Lord Fawn, whose treatment to her had been so
great an injury, was coming to see her that very day. Her cousin Frank,
though he had never offered to marry her, was more affectionate to her
than ever. Mrs. Carbuncle had been at her feet that morning borrowing
money. And Lady Glencora Palliser, the very leading star of fashion, had
called upon her twice! Why should she succumb? She had an income of four
thousand pounds a year, and she thought that she could remember that her
aunt, Lady Linlithgow, had but seven hundred pounds. Lady Fawn with all
her daughters had not near so much as she had. And she was beautiful, too,
and young, and perfectly free to do what she pleased. No doubt the last
eighteen months of her life had been made wretched by those horrid
diamonds; but they were gone, and she had fair reason to hope that the
very knowledge of them was gone also.
In this condition would it be expedient for her to accept Lord Fawn when
he came? She could not, of course, be sure that any renewed offer would be
the result of his visit: but she thought it probable that with care she
might bring him to that. Why should he come to her if he himself had no
such intention? Her mind was quite made up on this point, that he should
be made to renew his offer; but whether she would renew her acceptance was
quite another question.
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