, and
eager to get away. I knew that a gentleman of his rank wouldn't
be likely really to marry a poor Cinderella out of a lodging-house,
like me. If the truth must be told, I—I knew it was no marriage
—never thought it was a marriage—not for good, you know."
And she folds her little hands together as she utters the words,
and I daresay once more looks at Philip's portrait.
" Gracious goodness, madam, you must be under some error !"
cries the attorney. " How should a child like you know that the
marriage was irregular ?"
"Because I had no lines!" cries Caroline quickly. "Never
asked for none ! And our maid we had then said to me, ' Miss
Carry, where's your lines ? And it's no good without.' And I
knew it wasn't. And I'm ready to go before the Lord Chancellor
to-morrow and say so !" cries Caroline, to the bewilderment of her
father and her cross-examinant
" Pause, pause ! my good madam !" exclaims the meek old
gentleman, rising from his chair.