Davies is sure they are taking the right course, discussing the divorce petition, which was taken on entirely by Dora. The judge apparently invited BR to take part in the proceedings.

"I now see clearly that we do best to maintain our original position of leaving the divorce petition severely alone, either to succeed on an untruthful basis, or to be abandoned by her, or to be heard and dismissed by the court. You will gain advantage from any one of these three results, without any of them increasing Dora's power to vex you about the children."

"Of course, if the petition were abandoned or dismissed, Dora's position would be a very weak one for the future against you from all points of view, both financial and moral. On the other hand, if you gained the advantage of divorce, I feel sure that Dora would not have gained any effective advantage, except of course, that she would become entitled legally to her alimony."