Explore "The Case of Mr Geldard's Elopement" by Arthur Morrison on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Many people have been surprised at the information that, in all / Martin Hewitt's wide and busy practice, the matrimonial cases whereon / he has been engaged have been comparatively few. That he has had many / important cases of the sort is true, but among the innumerable cases / of different descriptions they make a small percentage. The reason is / that so many of the persons wishing to consult him on such concerns / were actuated by mere unreasoning or fanciful jealousy that Hewitt / would do no more in their cases than urge reconciliation and mutual / trust. The common "private inquiry" offices chiefly flourish on this / class of case, and their proprietors present no particular reluctance / to taking it up.
In any event it means fees for consultation and / "watching"; and recent newspaper reports have made it plain that / among some of the less scrupulous agents a case may be manufactured / from beginning to end according to order. Again, Hewitt had a / distaste for the sort of work commonly involved in matrimonial / troubles; and with the immense amount of business brought to him, / rendering necessary his rejection of so many commissions, it was easy / for him to avoid what went against his inclinations. Still, as I have / said, matrimonial cases there were, and often of an interesting / nature, taking rise in no fanciful nor unreasoning jealousy.