ThenGodfreytoldherthattherewassomethingelse，andindeedallaboutthebusiness。
　　“Well，thereyouare，andthere’snothingtobesaid，oratleastsomuchthatitcomestothesamething，“remarkedMrs。Parsons，inareflectivetone，whenhehadfinishedhisstory。“ButwhatIwanttoknow，“shewenton，“iswhythesekindofthingshappen。Youtwo——I
　　meanyouandMissIsobel——arejustfittedtoeachother，appointedtogetherbyNature，sotospeak，andfondasacoupleofdovesuponaperch。Sowhyshouldn’tyoutakeeachotherandhavedone？Whatistheretocomebetweenayoungmanandayoungwomansuchasyouare？“
　　“Idon’tknow，“groanedGodfrey。
　　“No，nordon’tI；andyetsomethingdoescomebetween。What’sthemeaningofitall？Whydothingsalwaysgocussedinthis’ereworld？
　　Isthereadevilaboutwhatmanagesit，orisitjustchance？Whyshouldn’tpeoplehavewhattheywantandwhenit’swanted，insteadofbeingforcedtowaituntilperhapsitisn’t，orcan’tbeenjoyed，oroftenenoughtoloseitaltogether？Youcan’tanswer，andnorcan’tI；
　　onlyattimesIdothink，notwithstandingallmyChristianteachingsandhundredsandhundredsofyourfather’ssermons，thatthedevil，he’stop-doghere。Andasforthatthereforeignwomanwhoseletteryou’vereadtome，she’shishousemaid。NotbutwhatI’msureitwillallcomerightatlast，“sheadded，withanattemptatcheerfulness。
　　“Ihopeso，“repliedGodfrey，withoutconviction，andwenttobed。
　　Presentlyhedescendedfromhisroomagain，bearingapill-boxinwhichwasenclosedacertainringthatyearsbeforehehadboughtatLucerne，aringsetwithtwoheartsofturquoise。
　　“Ipromisednottowrite，“hesaid，“butyoumightaddressthistoher。She’llknowwhatitis，forItoldheraboutit。“
　　“Yes，“saidMrs。Parsons，“theyoungladyshallhavethatboxofpills。Beingupset，itmaydohergood。“
　　InduecourseIsobeldidhaveit；alsotheboxcamebackaddressedtoMrs。Parsons。Initwasanotherring，asimplebandofancientgold——
　　asamatteroffact，itwasRoman，abetrothalringoftwothousandyearsago。Rounditwasascrapofpaperonwhichwaswritten：
　　“Thiswasdugupinagrave。Mygreat-grandmothergaveittomygreat-grandfatherwhentheybecameengagedaboutahundredyearsago，andheworeitallhislife，asinabygoneagesomeoneelsehaddone。Nowthegreat-granddaughtergivesittoanother。Lethimwearitallhislife，whateverhappenstoher，ortohim。Thenletitgotothegraveagain，perhapstobewornbyothersfarcenturieshence。“
　　Godfreyunderstoodandsetitonthethirdfingerofhislefthand，whereitremainednightandday，andyearbyyear。
　　Sothatmatterended，andafterwardscamesilenceanddarknesswhichenduredfortenyearsormore。Fromhisfatherheheardnothing，noronhispartdidheeverwritetohimagain。IndeedthefirstnewsconcerninghimwhichreachedGodfreywasthatofhisdeathwhichhappenedsomesevenyearslater，apparentlyafterabriefillness。
　　Evenofthishewouldnothavelearned，sincenoonetookthetroubletoputitinanypaperthathesaw，haditnotchancedthattheRev。
　　Mr。Knightdiedintestate，andthatthereforehissmallbelongingsdescendedtoGodfreyashisnaturalheir。Withthemwereanumberofpapers，amongwhichintheafterdaysGodfreyfoundtheveryletterthatIsobelwrotetohimwhichhisfather“posted“inhisdesk。
　　Forhissontherewasnoword，acircumstancethatshowedtheimplacabilityofthisman’scharacter。NotwithstandinghiscontinualprofessionofthehighestChristianprincipleshecouldneverforgetorforgive，andthisalthoughitwashewhowasinfault。ForwhatwronghadGodfreydonetohiminlovingawomanwhomhedidnotchancetolike？Sohediedsilent，bearinghisresentmenttothegrave。AndyetsomeoddsenseofjusticepreventedhimfromrobbingGodfreyofhislittleinheritance，somethingundertwothousandpounds，thatcameonapolicyofinsuranceandcertainsavings，asumwhichinafteryearswhenmoneywasplentifulwithhimGodfreyappointedtotherepairandbeautifyingoftheAbbeyChurchatMonk’sAcre。
　　Strangelyenough，althoughfromhischildhoodtheyhadbeenalwaysestranged，Godfreyfeltthisconductofhisfatherverymuchindeed。
　　Itseemeddreadfultohimthatheshouldvanishthusintothedarkness，takinghiswrathwithhim；andoftenhewonderedifitstillanimatedhimthere。Alsohewonderedwhatcouldbethepossiblepurposeofitall，andindeedwhyhisfatherwassofashionedthathecouldgrowvenomousoversuchamatter。Toallofwhichquestionsnoanswercame，althoughonesuggesteditselftohim——namely，thathewasthevictimofsomehereditarytaint，andthereforenotinfacttoblame。
　　InthecaseofIsobelthedarknesswasequallydense，forbothofthemkepttheirword，andwiththesingleexceptionoftheepisodeoftheexchangeofrings，neitherattemptedtocommunicatewiththeotherdirectlyorindirectly。FromMrs。ParsonsheheardthatHawk’sHallwasshutup，andthatSirJohnandhisdaughterlivedmostlyinLondonorataplacethattheformerhadboughtinScotland。OnceindeedMrs。
