Radmore had been the violent, unreasonable element in the painful
episode, for Betty had behaved well, almost too well. The girl would have
thrown in her lot with her lover, but both her father and step-mother had
been agonised at the thought of trusting her to a man--and so very young
a man--who had made such a failure of his life. That he was going out to
Australia practically penniless--nay, worse than penniless, saddled with
debts of so-called honour--had been, or so they had judged at the time,
entirely his own fault.
John Tosswill, who had a very clear and acute mind when any abstract
question was under discussion, had told Betty plainly that she would only
be a dangerous hindrance to a man situated as Radmore would be situated
in a new country, and she had submitted to her father's judgment.
But how ironical are the twists and turns of life! If only they had known
what the future was to bring forth, how differently Betty's father and
step-mother would have acted! Yet now to-day, Janet tried to tell herself
that Betty had had a happy escape. Godfrey had been like a bull in the
net during those painful days nine years ago. He had shown himself
utterly unreasonable, and especially angry, nay enraged, with her, Janet,
because he had been foolish enough to hope that she would take his part
against Betty's father.
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