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now see youa proud delicacy silenced her； she looked wounded and hurt。
I have been thinking of that look； since I have been here。 I have asked
myself （what did not occur to me at the time） if a false woman； who knew
herself to be guilty； would have behaved in that way？ Surely a false
woman would have set her wits against mine； and have tried to lead me
into betraying to her what discoveries I had really made？ Oscar！ that
delicate silence； that wounded look； _will_ plead for her when I think of
her in her absence！ I can _not_ feel as satisfied as I once did； that she
is the abominable creature you declare her to be。 I know you are
incapable of deceiving meI know you believe what you say。 But is it not
possible that appearances have misled you？ Can you really be sure that
you have not made some dreadful mistake？〃
Without answering me； he suddenly stopped at a seat under the stone
parapet of the pier； and signed to me to sit down by him。 I obeyed。
Instead of looking at me； he kept his head turned away； looking out over
the sea。 I could not make him out。 He perplexedhe almost alarmed me。
〃Have I offended you？〃 I asked。
He turned towards me again； as abruptly as he had turned away。 His eyes
wandered； his face was pale。
〃You are a good generous creature；〃 he said； in a confused hasty way。
〃Let us talk of something else。〃
〃No！〃 I answered。 〃I am too deeply interested in knowing the truth to
talk of anything else。〃
His color changed again at that。 His face flushed； he gave a heavy sigh
as one does sometimes； when one is making a great effort。
〃You _will_ have it？〃 he said。
〃I _will_ have it？〃
He rose again。 The nearer he was to telling me all that he had kept
concealed from me thus far； the harder it seemed to be to him to say the
first words。
〃Do you mind walking on again？〃 he asked。
I silently rose on my side； and put my arm in his。 We walked on slowly
towards the end of the pier。 Arrived there； he stood still； and spoke
those hard first wordslooking out over the broad blue waters： not
looking at me。
〃I won't ask you to take anything for granted； on my assertion only；〃 he
began。 〃The woman's own words； the woman's own actions； shall prove her
guilty。〃
I interrupted him by a question。
〃Tell me one thing；〃 I said。 〃What first made you suspect her？〃
〃You first made me suspect her； by what you said of her at Browndown；〃 he
answered。 〃Now carry your memory back to the time I have already
mentioned in my letterwhen she betrayed herself to you in the rectory
garden。 Is it true that she said you would have fallen in love with
Nugent； if you had met him first instead of me？〃
〃It is true that she said it；〃 I answered。 〃At a moment；〃 I added； 〃when
her temper had got the better of herand when mine had got the better of
me。〃
〃Advance the hour a little；〃 he went on； 〃to the time when she followed
you to Browndown。 Was she still out of temper； when she made her excuses
to you？〃
〃No。〃
〃Did she interfere； when Nugent took advantage of your blindness to make
you believe you were talking to me？〃
〃No。〃
〃Was she out of temper then？〃
I still defended her。 〃She might well have been angry；〃 I said。 〃She had
made her excuses to me in the kindest manner； and I had received them
with the most unpardonable rudeness。〃
My defence produced no effect on him。 He summed it up coolly so far。 〃She
compared me disadvantageously with Nugent； and she allowed Nugent to
personate me in speaking to you； without interfering to stop it。 In both
these cases； her temper excuses and accounts for her conduct。 Very good。
We may； or may not； differ so far。 Before we go farther； let usif we
canagree on one unanswerable fact。 Which of us two brothers was her
favorite； from the first？〃
About _that；_ there could be no doubt。 I admitted at once that Nugent was
her favorite。 And more than this； I remembered accusing her myself of
never having done justice to Oscar from the first。
＇Note。See the sixteenth chapter； and Madame Pratolungo's remark；
warning you that you would hear of this circumstance again。P。＇
Oscar went on。
〃Bear that in mind；〃 he said。 〃And now let us get to the time when we
were assembled in your sitting…room； to discuss the subject of the
operation on your eyes。 The question before us； as I remember it； was
this。 Were you to marry me； before the operation？ Or were you to keep me
waiting until the operation had been performed； and the cure was
complete？ How did Madame Pratolungo decide on that occasion？ She decided
against my interests； she encouraged you to delay our marriage。〃
