of my conduct since I have had the honour of being its head.
I have endeavoured so to live that my actions should encounter no
private or public censure. If I fail to meet with your approbation,
I shall grieve; but I cannot on that account act otherwise than in
accordance with my own judgment."

Mrs. Hittaway knew her brother well, and was not afraid of him.
"That's all very well; and I am sure you know, Frederic, how
proud we all are of you. But this woman is a nasty, low, scheming,
ill-conducted, dishonest little wretch; and if you make her your wife
you'll be miserable all your life. Nothing would make me and Orlando
so unhappy as to quarrel with you. But we know that it is so, and to
the last minute I shall say so. Why don't you ask her to her face
about that man down in Scotland?"

"My dear Clara, perhaps I know what to ask her and what not to ask
her better than you can tell me."

And his brother-in-law was quite as bad. "Fawn," he said, "in this
matter of Lady Eustace, don't you think you ought to put your conduct
into the hands of some friend?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I think it is an affair in which a man would have so much comfort in
being able to say that he was guided by advice. Of course, her people
want you to marry her. Now, if you could just tell them that the
whole thing was in the hands of,--say me,--or any other friend, you
would be relieved, you know, of so much responsibility. They might
hammer away at me ever so long, and I shouldn't care twopence."

"If there is to be any hammering, it cannot be borne vicariously,"
said Lord Fawn,--and as he said it, he was quite pleased by his own
sharpness and wit.

He had, indeed, put himself beyond protection by vicarious endurance
of hammering when he promised to write to Lady Eustace, explaining
his own conduct and giving reasons. Had anything turned up in
Scotland Yard which would have justified him in saying,--or even in
thinking,--that Lizzie had stolen her own diamonds, he would have
sent word to her that he must abstain from any communication till
that matter had been cleared up; but since the appearance of that
mysterious paragraph in the newspapers, nothing had been heard of
the robbery, and public opinion certainly seemed to be in favour
of Lizzie's innocence. He did think that the Eustace faction was
betraying him, as he could not but remember how eager Mr. Camperdown
had been in asserting that the widow was keeping an enormous amoun