I would have told you earlier, but I thought it was obvious. That's my fault, I'm afraid. Things that are obvious to you might not be obvious to the next man.

[Oh yes. More than once, and every time it ends in heartbreak for one or both parties. And yet, in his later years, it seems like he doesn't give up on it like he normally would.]

It's not so bad a thing, you know. I daresay he'd admit to being a better man for loving her.

[Drunkenness and hangovers have a tongue-loosening effect, it seems. His head just hurts too much for him to keep things hidden.]