But this night I must return home," she said. "I will not leave my father thus—I will not cause my aunt's death." "If you leave me now I shall lose you." "O Glenarvon, let me return; and after seeing them once again, I will follow you firm until death."
He placed a ring upon her finger. "It is a marriage bond," he said; "and if there be a God, let him now bear witness to my vows:—I here, uncompelled by menace, unsolicited by entreaty, do bind myself through life to you. No other, in word or thought, shall ever hold influence or power over my heart. This is no lover's oath—no profession which the intoxication of passion may extort: it is the free and solemn purpose of a soul conquered and enchained by you. Oh Calantha, beloved, adored, look upon me, and say that you believe me. Lean not upon a lover's bosom, but upon a friend, a guardian and protector, a being wholly relying on your mercy and
