Dick had been anxious to spare from any annoyance, and who
was too old to be present at the wedding, had to be called forth from
his retirement to hear the whole story; his eldest brother, who was
abroad, hurried home, to know what was meant by the paragraphs in the
papers, and what it was all about. No particular of bitterness was
spared to the unfortunate young man; the particulars of his conduct
were discussed at every dinner-party. Had there been collusion? had he
known all the time that the woman was not dead? Society did not quite
understand the want of accordance with conventional rules that had been
shown by everybody concerned. The wicked wife ought to have planned
this villainous trick as a way of vengeance against him: whereas it was
evident that she had meant only kindness, abandoned creature as she was.
And the poor bride, the unfortunate Miss Warrender, should with all her
family have sworn everlasting feud with him, whereas it was known that
Chatty took his part, and would say nothing but that they were very
unfortunate both. Women should not act like this, they should fly at
each other's throats, they should tear each other to pieces.

But if Chatty (backed up by her mother, it was said) showed undue
indulgence, this was not the case with her brother and sister. Theo's
keen temper had taken up and resented the whole matter almost with
violence. He had not only treated Cavendish, and the Cavendishes
generally, who were more important than the individual Dick, with
harsh contumely and enmity, refusing to hear any excuse, and taking
the occurrence as an insult to himself: but he had quarrelled with his
mother, who was disposed to forgive, and with still more vehemence with
Chatty, who made no pretence of any wrath, but believed Dick's story
fully, and would not hear anything against him. Chatty had a soft
obstinacy about her which nobody had known till now. She had not broken
down, nor hidden herself from her family, nor taken any shame to
herself. She had even received him, against the advice of everybody, in
a long interview, hearing everything over again, and fully, from his own
lips, and had kissed him (it was whispered) at parting, while her mother
and his sister looking on could do nothing but cry. There began after a
while to be many people who sympathised with these two unhappy lovers--who
were not so unhappy either, because they understood and had faith in each
other. But Theo made an open quarrel w