\"IsitrashtogotoMajorFitz—David？\"Iasked。
\"Yes——ifyougobyyourself。Youdon’tknowwhatsortofmanheis；youdon’tknowhowhemayreceiveyou。Letmetryfirst，andpavetheway，asthesayingis。Trustmyexperience，mydear。Inmattersofthissortthereisnothinglikepavingtheway。\"
Iconsideredamoment。ItwasduetomygoodfriendtoconsiderbeforeIsaidNo。
Reflectiondecidedmeontakingtheresponsibility，whateveritmightbe，uponmyownshoulders。Goodorbad，compassionateorcruel，theMajorwasaman。Awoman’sinfluencewasthesafestinfluencetotrustwithhim，wheretheendtobegainedwassuchanendasIhadinview。ItwasnoteasytosaythistoBenjaminwithoutthedangerofmortifyinghim。Imadeanappointmentwiththeoldmantocallonmethenextmorningatthehotel，andtalkthematteroveragain。IsitverydisgracefultometoaddthatI
privatelydetermined（ifthethingcouldbeaccomplished）toseeMajorFitz—Davidintheinterval？