Milroy's statement,
it is also an implied reflection on my governess's character.
As an act of justice toward a lady who lives under the protection
of my roof, and who has given me no reason whatever to distrust
her, I shall now show our correspondence to Miss Gwilt; and I
shall repeat to her the conversation which I had with Mrs.
Milroy on the subject, in Mrs. Milroy's presence.
"One word more respecting the future relations between us, and
I have done. My ideas on certain subjects are, I dare say, the
ideas of an old-fashioned man. In my time, we had a code of honor
by which we regulated our actions. According to that code, if a
man made private inquiries into a lady's affairs, without being
either her husband, her father, or her brother, he subjected
himself to the responsibility of justifying his conduct in the
estimation of others; and, if he evaded that responsibility, he
abdicated the position of a gentleman. It is quite possible that
this antiquated way of thinking exists no longer; but it is too
late for me, at my time of life, to adopt more modern views. I am
scrupulously anxious, seeing that we live in a country and a time
in which the only court of honor is a police-court, to express
myself with the utmost moderation of language upon this the last
occasion that I shall have to communicate with you.
Pages:
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712