she ejaculated at last.'What more can I say?'
'What am I to do? What can be said to the man? Warburton read the letter, and gave it me in silence.He could see the terrible difficulty.'
'Tear it in pieces, and then let there be an end of it.'
'I do not feel sure but that he has right on his side.He is, as you say, certainly a blackguard, or he would not make such a claim.He is taking advantage of the mistake made by a good-natured woman through her folly and her vanity;'--as he said this the Duchess gave an absurd little pout, but luckily he did not see it,--'and he knows very well that he is doing so.But still he has a show of justice on his side.There was, Isuppose, no chance for him at Silverbridge after I had made myself fully understood.The money was absolutely wasted.It was your persuasion and your continued encouragement that led him to spend the money.'
'Pay it then.The loss will not hurt you.'
'Ah;--if we could but get out of our difficulty by paying!
Suppose that I do pay it.I begin to think that I must pay it,--that after all I cannot allow such a plea to remain unanswered.
But when it is paid;--what then? Do you think such a payment made by the Queen's Minister will not be known to all the newspapers, and that I shall escape the charge of having bribed the man to hold his tongue?'
'It will be no bribe if you pay him because you think you ought.'
'But how shall I excuse it? There are things done which are holy as the heavens,--which are clear before God as the light of the sun, which leave no stain on the conscience, and which yet the malignity of man can invest with the very blackest of hell! Ishall know why I pay this 500 pounds.Because she who of all the world is the nearest and dearest to me,'--she looked up into his face with amazement, as he stood stretching his arms out in energy,--'has in her impetuous folly committed a grievous blunder, from which she would not allow her husband to save her, this sum must be paid to the wretched craven.But I cannot tell the world that.I cannot say abroad that this small sacrifice of money was the justest means of retrieving the injury which you have done.'
'Say it abroad.Say it everywhere.'
'No, Glencora.'
'Do you think I would have you spare me if it was my fault? And how would it hurt me? Will it be new to anyone that I have done a foolish thing? Will the newspapers disturb my peace? Isometimes think, Plantagenet, that I should have been the man, my skin is so thick; and that you should have been the woman, your is so tender.'
'But it is not so.'
'Take the advantage, nevertheless, of my toughness.Send him the 500 pounds without a word,--or make Warburton do so, or Mr Moreton.Make no secret of it.Then if the papers talk about it-'
'A question might be asked about it in the House.'
'Or if questioned in any way,--say what I did.Tell the exact truth.You are always saying that nothing but truth ever serves.
Let the truth serve now.I shall not blench.Your saying it all in the House of Lords won't wound me half so much as your looking at me as you did now.'
'Did I wound you? God knows I would not hurt you willingly.'
'Never mind.Go on.I know you think I have brought it all on myself by my own wickedness.Pay this man the money, and then if anything is said about it, explain that it was my fault, and say that you paid the money because I had done wrong.'