"Blessings on
you, angel of my love and happiness!" Then he sprang up, and,
drawing the young girl within his arms, he impressed a glowing kiss
upon her lips.
"That is my betrothal kiss, Margaret; now you are mine; in this hour
our souls are united in never-ending love and faithfulness. Nothing
can separate us after this, for we journey hand in hand upon the
same road; we have the same great and hallowed goal! Now come, my
love, let us take our place before the altar of God, and testify
with an oath to the love which we cherish toward our queen!"
He offered her his arm, and, both smiling, both with beaming faces,
left the room, and joined the wedding guests who had long been
waiting for them with growing impatience. They entered the carriages
and drove to the church. With joyful faces the bridal pair pledged
their mutual fidelity before the altar, and their hands pressed one
another, and their eyes met with a secret understanding of all that
was meant at that wedding. They both knew that at that moment they
were pledging their fidelity to the queen, and that, while seeming
to give themselves away to each other, they were really giving
themselves to their sovereign.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, they left the church of St. Louis
to repair to the wedding dinner, which Councillor Bugeaud had
ordered to be prepared in one of the most brilliant restaurants of
Versailles.
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