She
wanted to frighten Geoffrey, not to lose him and all he meant to her;
this was the last thing that she would wish to do. She did not greatly
care about the Beatrice incident, but her shrewd common sense told her
that it might well be used as an engine to ruin them all. Therefore she
spoke as she did speak, though in reality matters would have to be bad
indeed before she sought the aid of a court of law, where many things
concerning herself might come to the light of day which she would prefer
to leave in darkness.
Nor did she stop here; she determined to attack Geoffrey's position in
another way, namely, through Beatrice herself. For a long time Honoria
hesitated as to the method of this attack. She had some knowledge of the
world and of character, and from what she knew of Beatrice she came
to the sound conclusion that she was not a woman to be threatened, but
rather one to be appealed to. So after much thought she wrote to her
thus:--
"A story, which I still hesitate to believe, has come to me by means of
anonymous letters, as to your conduct with my husband. I do not wish
to repeat it now, further than to say that, if true, it establishes
circumstances which leave no doubt as to the existence of relations so
intimate between you as to amount to guilt.
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