an was able to give such sufficient
testimony, could in some way be made available to prevent it.

The theory of life and system on which social matters should be
managed, as displayed by her married daughter, was very painful to
poor old Lady Fawn. When she was told that under the new order of
things promises from gentlemen were not to be looked upon as binding,
that love was to go for nothing, that girls were to be made contented
by being told that when one lover was lost another could be found,
she was very unhappy. She could not disbelieve it all, and throw
herself back upon her faith in virtue, constancy, and honesty. She
rather thought that things had changed for the worse since she was
young, and that promises were not now as binding as they used to be.
She herself had married into a Liberal family, had a Liberal son, and
would have called herself a Liberal; but she could not fail to hear
from others, her neighbours, that the English manners, and English
principles, and English society were all going to destruction in
consequence of the so-called liberality of the age. Gentlemen, she
thought, certainly did do things which gentlemen would not have done
forty years ago; and as for ladies,--they, doubtless, were changed
altogether. Most assuredly she could not have brought an Andy Gowran
to her mother to tell such tales in their joint presence as this man
had told!

Mrs. Hittaway had ridiculed her for saying that poor Lucy would die
when forced to give up her lover. Mrs. Hittaway had spoken of the
necessity of breaking up that engagement without a word of anger
against Frank Greystock. According to Mrs. Hittaway's views Frank
Greystock had amused himself in the most natural way in the world
when he asked Lucy to be his wife. A governess like Lucy had been
quite foolish to expect that such a man as Greystock was in earnest.
Of course she must give up her lover; and if there must be blame,
she must blame herself for her folly! Nevertheless, Lady Fawn was so
soft-hearted that she believed that the sorrow would crush Lucy, even
if it did not kill her.

But not the less was it her duty to tell Lucy what she thought to be
the truth. The story of what had occurred among the rocks at Portray
was very disagreeable, but she believed it to be true. The man had
been making love to his cousin after his engagement to Lucy. And
then, was it not quite manifest that he was neglecting poor Lucy in
every way? He had not seen her f