Carbuncle--were the property of Miss Roanoke, having been made over to
her, unconditionally, long before the wedding, as a part of a separate
pecuniary transaction. Mrs. Carbuncle had no power of disposing of Miss
Roanoke's property. As to the money which Lady Eustace claimed, Mrs.
Carbuncle asserted that, when the final accounts should be made up between
them, it would be found that there was a considerable balance due to Mrs.
Carbuncle; but even were there anything due to Lady Eustace, Mrs.
Carbuncle would decline to pay it, as she was informed that all moneys
possessed by Lady Eustace were now confiscated to the Crown by reasons of
the PERJURIES--the word was doubly scored in Mrs. Carbuncle's note--which
Lady Eustace had committed. This, of course, was unpleasant; but Mrs.
Carbuncle did not have the honours of the battle all to herself. Lizzie
also said some unpleasant things which, perhaps, were the more unpleasant
because they were true. Mrs. Carbuncle had come pretty nearly to the end
of her career, whereas Lizzie's income, in spite of her perjuries, was
comparatively untouched. The undoubted mistress of Portray Castle, and
mother of the Sir Florian Eustace of the day, could still despise and look
down upon Mrs.
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