"Told him; what, of her? Oh no. I have told him that that,--that
idea of mine has been abandoned." From this time forth Sir Peregrine
could never endure to speak of his proposed marriage, nor to hear it
spoken of. "He conceives that this has been done at her instance," he
continued.

"And so it has," said Mrs. Orme, with much more of decision in her
voice than was customary with her.

"And so it has," he repeated after her.

"Nobody must know of this,"--said she very solemnly, standing up and
looking into his face with eager eyes. "Nobody but you and I."

"All the world, I fear, will know it soon," said Sir Peregrine.

"No; no. Why should all the world know it? Had she not told us we
should not have known it. We should not have suspected it. Mr.
Furnival, who understands these things;--he does not think her
guilty."

"But, Edith--the property!"

"Let her give that up--after a while; when all this has passed by.
That man is not in want. It will not hurt him to be without it a
little longer. It will be enough for her to do that when this trial
shall be over."

"But it is not hers. She cannot give it up. It belongs to her
son,--or is thought to belong to him. It is not for us to be
informers, Edith--"

"No, no; it is not for us to be informers. We must remember that."

"Certainly. It is not for us to tell the story of her guilt; but her
guilt will remain the same, will be acted over and over again every
day, while the proceeds of the property go into the hands of Lucius
Mason. It is that which is so terrible, Edith;--that her conscience
should have been able to bear that load for the last twenty years! A
deed done,--that admits of no restitution, may admit of repentance.
We may leave that to the sinner and his conscience, hoping that he
stands right with his Maker. But here, with her, there has been a
continual theft going on from year to year,--which is still going
on. While Lucius Mason holds a sod of Orley Farm, true repentance
with her must be impossible. It seems so to me." And Sir Peregrine
shuddered at the doom which his own rectitude of mind and purpose
forced him to pronounce.

"It is not she that has it," said Mrs. Orme. "It was not done for
herself."

"There is no difference in that," said he sharply. "All sin
is selfish, and so was her sin in this. Her object was the
aggrandisement of her own child; and when she could not accomplish
that honestly, she did it by fraud, and--and--and--. Edith,