There is
one difficulty: you must, of course, be prepared with a priest, so
that you can be married at once if she consents to accompany you."
Gerald Burke was silent for some time. "The scheme seems a possible
one," he said at last; "it is the question of the priest that bothers
me. You know, both in Seville and Cadiz there are Irish colleges,
and at both places there are several priests whom I knew before they
entered the Church, and who would, I am sure, perform the service
for me on any ordinary occasion; but it is a different thing asking
them to take a share in such a business as this, for they would
render themselves liable to all sorts of penalties and punishments
from their superiors. However, the difficulty must be got over
somehow, and at any rate the plan seems to promise better than
anything I had thought of. The first difficulty is how to get the
ruffians for such a business. I cannot go up to the first beetle
browed knave I meet in the street and say to him, 'Are you disposed
to aid me in the abduction of a lady?'"
"No," Geoffrey laughed; "but fortunately you have an intermediary
ready at hand."
"How so?" Gerald exclaimed in surprise. "Why, how on earth can you
have an acquaintance with any ruffians in Cadiz?"
"Not a very intimate acquaintance, Gerald; but if you take the
trouble to go into the courtyard of the inn when we get back you
will see one of those rascally muleteers who went in league with
the robbers who attacked us on the way.
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