that in doing so he was simply acquiring experience
necessary for himself. If it were so, he had indeed done well to
separate himself from a thing so infamous. And if it were not so,
how could it be that that man had gone to her in Devonshire? He had
received from his wife's hands a short note addressed to the man, in
which the man was desired by her not to go to her, or to write to
her again, because of her husband's commands. He had shown this to
Bozzle, and Bozzle had smiled. "It's just the sort of thing they
does," Bozzle had said. "Then they writes another by post." He had
consulted Bozzle as to the sending on of that letter, and Bozzle had
been strongly of opinion that it should be forwarded, a copy having
been duly taken and attested by himself. It might be very pretty
evidence by-and-by. If the letter were not forwarded, Bozzle thought
that the omission to do so might be given in evidence against his
employer. Bozzle was very careful, and full of "evidence." The letter
therefore was sent on to Colonel Osborne. "If there's billy-dous
going between 'em we shall nobble 'em," said Bozzle. Trevelyan tore
his hair in despair, but believed that there would be billy-dous.

He came to believe everything; and, though he prayed fervently that
his wife might not be led astray, that she might be saved at any
rate from utter vice, yet he almost came to hope that it might be
otherwise;--not, indeed, with the hope of the sane man, who desires
that which he tells himself to be for his advantage; but with the
hope of the insane man, who loves to feed his grievance, even though
the grief should be his death. They who do not understand that a man
may be brought to hope that which of all things is the most grievous
to him, have not observed with sufficient closeness the perversity of
the human mind. Trevelyan would have given all that he had to save
his wife; would, even now, have cut his tongue out before he would
have expressed to anyone,--save to Bozzle,--a suspicion that she
could in truth have been guilty; was continually telling himself that
further life would be impossible to him, if he, and she, and that
child of theirs, should be thus disgraced;--and yet he expected it,
believed it, and, after a fashion, he almost hoped it.

He was to wait at Turin till tidings should come from Bozzle, and
after that he would go on to Venice; but he would not move from Turin
till he should have received his first communication from Englan