Let penury, disease, the very parish-beadle triumph over him, but not those two.

It was a natural feeling for a sensitive mind like his--but in many respects a wrong one.
It was to put away, deliberately, the helping hand of Providence, because it bade him kiss the rod.

It was a direct preference of honour to humility.

It was an unconsciously unkind consideration of himself before those whom he nevertheless believed and called more dear to him than life--but not than honour.

Therefore it was that the hand-bills he had so often seen pasted upon walls were disregarded, that the numerous newspaper advertisements remained unanswered, and that all the efforts of an almost frantic father to find his long-lost daughter were in vain.
Meanwhile, to be just upon poor Clements, who really fancied he was doing right in this, he left no stone unturned to obtain a provision for his beloved wife and child.