"
"Do you intend to defend duelling, sir?"
"No. If you mean to tell me that a duel is of itself sinful, I have
nothing to say. I suppose it is. My defence of myself merely goes to
the manner in which this duel was fought, and the fact that I fought
it with your son."
"I cannot conceive how you can have come to my house as my guest,
and stood upon my interest for my borough, when you at the time were
doing your very best to interpose yourself between Chiltern and the
lady whom you so well knew I wished to become his wife." Phineas was
aware that the Earl must have been very much moved indeed when he
thus permitted himself to speak of "his" borough. He said nothing
now, however, though the Earl paused;--and then the angry lord
went on. "I must say that there was something,--something almost
approaching to duplicity in such conduct."
"If I were to defend myself by evidence, Lord Brentford, I should
have to go back to exact dates,--and dates not of facts which I could
verify, but dates as to my feelings which could not be verified,--and
that would be useless. I can only say that I believe I know what
the honour and truth of a gentleman demand,--even to the verge of
self-sacrifice, and that I have done nothing that ought to place my
character as a gentleman in jeopardy.
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