In the name of Christ, Amen!"
Then Aubrey, taking his wife's hand, placed for the first time on
her finger the golden wedding-ring.
"In the presence of you all, before God, I place this ring upon my
wife's hand as a symbol of unbreaking faith and loyalty! I pledge my
life to hers; and promise to defend her from all evil, to shelter
her, to work for her, and to guard her with such tenderness as shall
not fail! I swear my faith; and may God forsake me if I break my
vow!"
And Sylvie without hesitation, responded in her sweet clear voice.
"In the presence of you all, before God, I take this ring and wear
it as a symbol of my husband's trust in me, and a token of his love!
I pledge my life to his; and promise to uphold the honour of his
name,--to obey him in every just and rightful wish,--to defend his
actions,--to guard his home in peace and good report,--and to
surround him with such tenderness as shall not fail! I swear my
faith; and may God forsake me if I break my vow!"
There followed a deep and almost breathless silence. Then Aubrey
spoke once more, standing before the throng with Sylvie by his side
and her hand clasped in his.
"I thank you all, my friends! Strange and unlike all marriage
ceremonies as ours is to-day, I feel that it is a sacred and a
binding one! Your thousands of eyes and ears have heard and seen us
swear our marriage vows--your thousands of hearts and minds have
understood the spirit in which we accept this solemn sacrament! I
will ask you before we go, to kneel down with us and repeat 'The
Prayer of Heart-searching' which I have said with you so often, and
to then quietly disperse.
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