"I am not sure I did right in giving up my commission so soon. She was immensely taken, if you remember, with my uniform. She likes smart clothes."
"Oh, she's got over that. She's a woman now, and a wide-awake woman to boot."
"There's no doubt about her being wide-awake. But when shall we start?"
"Why not next Monday?"
"Aye, that will do. The sooner the better," and Gervase went off to his room to dream of matrimony and unlimited cash.
CHAPTER XXV
THE END OF A DREAM
It was not until March that Rufus realised that his dream was at an end. He had hoped against hope for weeks; had toiled on with steady persistency and tried to banish from his brain the thought of failure. The knowledge came suddenly, though he took a long journey to the North of England to seek it. When he turned his face toward home he knew that all his labour had been in vain.