The Merry Past 



man realised that the moment he had dreaded was 

 at hand, and seeing nothing for it but to accept his 

 fate, nervously blurted out, " Captain, I understand 

 you : which of your sisters do you wish me to marry ? " 

 And the captain, who was a great diplomatist in such 

 matters, replied : " My sister Onor, because it will 

 be a great honour to you, and because she is the eldest 

 and the plainest ; so, brother, here is towards your 

 good health ! I wish you joy of getting into one of 

 the first families in Ireland ! " 



Elopements, followed by marriages at Gretna Green, 

 were common, romantic and well-dowered wards going 

 off with penniless captains, who hoped by matrimony 

 to secure the fortune which neither the hazard- 

 table nor the race-course appeared likely to afford. 



Sometimes ladies were carried off by force, more 

 often than not accepting their fate with considerable 

 equanimity. 



When the brothers Gordon ran away with Mrs. 

 Lee, a woman of great beauty, it was proved in defence 

 on their trial for abduction, that in the carriage the 

 lady drew a camphor bag from her bosom, which she 

 wore as an amulet to preserve her chastity, and threw 

 it out of the window, saying, " The best friends 

 must part ; now, welcome Pleasure ! " 



English girls were rough-and-ready enough in 

 those days, whilst quite devoid of nonsense. 



A blooming lass of eighteen, just married to an 

 amorous swain of seventy, leaving the church face- 

 tiously whispered in the parson's ear, " It will not be 

 long, sir, before I bring him again ! " 



268 



