do what he had to do in Melbourne and
to get back to England before a later date than that which he had hoped
would be his wedding-day. Yet to do anything less than this would be
futile and foolish; and it was possible that the future stability of his
position was dependent upon his arrangement of these Melbourne
difficulties. It was his home, the prosperity of his coming life that he
had to fight for; and he told himself that he must put aside all
weakness, as he had done once before, when he turned away from the
easy-going studies and pleasures of young Oxford life to undertake a
hand-to-hand fight with evil fortune.

He had conquered then, as he hoped to conquer now, having an energetic
nature, and a strong faith in man's power to master fortune by honest
work and patience.

There was no time lost after once his decision was arrived at. He began
to put his affairs in order for departure immediately, and wrote to
Marian within a few hours of making up his mind as to the necessity of
this voyage. He told her frankly all that had happened, that their
fortune was at stake, and that it was his bounden duty to take this step
hard as it might seem to him. He could not leave England without seeing
her once more, he said, recently as they had parted, and brief as his
leisure must needs be. There were so many things he would have to say to
her on the eve of this cruel separation.

He went down to Lidford one evening when all the arrangements for his
voyage were complete, and he had two clear days at his disposal before
the vessel he was to go in left Liverpool. The Listers were very much
surprised and shocked when he told them what he was going to do; Mrs.
Lister bitterly bewailing the insecurity of all commercial positions, and
appearing to consider her brother on the verge of bankruptcy.

He found a warm welcome at the cottage from the Captain, who heartily
approved of the course he was taking, and was full of hopefulness about
the future.

"A few months more or less can make little difference," he said, when
Gilbert was lamenting the postponement of his wedding. "Marian will be
quite safe in her old uncle's care; and I do not suppose either of you
will love each other any the less for the delay. I have such perfect
confidence in you, Gilbert, you see; and it is such a happiness to me to
know that my darling's future is in the hands of a man I can so
thoroughly trust. Were you reduced to absolute poverty, with the battl