e for vexation in
that they saw themselves somehow "let in for" Quisante. At least the
alternative was to drop May Gaston as entirely as the unfortunate circus
proprietor's wife had been dropped; and this alternative was a difficult
one. Had Quisante's raid resulted in the seizure of some insignificant
colourless girl who had been merely tolerated for the sake of who she was
without possessing any claims in respect of what she was, the dropping
would have been easy; but May was not of that kind. She was not only one
of them, but very conspicuous among them, one of their ornaments, one in
whom they took pride; they would have acknowledged in her a natural
leader so soon as a suitable marriage gave her the necessary status and
experience. Her treachery was the more flagrant, Quisante's presumption
the more enormous, their own course of action the more puzzling to
decide.

Yet in their hearts they knew that they must swallow the man; events were
too strong for them. Dick Benyon had forced him on them in one side of
life, May Gaston now did the like in another; henceforward he must be and
would be among them. This consciousness mingled an ingredient of asperity
with their genuine pity for May. She would not merely have herself to
thank for the troubles which would certainly come upon her; her
misfortunes must be regarded as in part a proper punishment for the
annoyance she was inflicting on her friends. As for Dick Benyon, it was
impossible to speak to him without perceiving that if remorse be in truth
the sharpest penalty of sin, he was already punished enough.

The poor man's state was indeed such as to move compassion. Besides his
old friend Lady Attlebridge's dumbly accusing eyes, besides Fanny's and
Lady Richard's by no means dumb reproaches, a very heavy blow had fallen
on him. In the words of his own complaint, his brother Jimmy had gone
back on him--and back on his allegiance to Alexander Quisante. The
engagement was too much for Jimmy, and in the revulsion of feeling he
became downright hostile to Quisante's claims and pretensions. How could
he not when Fanny Gaston imperiously and almost tearfully commanded him
to attach himself to her banner, and to behold with her eyes the
indignity suffered by the noble family of Gaston? Logic was not Jimmy's
strong point, and he confounded poor Dick by the twofold assertion that
the thing was utterly incredible, and that Dick and he had been most
inconceivably idiotic not to