Chapter 22

Be not your tongue thy own shame's orator,
Look sweet, speak fair, become disloyalty,
Apparel vice like virtue's harbinger.
--_Comedy of Errors._

The situation of the party in Mr. Wharton's dwelling was sufficiently
awkward, during the hour of Caesar's absence; for such was the
astonishing rapidity displayed by his courser, that the four miles of
road was gone over, and the events we have recorded had occurred,
somewhat within that period of time. Of course, the gentlemen strove to
make the irksome moments fly as swiftly as possible; but premeditated
happiness is certainly of the least joyous kind. The bride and
bridegroom are immemorially privileged to be dull, and but few of their
friends seemed disposed, on the present occasion, to dishonor their
example. The English colonel exhibited a proper portion of uneasiness at
this unexpected interruption of his felicity, and he sat with a varying
countenance by the side of Sarah, who seemed to be profiting by the
delay to gather fortitude for the solemn ceremony. In the midst of this
embarrassing silence, Doctor Sitgreaves addressed himself to Miss
Peyton, by whose side he had contrived to procure a chair. "Marriage,
madam, is pronounced to be honorable in the sight of God and man; and it
may be said to be reduced, in the present age, to the laws of nature and
reason. The ancients, in sanctioning polygamy, lost sight of the
provisions of nature, and condemned thousands to misery; but with the
increase of science have grown the wise ordinances of society, which
ordain that man should be the husband of but one woman."

Wellmere glanced a fierce expression of disgust at the surgeon, that
indicated his sense of the tediousness of the other's remarks; while
Miss Peyton, with a slight hesitation, as if fearful of touching on
forbidden subjects, replied,--

"I had thought, sir, that we were indebted to the Christian religion
for our morals on this subject."

"True, madam, it is somewhere provided in the prescriptions of the
apostles, that the sexes should henceforth be on an equality in this
particular. But in what degree could polygamy affect holiness of life?
It was probably a wise arrangement of Paul, who was much of a scholar,
and probably had frequent conferences, on this important subject, with
Luke, whom we all know to have been bred to the practice of medicine--"

There is no telling how far the discursive fancy of Sitgreaves might
have led him, on this subject, had he not been interrupted. But Lawton,
who had been a close though silent observer of all that passed, profited
by the hint to ask abruptly,--

"Pray, Colonel Wellmere, in what manner is bigamy punished in England?"

The