The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

When he had said thus he comes upstairs, and I was by that time come

out of my room; so he tells me the minister was below, and that he had

talked with him, and that upon showing him the license, he was free to

marry us with all his heart, 'but he asks to see you'; so he asked if I

would let him come up.

''Tis time enough,' said I, 'in the morning, is it not?' 'Why,' said

he, 'my dear, he seemed to scruple whether it was not some young girl

stolen from her parents, and I assured him we were both of age to

command our own consent; and that made him ask to see you.' 'Well,'

said I, 'do as you please'; so up they brings the parson, and a merry,

good sort of gentleman he was. He had been told, it seems, that we had

met there by accident, that I came in the Chester coach, and my

gentleman in his own coach to meet me; that we were to have met last

night at Stony-Stratford, but that he could not reach so far. 'Well,

sir,' says the parson, 'every ill turn has some good in it. The

disappointment, sir,' says he to my gentleman, 'was yours, and the good

turn is mine, for if you had met at Stony-Stratford I had not had the

honour to marry you. Landlord, have you a Common Prayer Book?' I started as if I had been frightened. 'Lord, sir,' says I, 'what do

you mean? What, to marry in an inn, and at night too?' 'Madam,' says

the minister, 'if you will have it be in the church, you shall; but I

assure you your marriage will be as firm here as in the church; we are

not tied by the canons to marry nowhere but in the church; and if you

will have it in the church, it will be a public as a county fair; and

as for the time of day, it does not at all weigh in this case; our

princes are married in their chambers, and at eight or ten o'clock at

night.' I was a great while before I could be persuaded, and pretended not to

be willing at all to be married but in the church. But it was all

grimace; so I seemed at last to be prevailed on, and my landlord and

his wife and daughter were called up. My landlord was father and clerk

and all together, and we were married, and very merry we were; though I

confess the self-reproaches which I had upon me before lay close to me,

and extorted every now and then a deep sigh from me, which my

bridegroom took notice of, and endeavoured to encourage me, thinking,

poor man, that I had some little hesitations at the step I had taken so

hastily.