But the Railway business, though it comprised all that Montague had in the world, was not the heaviest of his troubles. What was he to do about Mrs Hurtle? He had now, for the first time, to tell his friend that Mrs Hurtle had come to London and that he had been with her three or four times. There was this great difficulty in the matter, too,--that it was very hard to speak of his engagement with Mrs Hurtle without in some sort alluding to his love for Henrietta Carbury. Roger knew of both loves;--had been very urgent with his friend to abandon the widow, and at any rate equally urgent with him to give up the other passion. Were he to marry the widow, all danger on the other side would be at an end. And yet, in discussing the question of Mrs Hurtle, he was to do so as though there were no such person existing as Henrietta Carbury. The discussion did take place exactly as though there were no such person as Henrietta Carbury. Paul told it all,--the rumoured duel, the rumoured murder, and the rumour of the existing husband.
'It may be necessary that you should go out to Kansas and to Oregon,' said Roger.
'But even if the rumours be untrue I will not marry her,' said Paul. Roger shrugged his shoulders. He was doubtless thinking of Hetta Carbury, but he said nothing. 'And what would she do, remaining here?' continued Paul. Roger admitted that it would be awkward. 'I am determined that under no circumstances will I marry her. I know I have been a fool. I know I have been wrong. But of course, if there be a fair cause for my broken word, I will use it if I can.'
'You will get out of it, honestly if you can; but you will get out of it honestly or--any other way.'
'Did you not advise me to get out of it, Roger;--before we knew as much as we do now?'
'I did,--and I do. If you make a bargain with the Devil, it may be dishonest to cheat him,--and yet I would have you cheat him if you could. As to this woman, I do believe she has deceived you. If I were you, nothing should induce me to marry her;--not though her claws were strong enough to tear me utterly in pieces. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll go and see her if you like it.'
But Paul would not submit to this. He felt he was bound himself to incur the risk of those claws, and that no substitute could take his place. They sat long into the night, and it was at last resolved between them that on the next morning Paul should go to Islington, should tell Mrs Hurtle all the stories which he had heard, and should end by declaring his resolution that under no circumstances would he marry her. They both felt how improbable it was that he should ever be allowed to get to the end of such a story,--how almost certain it was that the breeding of the wild cat would show itself before that time should come. But, still, that was the course to be pursued as far as circumstances would admit; and Paul was at any rate to declare, claws or no claws, husband or no husband,--whether the duel or the murder was admitted or denied,--that he would never make Mrs Hurtle his wife. 'I wish it were over, old fellow,' said Roger.