I kept silence. I thought with myself he was fighting the nature his
mother had given him.
He lay still for about two minutes, then quietly rose.
"Good night, dearest!" he said; "--no; good-bye! It is not fit the son of
such a mother should marry any honest woman."
"I beg your pardon, John!" I returned; "I hope _I_ may have a word in the
matter! If I choose to marry you, what right have you to draw back? Let
us leave alone the thing that has to be, and remember that my uncle must
not be denounced as a murderer! Something must be done. That he is beyond
personal danger for the present is something; but is he to be the talk of
the country?"
"No harm shall come to him," said John. "If I don't throttle the tigress,
I'll muzzle her. I know how to deal with her. She has learned at least,
that what her stupid son says, he does! I shall make her understand that,
on her slightest movement to disgrace your uncle, I will marry you right
off, come what may; and if she goes on, I shall get myself summoned for
the defence, that, if I can say nothing for _him_, I may say something
against _her_. Besides, I will tell her that, when my time comes, if I
find anything amiss with her accounts, I will give her no quarter.--But,
Orbie," he continued, "as I will not threaten what I may not be able to
perform, you must promise not to prevent me from carrying it out.
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