　　Parsonsdidwrite，orgotsomeoneelsetowrite，tohimthatshehadseenIsobeldrivepastherinthestreet，andthatshelookedwell，thoughrather“sternandquiet-like。“
　　ThatwasallthenewsGodfreyhadofIsobelduringthosetenyears，sinceshewasnotapersonwhoadvertisedhermovementsinthepapers，althoughforhersakehebecameagreatstudentofsocietygossip。
　　Alsohereadwithcareallannouncementsofengagementsandmarriagesin/TheTimes/，andthedeaths，too，forthematterofthat，buthappilyquitewithoutresult。Indeedinviewofherdeclarationheoughttohavebeen，and，infact，was，ashamedofhisresearch；butthen，whocouldbequitesureofanythinginthisworld？
　　SirJohn，heknew，wasliving，becausefromtimetotimehesawhisnameinlistsofsubscriptionsofasortthatappearunderroyalpatronageandarelargelyadvertised。
　　Sobetweenthesetwoswungaveilofdarkness，although，hadhebutknownit，thiswasnotnearlysoimpenetrabletoIsobelastohimself。
　　Somehow——possiblyArthurThorburnhadfriendswithwhomhecorrespondedinEnglandwhoknewIsobel——sheacquiredinformationastoeverydetailofhiscareer。Indeedwhenhecametolearneverythinghewasabsolutelyamazedattheparticularswithwhichshewasacquainted，whereoftherewerecertainthathewouldhavepreferredtohavekepttohimself。Butshehadthemall，withdatesandsurroundingcircumstancesandtherest；thousandsofmilesofoceanhadbeennobartohersearchinggaze。
　　Forhisparthewasnotwithoutconsolations，since，strangelyenough，heneverfeltasifshewerelosttohim，orindeedfaraway；itwasalwaysasthoughshewereinthenextroom，oratanyrateinthenextstreet。Thereareindividualsofsensitivemind，andhewasoneofthem，whoknowwellenoughwhensuchatotallosshasoccurred。Ithasbeenwellsaidthatthedeadareneverreallydeadtousuntiltheyareforgotten，andthesameappliestotheliving。Whiletheyrememberus，theyareneversoveryfaraway，andwhatismorewe，orsomeofus，arequiteawareiftheyhaveceasedtoremember，forthenthedoorisshutandthedoorwaybuiltupandourheartstellusthatthishasbeendone。
　　InGodfrey’scasewithIsobel，notonlydidthedoorwayremainedunfilled——thedooritselfwasalwaysajar。Althoughseasdividedthemandoverthesenowhispercame，yethefeltherthoughtleapingtohimacrosstheworld。Especiallydidthishappenatnightwhenhelaidhimselfdowntosleep，perhapsbecausethenhismindwasmostreceptive，andsincetheirhoursofgoingtorestmusthavebeendifferent，hebeinginIndiaandsheinEngland，shecouldscarcelyhavebeenreflectingonhimashefondlybelieved，atthemomentwhenshe，too，enteredintotheworldcalledsleep。
　　Therefore，eitheritwasallimaginationorhecaughtherwakingthoughts，orperhapsthosethathauntedheruponthisborderlandweredelayeduntilhissubtlerbeingcouldinterpretthem。Whoknows？Atleast，unlesssomethinghadhappenedtodisturbhim，thosenightswererarewhenashewasshuttinghiseyes，GodfreydidnotseemtobesensibleofIsobel’spresence。Atanyrate，heknewthatshehadnotforgotten；heknewthatsomewhereinthevastworldshewaseverthinkingofhimwithmoreintensitythanshethoughtofanyothermanorthing。Andduringallthoselonelyyearsthisknowledgeorbeliefwashisgreatestcomfort。
　　NotthatGodfrey’slifeinIndiawasinanywayunhappy。Onthecontraryitwasafullandactivelife。Heworkedhardathisprofessionandsucceededinittoalimitedextent，andhehadhisfriends，especiallyhisgreatfriendArthurThorburn，whoalwaysclungtohim。Hehadhisflirtationsalso；beingamanofsusceptibilitywhowaspopularwithwomen，howcouldtheybeavoided？ForaboveallthingsGodfreywasaman，notahermitorasaintoran？sthete，butjustamanwithmoregiftsofasortthanhavesomeothers。Helivedthelifeoftherest，hehunted，heshottigers，doingthosethingsthattheAnglo-Indianofficerdoes，butallthesamehestudied。
　　Whetheritwereofhistradeofsoldiering，orofthenatives，orofEasternthoughtandlaw，hewasalwayslearningsomething，tillatlastheknewagreatdeal，oftenhewonderedtowhatend。
　　Andyet，withallhisfriendsandacquaintances，inawayheremainedaverylonelyman，asthosewhoarealittleoutoftheordinaryoftendo。Inthecommongroovewerubagainsttheothermarblesrunningdownit，butonceweleapoveritsedge，thenwherearewe？Wecannotwanderoffintospacebecauseoftheattractionoftheearththatissoneartous，andyetwearealoneintheairuntilwithabumpwemeetournativeground。Thereforeforthemostofusthegrooveismuchbetter。Andyetsomewholeaveithavebeencarriedelsewhere，ifonlyforalittlewhile，likeSt。Paulintothethirdheaven。