It was just too late to start by the train which left London before
noon. There was no alternative but to wait, nearly three hours, for the
departure of the next train. Was there anything I could do in London,
which might usefully occupy this interval of time?
My thoughts went back again obstinately to the birthday dinner.
Though I had forgotten the numbers, and, in many cases, the names of the
guests, I remembered readily enough that by far the larger proportion
of them came from Frizinghall, or from its neighbourhood. But the larger
proportion was not all. Some few of us were not regular residents in
the country. I myself was one of the few. Mr. Murthwaite was another.
Godfrey Ablewhite was a third. Mr. Bruff--no: I called to mind that
business had prevented Mr. Bruff from making one of the party. Had any
ladies been present, whose usual residence was in London? I could only
remember Miss Clack as coming within this latter category. However, here
were three of the guests, at any rate, whom it was clearly advisable for
me to see before I left town. I drove off at once to Mr. Bruff's office;
not knowing the addresses of the persons of whom I was in search, and
thinking it probable that he might put me in the way of finding them.
Mr. Bruff proved to be too busy to give me more than a minute of his
valuable time. In that minute, however, he contrived to dispose--in the
most discouraging manner--of all the questions I had to put to him.
In the first place, he considered my newly-discovered method of finding
a clue to the mystery as something too purely fanciful to be seriously
discussed. In the second, third, and fourth places, Mr. Murthwaite was
now on his way back to the scene of his past adventures; Miss Clack had
suffered losses, and had settled, from motives of economy, in France;
Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite might, or might not, be discoverable somewhere in
London. Suppose I inquired at his club? And suppose I excused Mr. Bruff,
if he went back to his business and wished me good morning?
The field of inquiry in London, being now so narrowed as only to include
the one necessity of discovering Godfrey's address, I took the lawyer's
hint, and drove to his club.
In the hall, I met with one of the members, who was an old friend of my
cousin's, and who was also an acquaintance of my own. This gentleman,
after enlightening me on the subject of Godfrey's address, told me
of two recent events in his life, which were of some importance in
themselves, and which had not previously reached my ears.
It appeared that Godfrey, far from being discouraged by Rachel's
withdrawal from her engagement to him had made matrimonial advances soon
afterwards to another young lady, reputed to be a great heiress. His
suit had prospered, and his marriage had been considered as a settled
and certain thing. But, here again, the engagement had been suddenly
and unexpectedly broken off--owing, it was said, on this occasion, to
a serious difference of opinion between the bridegroom and the lady's
father, on the question of settlements.