nothing more to be said on the matter between
George Bertram and Mr. Stickatit. The latter declared that the fact
had been communicated to him on authority which admitted of no doubt;
and the other, when he did believe, was but little inclined to share
his speculations on it with the lawyer.

Nor was there much for Bertram to do--not at once. The story had
already gone down to Hadley--had already been told there to her to
whom it most belonged; and Bertram felt that it was not at present
his province to say kind things to her, or seek to soften the
violence of the shock. No, not at present.

CHAPTER XVII.

CONCLUSION.

Methinks it is almost unnecessary to write this last chapter. The
story, as I have had to tell it, is all told. The object has been
made plain--or, if not, can certainly not be made plainer in these
last six or seven pages. The results of weakness and folly--of such
weakness and such folly as is too customary among us--have been
declared. What further fortune fate had in store for those whose
names have been familiar to us, might be guessed by all. But,
nevertheless, custom, and the desire of making an end of the
undertaken work, and in some sort completing it, compel me to this
concluding chapter.

Within six weeks after the death of Sir Henry Harcourt, the vicar of
Hurst Staple was married to Adela Gauntlet. Every critic who weighs
the demerits of these pages--nay, every reader, indulgent or
otherwise, who skims through them, will declare that the gentleman
was not worthy of the lady. I hope so, with all my heart. I do
sincerely trust that they will think so. If not, my labour has been
in vain.

Mr. Arthur Wilkinson was not worthy of the wife with whom a kind
Providence had blessed him--was not worthy of her in the usual
acceptation of the word. He was not a bad man, as men go; but she
was--. I must not trust myself to praise her, or I shall be told, not
altogether truly, that she was of my own creating.

He was not worthy of her. That is, the amount of wealth of character
which he brought into that life partnership was, when counted up,
much less than her contribution. But that she was fully satisfied
with her bargain--that she was so then and so continued--was a part
of her worthiness. If ever she weighed herself against him, the scale
in which he was placed never in her eyes showed itself to be light.
She took him for her lord, and with a leal heart and a loving bosom
she ever reco