It was a year since he had met Madeline at Naples, had promptly fallen in love with her face and her advanced opinions, and had won her affection in return.

Clifford was then firm in the belief that, if he actually married, Mr.Hibbert would not have the heart to stop his allowance; Mrs.Denyer had reasons for thinking otherwise, and her daughter saw the case in the same light.

It must be added that he presumed the Denyers to be better off than they really were; in fact, he was to a great extent misled.

His dignity, if the worst came about, would not have shrunk from moderate assistance at the hands of his parents-in-law.

Madeline knew well enough that nothing of this kind was possible, and in the end made her lover's mind clear on the point.
Since then the course of these young people's affections had been anything but smooth.