Never had he loved her so well as now in this moment when
he was about to counsel her to marry another man. And yet he persevered
in his folly. For, as so often happens, the shrewd insight and knowledge
of the world which distinguished Geoffrey as a lawyer, when dealing with
the affairs of others, quite deserted him in this crisis of his own life
and that of the woman who worshipped him.
"Since I have been here," he said, "I have had made to me no less than
three appeals on your behalf and by separate people--by your father,
who fancies that you are pining for Owen Davies; by Owen Davies, who is
certainly pining for you; and by old Edward, intervening as a kind of
domestic _amicus curiae_."
"Indeed," said Beatrice, in a voice of ice.
"All these three urged the same thing--the desirability of your marrying
Owen Davies."
Beatrice's face grew quite pale, her lips twitched and her grey eyes
flashed angrily.
"Really," she said, "and have _you_ any advice to give on the subject,
Mr. Bingham?"
"Yes, Beatrice, I have. I have thought it over, and I think
that--forgive me again--that if you can bring yourself to it, perhaps
you had better marry him.
Pages:
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359