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 "No, we didn't find him, but we will and when we do—." He did not finish the threat for Lida whirled snapping her finger in his face.

"That for your threat. I'm ashamed of you all.—Murderers at heart. Murderers in soul.—And all for what? All because I want to marry the man of my choice."

"Yes, but he's got black blood in his veins. And no sister of mine will ever marry a black man.—No! by God, No."

"Ellie, Brother of Mine, he's as white as you—and in some ways whiter," Lida taunted.

"He may be white in skin but a drop of black blood in his veins, you know what that makes him, down here."

"It doesn't alter his manhood or character, or humanness. And from what I've seen of southern chivalry he overtops all of you. You men are chivalrous superficially. At heart you're just animal. I've had chance to think over some of the things I've seen down here lately and they don't compare very favorably with chivalry. Every woman is fair game to you men, whether she is black or white. It little becomes any of you to talk.

"Besides birth is a mere matter of accident. We can't help what we're born but we can improve on circumstances and environment. And I'm beginning to believe that there's as much nobility in one race as another, taken man for man."

"Well, you'll never marry Bennet. This country won't stand for that kind of a marriage," her brother predicted.