Mr. Thornby's professional readers find Harold's book hilariously absurd, so he rejects it. Without any royalty money, Harold figures he cannot ask the accustomed-to-a-posh-lifestyle Mary to marry him. So, feeling too ashamed to admit the truth to Mary, he pretends that he was only using her as part of his research --- "I tell that to all the girls I meet --- to get ideas." Heartbroken, Mary impulsively agrees to marry Ronald, even though she knows that he will never really show her the innocent warmth and sincere kindness that Harold always had. Afterward, though, one of Mr. Thornby's senior employees convinces him that, if the staff liked the book so much, there must be a market for it, so Thornby decides to publish it as "The Boob's Diary".