“Home—yes； but not without my bride，” answered he，in the same hollow accents. “You deem this mockery—perhaps madness. Had I bedizened my aged and brokenframe with scarlet and embroidery， had I forced mywithered lips to smile at my dead heart， that might havebeen mockery or madness； but now let young and olddeclare which of us has come hither without a weddinggarment—the bridegroom or the bride.”
He stepped forward at a ghostly pace and stood besidethe widow， contrasting the awful simplicity of his shroudwith the glare and glitter in which she had arrayed herselffor this unhappy scene. None that beheld them could denythe terrible strength of the moral which his disorderedintellect had contrived to draw.
“Cruel！ cruel！” groaned the heartstricken bride.
“Cruel？” repeated he； then， losing his deathlikecomposure in a wild bitterness， “Heaven judge which of ushas been cruel to the other！ In youth you deprived me ofmy happiness， my hopes， my aims； you took away all thesubstance of my life and made it a dream without realityenough even to grieve at—with only a pervading gloom，through which I walked wearily and cared not whither.
But after forty years， when I have built my tomb andwould not give up the thought of resting there—no， notfor such a life as we once pictured—you call me to thealtar. At your summons I am here. But other husbandshave enjoyed your youth， your beauty， your warmth ofheart and all that could be termed your life. What is therefor me but your decay and death？ And therefore I havebidden these funeral-friends， and bespoken the sexton’sdeepest knell， and am come in my shroud to wed you aswith a burial-service， that we may join our hands at thedoor of the sepulchre and enter it together.”
It was not frenzy， it was not merely the drunkennessof strong emotion in a heart unused to it， that nowwrought upon the bride. The stern lesson of the day haddone its work； her worldliness was gone. She seized thebridegroom’s hand.
“Yes！” cried she； “let us wed even at the door of thesepulchre. My life is gone in vanity and emptiness， but atits close there is one true feeling. It has made me what Iwas in youth： it makes me worthy of you. Time is no morefor both of us. Let us wed for eternity.”
With a long and deep regard the bridegroom lookedinto her eyes， while a tear was gathering in his own. Howstrange that gush of human feeling from the frozen bosomof a corpse！ He wiped away the tear， even with his shroud.
“Beloved of my youth，” said he， “I have been wild. Thedespair of my whole lifetime had returned at once andmaddened me. Forgive and be forgiven. Yes； it is eveningwith us now， and we have realized none of our morningdreams of happiness. But let us join our hands before thealtar as lovers whom adverse circumstances have separatedthrough life， yet who meet again as they are leaving it andfind their earthly affection changed into something holy asreligion. And what is time to the married of eternity？”
Amid the tears of many and a swell of exalted sentimentin those who felt aright was solemnized the union oftwo immortal souls. The train of withered mourners， thehoary bridegroom in his shroud， the pale features of theaged bride and the death-bell tolling through the wholetill its deep voice overpowered the marriage-words， allmarked the funeral of earthly hopes. But as the ceremonyproceeded， the organ， as if stirred by the sympathiesof this impressive scene， poured forth an anthem， firstmingling with the dismal knell， then rising to a loftierstrain， till the soul looked down upon its woe. And whenthe awful rite was finished and with cold hand in coldhand the married of eternity withdrew， the organ’s peal ofsolemn triumph drowned the wedding-knell.
