Fenton's Quest

othing of their dear friend Miss Nowell, of whom they spoke with the warmest regard. They had never seen her since they had left

ear London. They both answered promptly in the negative. The school was a small one, and they had

ry possible channel by which he might obtain information. The ground lay open before him, and there was nothing left for him

with G.F., Post-office, Wigmore-street, to whom her silence has caused extreme anxiety. Sh

of his lost love. The mystery might be happily solved after all, and Marian prove true to him. He tried to persuade himse

rouble. He found his friend at home, writing, with his desk pushed against the open window, and the dust and shabbiness of

," he said. "I didn't kn

tled you a little, dear old fellow, coming in upon you without a moment's notice, when

ell out yonder,

ough with me in business. But my

is

is dead, and Mari

do you mea

all that had befallen him s

nd help, John," he said, whe

lp another in such a business, and my counsel in all honesty," answe

ld you do

likely to agree w

out,

order to escape from her engagement, perhaps expecting your early return. I believe your pursuit of her can only end in failure and

y this afternoon, that she may still be true to me and that there may have been some hidden reason for her conduct. Granted that she wished to escape from her engagement, she might have trusted to my honour to give her a prompt release the moment I became acq

do you hope to

mes. They may bring me tidings of Marian-if not directly,

herself from you, she would

o this cruel thing. There must have been some secret influence at work upon my darling's mind. It shall be my business to d

said John Saltram. "You su

to arrive at. And yet heaven knows how u

ticular person w

on

esult from your advertis

agine that the advertisements will fail completely. If she left Lidford to be married, there must be some record of

d her the wife of another man, what reward woul

fe and honourable position. I love her too

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 you

s the only woman I have ever loved

u to believe that just now; and a yea

thing 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

but I rub on somehow. I have been working at literature like a galley-slave; have contributed no end of stuff to the Quarterl

t a n

rite study of mine, you know, that brilliant, unprincipled, intolerant, cynical, irresistible, miserable man. Scott's biography seems to me to give but a

the time comes," answered Gilbert. "And how a

on is dead-went off the hooks rather suddenly about a m

I suppose, Jack, as soon

cards," John Saltram said

Is there any doubt as

the personalty sworn under a hundred and twenty thousand,-all left to the widow,-besides rea

splendid match

ery much if I am quite the man for that sort of life. I should be apt to fancy it a kind of

rs. Branston, d

husband. She is full of romantic ideas, school-girl theories of life which she was obliged to nip in the

r often since her

e funeral, and again yesterday. She is

oth water, and with some purpose in life. I should like to see y

ers these chairs and tables have served. The rooms have an atmosphere of failure; but they sui

reab

are most remote from the haunts of men, unknown to cockneys; and so long as there is a river within reach of

Lidford since I left

wn to him. He was ill, and in a very dismal condition altogether, abandoned by the rest of his cronies, and a close

dgewick, or Marian, whi

kind old Captain; but Forster was unconscionabl

ide of the globe while he had been on the other. No more was said about Marian, or Gilbert's plans for the future. In his own mind that one subject reigned supreme, shuttin

below rarely broken by a passing footfall. It was the pleasantest evening which Gilbert Fenton had spent for a long

ou what a happiness it has been to me to see you again. We were never sepa

regard, but disinclined to betray his emotion,

far as my own liking for you goes, there is no inequality between us; but you are a better fellow than I am

o see you a great man, and to be proud enough of being able to claim you as the chosen friend of my youth. M

ilbert, I tell you there are some men for wh

you mean

ou will ever see me Ade

nderstand

strange in that. There are times