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see the money again.' 'Ah! double the sum to have your own way!' said he. She protested that she valued her money. She furnished instances of her carefulness of her money all along up to the present period of brutal old age. Yet she would willingly part with five thousand or more to save the family honour. Mr. Eglett would not only approve, he would probably advance a good part of the money himself. 'Money! Who wants money?' thundered the earl, and jumped out of her trap of the further diversion from the plain request. 'To-morrow, when I am here, I shall expect to have the jewels delivered to me.' 'That you may hand them over to her. Where are they likely to be this time next year? And what do you know about jewels? You may look at them when you ask to see them, and not know imitation paste--like the stuff Lady Beltus showed her old husband. Our mother wore them, and she prized them. I'm not sure I wouldn't rather hear they were exhibited in a Bond Street jeweller's shop or a Piccadilly pawnbroker's than have them on that woman.' 'You speak of my wife.' 'For a season, perhaps; and off they're likely to go, to pay bills, if her Adderwoods and her Morsfields are out of funds, as they call it.' 'You are aware you are speaking of my wife, Charlotte?' 'You daren't say my sister-in-law.' He did not choose to say it; and once more she dared him. She could imagine she scored a point. They were summoned to lunch by Mr. Eglett; and there was an hour's armistice; following which the earl demanded the restitution of the jewels, and heard the singular question, childishly accentuated, 'What for?' Patience was his weapon and support, so he named his object with an air of inveteracy in tranquillity they were for his wife to wear. Lady Charlotte dared him to say they were for her sister-in-law. He despised the transparent artifice of the challenge. 'But you have to own the difference,' she said. 'You haven't lost respect for your family, thank God! No. It 's one thing to say she 's a wife: you hang fire when it 's to say she 's my sister-in-law.' 'You'll have to admit the fact, Charlotte.' 'How long is it since I should have had to admit the fact?' 'From the date of my marriage.' 'Tell me the date.' 'No, you don't wear a wig, Charlotte; but you are fit to practise in the Law-courts!' he said, exasperatedly jocular. She had started a fresh diversion, and she pressed him for the date. 'I 'm s
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