Hittaway, and must relax the closeness of his
relations with Fawn Court. He would have a wife respecting whom he himself
had spread evil tidings, and the man whom he most hated in the world would
be his wife's favourite cousin or, so to say, brother. He would, after a
fashion, be connected with Mrs. Carbuncle, Lord George de Brace
Carruthers, and Sir Griffin Tewett, all of whom he regarded as thoroughly
disreputable. And, moreover, at his own country house at Portray, as in
such case it would be, his own bailiff or steward would be the man who had
seen, what he had seen. These were great objections; but how was he to
avoid marrying? He was engaged to her. How, at any rate, was he to escape
from the renewal of his engagement at this moment? He had more than once
positively stated that he was deterred from marrying her only by her
possession of the diamonds. The diamonds were now gone.
Lizzie was still standing, waiting for an answer to her question: Can you
justify yourself in your own heart? Having paused for some seconds she
repeated her question in a stronger and more personal form. "Had I been
your sister, Lord Fawn, and had another man behaved to me as you have now
done, would you say that he had behaved well and that she had no ground
for complaint? Can you bring yourself to answer that question honestly?"
"I hope I shall answer no question dishonestly.
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