“But you treated me with especial disrespect,” said Lord Fawn.
“And how did you treat me, Lord Fawn?”
“Miss Morris, I must be allowed, in discussing matters with my mother, to express my own opinions in such language as I may think fit to use. Mr. Greystock’s conduct to me was—was—was altogether most ungentlemanlike.”
“Mr. Greystock is a gentleman.”
“His conduct was most offensive, and most—most ungentlemanlike. Mr. Greystock disgraced himself.”
“It isn’t true!” said Lucy. Lord Fawn gave one start, and then walked off to the house as quick as his legs could carry him.
XXVIII
Mr. Dove in His Chambers
The scene between Lord Fawn and Greystock had taken place in Mr. Camperdown’s chambers, and John Eustace had also been present. The lawyer had suffered considerable annoyance, before the arrival of the two first-named gentlemen, from reiterated assertions made by Eustace that he would take no further trouble whatsoever about the jewels. Mr. Camperdown had in vain pointed out to him that a plain duty lay upon him as executor and guardian to protect the property on behalf of his nephew; but Eustace had asserted that, though he himself was comparatively a poor man, he would sooner replace the necklace out of his own property, than be subject to the nuisance of such a continued quarrel. “My dear John; ten thousand pounds!” Mr. Camperdown had said. “It is a fortune for a younger son.”
“The boy is only two years old, and will have time enough to make fortunes for his own younger sons, if he does not squander everything. If he does, the ten thousand pounds will make no difference.”
“But the justice of the thing, John!”
“Justice may be purchased too dearly.”
“Such a harpy as she is, too!” pleaded the lawyer. Then Lord Fawn had come in, and Greystock had followed immediately afterwards.
“I may as well say at once,” said Greystock, “that Lady Eustace is determined to maintain her right to the property; and that she will not give up the diamonds till some adequate court of law shall have decided that she is mistaken in her views. Stop one moment, Mr. Camperdown. I feel myself bound to go further than that, and express my own opinion that she is right.”
“I can hardly understand such an opinion as coming from you,” said Mr. Camperdown.
“You have changed your mind, at any rate,” said John Eustace.
“Not so, Eustace. Mr. Camperdown, you’ll be good enough to understand that my opinion expressed here is that of a friend, and not that of a lawyer. And you must understand, Eustace,” continued Greystock, “that I am speaking now of my cousin’s right to the property. Though the value be great, I have advised her to give up the custody of it for a while, till the matter shall be clearly decided. That has still been my advice to her, and I have in no respect changed my mind. But she feels that she is being cruelly used, and with a woman’s spirit will not, in such circumstances, yield anything. Mr. Camperdown actually stopped her carriage in the street.”
“She would not answer a line that anybody wrote to her,” said the lawyer.
“And I may say plainly—for all here know the circumstances—that Lady Eustace feels the strongest possible indignation at the manner in which she is being treated by Lord Fawn.”
“I have only asked her to give up the diamonds till the question should be settled,” said Lord Fawn.
“And you backed your request, my lord, by a threat! My cousin is naturally most indignant; and, my lord, you must allow me to tell you that I fully share the feeling.”
“There is no use in making a quarrel about it,” said Eustace.
“The quarrel is already made,” replied Greystock. “I am here to tell Lord Fawn in your presence, and in the presence of Mr. Camperdown, that he is behaving to a lady with ill-usage, which he would not dare to exercise did he not know that her position saves him from legal punishment, as do the present usages of society from other consequences.”
“I have behaved to her with every possible consideration,” said Lord Fawn.
“That is a simple assertion,” said the other. “I have made one assertion, and you have made another. The world will have to judge between us. What right have you to take upon yourself to decide whether this thing or that belongs to Lady Eustace or to anyone else?”
“When the thing was talked about I was obliged to have an opinion,” said Lord Fawn, who was still thinking of words in which to reply to the insult offered him by Greystock without injury to his dignity as an Undersecretary of State.
“Your conduct, sir, has been altogether inexcusable.” Then Frank turned to the attorney. “I have been given to understand that you are desirous of knowing where this diamond necklace is at present. It is at Lady Eustace’s house in Scotland;—at Portray Castle.” Then he shook hands with John Eustace, bowed to Mr. Camperdown, and succeeded in leaving the room before Lord Fawn had so far collected his senses as to be able to frame his anger into definite words.
“I will never willingly speak to that man again,” said Lord Fawn. But as it was not probable that Greystock would greatly desire any further conversation with Lord Fawn, this threat did not carry with it any powerful feeling of severity.
Mr. Camperdown groaned over the matter with thorough vexation of spirit. It seemed to him as though the harpy, as he called her, would really make good her case against him—at any rate, would make it seem to be good for so long a time that all the triumph of success would be hers. He knew that she was already in debt, and gave her credit for a propensity to fast living which almost did her an injustice. Of course, the jewels would be sold for half their value, and the harpy would triumph. Of what use to him or to the estate would be
