he had come to see that he had been foolish as well as wicked.
For, if he had had Miss Coleman with him in the desert island,
to build her a hut, and hunt for her food, and make clothes for her,
he would have thought himself the most fortunate of men; and when he
was at home, he would not marry till he could afford a man-servant.
Before he got home again, he had even begun to understand that no man
can make haste to be rich without going against the will of God,
in which case it is the one frightful thing to be successful.
So he had come back a more humble man, and longing to ask Miss Coleman
to forgive him. But he had no idea what ruin had fallen upon them,
for he had never made himself thoroughly acquainted with the
firm's affairs. Few speculative people do know their own affairs.
Hence he never doubted he should find matters much as he left them,
and expected to see them all at The Wilderness as before. But if he
had not fallen in with Diamond, he would not have thought of going
there first.

What was Diamond to do? He had heard his father and mother drop
some remarks concerning Mr. Evans which made him doubtful of him.
He understood that he had not been so considerate as he might have been.
So he went rather slowly till he should make up his mind. It was,
of course, of no use to drive Mr. Evans to Chiswick. But if he
should tell him what had befallen them, and where they lived now,
he might put off going to see them, and he was certain that Miss Coleman,
at least, must want very much to see Mr. Evans. He was pretty sure
also that the best thing in any case was to bring them together,
and let them set matters right for themselves.

The moment he came to this conclusion, he changed his course from
westward to northward, and went straight for Mr. Coleman's poor