He could scarcely hope to 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.
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