tace diamonds, heirlooms,--old property
belonging to the Eustaces, just like their estates. Sir Florian
didn't give 'em away, and couldn't, and wouldn't if he could. Such
things ain't given away in that fashion. It's all nonsense, and you
must give them up."

"Who says so?"

"I say so."

"That's nothing, Aunt Penelope."

"Nothing, is it? You'll see. Mr. Camperdown says so. All the world
will say so. If you don't take care, you'll find yourself brought
into a court of law, my dear, and a jury will say so. That's what it
will come to. What good will they do you? You can't sell them;--and
as a widow you can't wear 'em. If you marry again, you wouldn't
disgrace your husband by going about showing off the Eustace
diamonds! But you don't know anything about 'proper feelings.'"

"I know every bit as much as you do, Aunt Penelope, and I don't want
you to teach me."

"Will you give up the jewels to Mr. Camperdown?"

"No--I won't."

"Or to the jewellers?"

"No; I won't. I mean to--keep them--for--my child." Then there came
forth a sob, and a tear, and Lizzie's handkerchief was held to her
eyes.

"Your child! Wouldn't they be kept properly for him, and for the
family, if the jewellers had them? I don't believe you care about
your child."

"Aunt Penelope, you had better take care."

"I shall say just what I think, Lizzie. You can't frighten me. The
fact is, you are disgracing the family you have married into, and as
you are my niece--"

"I'm not disgracing anybody. You are disgracing everybody."

"As you are my niece, I have undertaken to come to you and to tell
you that if you don't give 'em up within a week from this time,
they'll proceed against you for--stealing 'em!" Lady Linlithgow, as
she uttered this terrible threat, bobbed her head at her niece in a
manner calculated to add very much to the force of her words. The
words, and tone, and gesture combined were, in truth, awful.

"I didn't steal them. My husband gave them to me with his own hands."

"You wouldn't answer Mr. Camperdown's letters, you know. That alone
will condemn you. After that there isn't a word to be said about
it;--not a word. Mr. Camperdown is the family lawyer, and when he
writes to you letter after letter you take no more notice of him
than a--dog!" The old woman was certainly very powerful. The way in
which she pronounced that last word did make Lady Eustace ashamed of
herself. "Why didn't you answer his letters, unless you knew yo