As he walked away his mind filled itself gradually with various
ideas, all springing from the words which Lord Brentford had spoken.
What account had Lord Chiltern given to his father of the duel? Our
hero was a man very sensitive as to the good opinion of others, and
in spite of his bold assertion of his own knowledge of what became
a gentleman, was beyond measure solicitous that others should
acknowledge his claim at any rate to that title. He thought that he
had been generous to Lord Chiltern; and as he went back in his memory
over almost every word that had been spoken in the interview that had
just passed, he fancied that he was able to collect evidence that his
antagonist at Blankenberg had not spoken ill of him. As to the charge
of deceit which the Earl had made against him, he told himself that
the Earl had made it in anger. He would not even think hardly of the
Earl who had been so good a friend to him, but he believed in his
heart that the Earl had made the accusation out of his wrath and not
out of his judgment. "He cannot think that I have been false to him,"
Phineas said to himself. But it was very sad to him that he should
have to quarrel with all the family of the Standishes, as he could
not but feel that it was they who had put him on his feet.
Pages:
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834