In your
hearing, I told the young lady that her leaving the house (as things
were then) would put an obstacle in the way of my recovering her jewel.
You saw yourselves that she drove off in the face of that statement. You
saw yourself that, so far from forgiving Mr. Blake for having done more
than all the rest of you to put the clue into my hands, she publicly
insulted Mr. Blake, on the steps of her mother's house. What do these
things mean? If Miss Verinder is not privy to the suppression of the
Diamond, what do these things mean?"
This time he looked my way. It was downright frightful to hear him
piling up proof after proof against Miss Rachel, and to know, while one
was longing to defend her, that there was no disputing the truth of what
he said. I am (thank God!) constitutionally superior to reason. This
enabled me to hold firm to my lady's view, which was my view also. This
roused my spirit, and made me put a bold face on it before Sergeant
Cuff. Profit, good friends, I beseech you, by my example. It will save
you from many troubles of the vexing sort. Cultivate a superiority to
reason, and see how you pare the claws of all the sensible people when
they try to scratch you for your own good!
Finding that I made no remark, and that my mistress made no remark,
Sergeant Cuff proceeded.
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