"There is no particular person whom you suspect?"
"No one."
"If there should be no result from your advertisement, what will you do?"
"I cannot tell you just yet. Unless I get some kind of clue, the business will seem a hopeless one. But I cannot imagine that the advertisements will fail completely. If she left Lidford to be married, there must be some record of her marriage. Should my first advertisements fail, my next shall be inserted with a view to discover such a record."
"And if, after infinite trouble, you should find her the wife of another man, what reward would you have for your wasted time and lost labour?"
"The happiness of knowing her to be in a safe and honourable position. I love her too dearly to remain in ignorance of her fate."
"Well, Gilbert, I know that good advice is generally thrown away in such a case as this; but I have a fixed opinion on the subject. To my mind, there is only one wise course open to you, and that is, to let this thing alone, and resign yourself to the inevitable. I acknowledge that Miss Nowell was eminently worthy of your affection; but you know the old song—'If she be not fair to me, what care I how fair she be.' There are plenty of women in the world. The choice is wide enough."
"Not for me, John. Marian Nowell is the only woman I have ever loved, the only woman I ever can love."
"My dear boy, it is so natural for you to believe that just now; and a year hence you will think so differently!"
"No, John. But I am not going to make any protestations of my constancy. Let the matter rest. I knew that my life is broken—that this blow has left me nothing to hope for or to live for, except the hope of finding the girl who has wronged me. I won't weary you with lamentations. My talk has been entirely of self since I came into this room. Tell me your own affairs, Jack, old friend. How has the world gone with you since we parted at Liverpool last year?"