A discovery -- An interview -- A controversy -- The party -- The studio -- Progression -- The excursion -- The present -- A snake in the grass -- A contract and a quarrel -- The vicar again -- A tete-a-tete and a discovery -- A return to duty -- An assault -- An encounter and its consequences -- The warnings of experience -- Further warnings -- The miniature -- An incident -- Persistence -- Opinions -- Traits of friendship -- First weeks of matrimony -- First quarrell -- First absence -- The guests -- A misdemeanour -- Parental feelings -- The neighbour -- Domestic scenes -- Social virtues -- Comparisons: information rejected -- Two evenings -- Concealment -- Provocations -- Dual solitude -- The neighbour again -- The injured man -- A scheme of escape -- A misadventure -- 'Hope springs eternal in the human breast' -- A reformation -- The boundary past -- The retreat -- Reconciliation -- Friendly counsels -- Startling intelligence -- Further intelligence -- 'The rain descended' -- Doubts and disappointments -- An unexpected occurrence -- Fluctuations -- Conclusion.