young couple easily persuaded the cure to do the three readings in
twenty-four hours: he was new to the place, and their looks spoke
volumes in their favour. They were cried on Monday at matins and at
vespers; and, to their great delight, nobody from Tergou was in the
church. The next morning they were both there, palpitating with anxiety,
when, to their horror, a stranger stood up and forbade the banns, On
the score that the parties were not of age, and their parents not
consenting.

Outside the church door Margaret and Gerard held a trembling, and almost
despairing consultation; but, before they could settle anything, the man
who had done them so ill a turn approached, and gave them to understand
that he was very sorry to interfere: that his inclination was to further
the happiness of the young; but that in point of fact his only means of
getting a living was by forbidding banns: what then? "The young people
give me a crown, and I undo my work handsomely; tell the cure I was
misinformed, and all goes smoothly."

"A crown! I will give you a golden angel to do this," said Gerard
eagerly; the man consented as eagerly, and went with Gerard to the cure,
and told him he had made a ridiculous mistake, which a sight of the
parties had rectified. On this the cure agreed to marry the young couple
next day at ten: and the professional obstructor of bliss went home with
Gerard's angel. Like most of these very clever knaves, he was a fool,
and proceeded to drink his angel at a certain hostelry in Tergou where
was a green devoted to archery and the common sports of the day. There,
being drunk, he bragged of his day's exploit; and who should be
there, imbibing every word, but a great frequenter of the spot, the
ne'er-do-weel Sybrandt. Sybrandt ran home to tell his father; his father
was not at home; he was gone to Rotterdam to buy cloth of the merchants.