Just when he thought he had succeeded, her father had interposed and she had yielded easily.

She had married a fool with ten times Livingstone's wealth.

It was a blow to Livingstone, but he had recovered, and after that he had a new incentive in life; he would be richer than her father or her husband.
He had become so and had bought his house partly to testify to the fact.

Then he had gone back to Catherine Trelane.

She had come unexpectedly into property.