These are not your own
words. I know where they came from: a coward put them in your
mouth.'
'St. Ives!' he cried, 'why do you make it so hard for me? and
where's the use of insulting other people? The plain English is,
that I can't hear of any proposal of marriage from a man under a
charge like that. You must see it for yourself, man! It's the
most absurd thing I ever heard of! And you go on forcing me to
argue with you, too!'
'Because I have had an affair of honour which terminated unhappily,
you--a young soldier, or next-door to it--refuse my offer? Do I
understand you aright?' said I.
'My dear fellow!' he wailed, 'of course you can twist my words, if
you like. You SAY it was an affair of honour. Well, I can't, of
course, tell you that--I can't--I mean, you must see that that's
just the point! Was it? I don't know.'
'I have the honour to inform you,' said I.
'Well, other people say the reverse, you see!'
'They lie, Ronald, and I will prove it in time.'
'The short and the long of it is, that any man who is so
unfortunate as to have such things said about him is not the man to
be my brother-in-law!' he cried.
'Do you know who will be my first witness at the court? Arthur
Chevenix!' said I.
'I don't care!' he cried, rising from his chair and beginning to
pace outrageously about the room.
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