The other young ladies are
apt to disapprove of brothers who are not brothers by absolute right of
birth. He knew also that all the circumstances of his cousin's position
would make it expedient that she should marry a second husband. As he
could not be that second husband--that matter was settled, whether for
good or bad--was he not creating trouble, both for her and for himself?
Then there arose in his mind a feeling, very strange, but by no means
uncommon, that prudence on his part would be mean, because by such
prudence he would be securing safety for himself as well as for her. What
he was doing was not only imprudent, but wrong also, He knew that it was
so. But Lizzie Eustace was a pretty young woman; and when a pretty young
woman is in the case, a man is bound to think neither of what is prudent
nor of what is right. Such was--perhaps his instinct rather than his
theory. For her sake, if not for his own, he should have abstained. She
was his cousin, and was so placed in the world as specially to require
some strong hand to help her. He knew her to be, in truth, heartless,
false, and greedy; but she had so lived that even yet her future life
might be successful.
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