sort of woman was this to whom he had engaged himself because
she was possessed of an income? That Mr. Camperdown should be in the
wrong in such a matter was an idea which never occurred to Lord Fawn.
There is no form of belief stronger than that which the ordinary
English gentleman has in the discretion and honesty of his own family
lawyer. What his lawyer tells him to do, he does. What his lawyer
tells him to sign, he signs. He buys and sells in obedience to the
same direction, and feels perfectly comfortable in the possession of
a guide who is responsible and all but divine. "What diamonds are
they?" asked Lord Fawn in a very low voice.

"They are my own,--altogether my own. Sir Florian gave them to me.
When he put them into my hands, he said that they were to be my own
for ever and ever. 'There,' said he,--'those are yours to do what you
choose with them.' After that they oughtn't to ask me to give them
back,--ought they? If you had been married before, and your wife had
given you a keepsake,--to keep for ever and ever, would you give it
up to a lawyer? You would not like it;--would you, Frederic?" She had
put her hand on his, and was looking up into his face as she asked
the question. Again, perhaps, the acting was a little overdone; but
there were the tears in her eyes, and the tone of her voice was
perfect.

"Mr. Camperdown calls them Eustace diamonds,--family diamonds," said
Lord Fawn. "What do they consist of? What are they worth?"

"I'll show them to you," said Lizzie, jumping up and hurrying out of
the room. Lord Fawn, when he was alone, rubbed his hands over his
eyes and thought about it all. It would be a very harsh measure,
on the part of the Eustace family and of Mr. Camperdown, to demand
from her the surrender of any trinket which her late husband might
have given her in the manner she had described. But it was, to his
thinking, most improbable that the Eustace people or the lawyer
should be harsh to a widow bearing the Eustace name. The Eustaces
were by disposition lavish, and old Mr. Camperdown was not one who
would be strict in claiming little things for rich clients. And yet
here was his letter, threatening the widow of the late baronet with
legal proceedings for the recovery of jewels which had been given by
Sir Florian himself to his wife as a keepsake! Perhaps Sir Florian
had made some mistake, and had caused to be set in a ring or brooch
for his bride some jewel which he had thought to be his