trading, assisted throughout by Samuel Dwyer, the old clerk. The result
of his examination convinced him that his cousin had been playing him
false; that the men with whom his pretended losses had been made were men
of straw, and the transactions were shadows invented to cover his own
embezzlements. It was a complicated business altogether; and it was not
until Gilbert Fenton had been engaged upon it for more than a week, and
had made searching inquiries as to the status of the firms with which the
supposed dealings had taken place, that he was able to arrive at this
conclusion. Having at last made himself master of the real state of
things, as far as it was in any way possible to do so at that distance
from the scene of action, Gilbert saw that there was only one line of
conduct open to him as a man of business. That was to go at once to
Melbourne, investigate his cousin's transactions on the spot, and take
the management of the colonial house into his own hands. To do this would
be a sore trial to him, for it would involve the postponement of his
marriage. 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.