I persisted in defending her。 〃She did that out of sympathy with me；〃 I
said。
He surprised me by again accepting my view of the matter； without
attempting to dispute it。
〃We will say she did it out of sympathy with you；〃 he proceeded。
〃Whatever her motives might be； the result was the same。 My marriage to
you was indefinitely put off； and Madame Pratolungo voted for that
delay。〃
〃And your brother；〃 I added； 〃took the other side； and tried to persuade
me to marry you first。 How can you reconcile that with what you have told
me〃
He interposed before I could say more。 〃Don't bring my brother into the
inquiry；〃 he said。 〃My brother； at that time； could still behave like an
honorable man； and sacrifice his own feelings to his duty to me。 Let us
strictly confine ourselves； for the present； to what Madame Pratolungo
said and did。 And let us advance again to a few minutes later on the same
day； when our little domestic debate had ended。 My brother was the first
to go。 Then； you retired； and left Madame Pratolungo and me alone in the
room。 Do you remember？〃
I remembered perfectly。
〃You had bitterly disappointed me；〃 I said。 〃You had shown no sympathy
with my eagerness to be restored to the blessing of sight。 You made
objections and started difficulties。 I recollect speaking to you with
some of the bitterness that I feltblaming you for not believing in my
future as I believed in it； and hoping as I hopedand then leaving you；
and locking myself up in my own room。〃
In those terms； I satisfied him that my memory of the events of that day
was as clear as his own。 He listened without making any remark； and went
on when I had done。
〃Madame Pratolungo shared your hard opinion of me； on that occasion；〃 he
proceeded； 〃and expressed it in infinitely stronger terms。 She betrayed
herself to _you_ in the rectory garden。 She betrayed herself to _me；_
after you had left us together in the sitting…room。 Her hasty temper
again； beyond all doubt！ I quite agree with you。 What she said to me in
your absence； she would never have said if she had been mistress of
herself。〃
I began to feel a little startled。 〃How is it that you now tell me of
this for the first time？〃 I said。 〃Were you afraid of distressing me？〃
〃I was afraid of losing you；〃 he answered。
Hitherto； I had kept my arm in his。 I drew it out now。 If his reply meant
anything； it meant that he had once thought me capable of breaking faith
with him。 He saw that I was hurt。
〃Remember；〃 he said； 〃that I had unhappily offended you that day； and
that you have not heard yet what Madame Pratolungo had the audacity to
say to me under those circumstances。〃
〃What did she say to you？〃
〃This：'It would have been a happier prospect for Lucilla； if she had
been going to marry your brother； instead of marrying you。' I repeat
literally： those were the words。〃
I could no more believe it of her than I could have believed it of
myself。
〃Are you really sure？〃 I asked him。 〃_Can_ she have said anything so
cruel to you as that？〃
Instead of answering me； he took his pocket…book from the breast…pocket
of his coatsearched in itand produced a morsel of folded and crumpled
paper。 He opened the paper； and showed me some writing inside。
〃Is that my writing？〃 he asked。
It was his writing。 I had seen enough of his letters； since the recovery
of my sight； to feel sure of that。
〃Read it！〃 he said； 〃and judge for yourself。〃
＇Note。You have made your acquaintance with this letter already； in my
thirty…second chapter。 I had said those foolish words to Oscar （as you
will find in my record of the time）； under the influence of a natural
indignation； which any other woman with a spark of spirit in her would
have felt in my place。 Instead of personally remonstrating with me； Oscar
had （as usual） gone home； and written me a letter of expostulation。
Having； on my side； had time to cooland feeling the absurdity of our
exchanging letters when we were within a few minutes' walk of each
otherI had gone straight to Browndown； on receiving the letter： first
crumpling it up； and （as I supposed） throwing it into the fire。 After
personally setting myself right with Oscar； I had returned to the
rectory； and had there heard that Nugent had been to see me in my
absence； had waited a little while alone in the sitting…room； and had
gone away again。 When I tell you that the letter which he was now showing
to Lucilla； was that same letter of Oscar's； which I had （as I believed）
destroyed； you will understand that I had thrown it into the fender
instead of into the fire； and that I failed to se