hat 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 acquainted with the real state of her feelings. There
must have been some stronger influence than this at work when she left
Lidford. I want to know the true cause of that hurried departure, John. I
want to be sure that Marian Nowell is happy, and in safe hands."

"By what means do you hope to discover this?"

"I rely a good deal upon repeated advertisements in the _Times_. They may
bring me tidings of Marian--if not directly, from some person who has
seen her since she left Lidford."

"If she really wished to hide herself from you, she would most likely
change her name."

"Why should she wish to hide herself from me? She must know that she
might trust me. Of her own free will she would never do this cruel thing.
There must have been some secret influence at work upon my darling's
mind. It shall be my business to discover what that influence was; or, in
plainer words still, to discover the man who has robbed me of Marian
Nowell's heart."

"It comes to that, then," said John Saltram. "You suspect some unknown
rival?"

"Yes; that is the most natural conclusion to arrive at. And yet heaven
knows how unwillingly I take that into consideration."

"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