"They could be married at a distance."
"You will find no priest who will consent to do such a wicked thing as
marry us without my mother's knowledge," objected Josephine.
"Oh! as to that," said Rose, "you know the mayor marries people
nowadays."
"I will not be married again without a priest," said Josephine, sharply.
"Nor I," said Camille. "I know a mayor who will do the civil forms for
me, and a priest who will marry me in the sight of Heaven, and both will
keep it secret for love of me till it shall please Josephine to throw
off this disguise."
"Who is the priest?" inquired Josephine, keenly.
"An old cure: he lives near Frejus: he was my tutor, and the mayor is
the mayor of Frejus, also an old friend of mine."
"But what on earth will you say to them?"
"That is my affair: I must give them some reasons which compel me to
keep my marriage secret. Oh! I shall have to tell them some fibs, of
course."
"There, I thought so! I will not have you telling fibs; it lowers you."
"Of course it does; but you can't have secrecy without a fib or two.
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