I would have given it up at once, at the slightest word from you."
He did not care to remind her then, as she lay in bed, that he had been
very urgent in his advice to her to abandon the diamonds; and not the less
urgent because he had thought that the demand for them was unjust. "I told
you often;" she continued, "that I was tempted to throw them among the
waves. It was true, quite true. I offered to give them to you, and should
have been delighted to have been relieved from them."
"That was of course simply impossible."
"I know it was impossible on your part; but I would have been delighted.
Of what use were they to me? I wore them twice because that man"--meaning
Lord Fawn--"disputed my right to them. Before that I never even looked at
them. Do you think I had pleasure in wearing them, or pleasure in looking
at them? Never. They were only a trouble to me. It was a point of honour
with me to keep them, because I was attacked. But I am glad they are gone
--thoroughly glad." This was all very well, and was not without its effect
on Frank Greystock. It is hardly expected of a woman in such a condition,
with so many troubles on her mind, who had been so persecuted, that every
word uttered by her should be strictly true.
Pages:
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813