Pursuing the inquiry into his own nature, he thought, “Now, if I married her. If, outfacing the absurdity of the situation in correspondence with M.R.F. , I astonished M.R.F. to the utmost extent of his respected powers, by informing him that I had married her, how would M.R.F. reason with the legal mind? ‘You wouldn’t marry for some money and some station, because you were frightfully likely to become bored. Are you less frightfully likely to become bored, marrying for no money and no station? Are you sure of yourself?’ Legal mind, in spite of forensic protestations, must secretly admit, ‘Good reasoning on the part of M.R.F. Not sure of myself.’ ”

In the very act of calling this tone of levity to his aid, he felt it to be profligate and worthless, and asserted her against it.