Gretna Green

I am going to Gretna Green, and if you cannot guess with who, I shall think you a simpleton" (Chapt. 47, page 209).

Gretna Green was the first villiage settled in Scotland and lies at the mouth of the River Esk, in southern Scotland. It is well known to this day to be a place where couples run to in order to get married. Austin includes the names of real locations such as this, to add to the validity of the story.