Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 2.djvu/36

26 prop of the community, they do me the honour to say, and I have shamefully betrayed my trust—"

"You may join them again, if you like," said I, somewhat piqued at the sorrowful tone of his discourse. "I should be sorry to stand between any man—or body of men and so much happiness; and perhaps I can manage to do without you, as well as your poor deserted friends."

"Bless you! no," murmured he. "It's 'all for love or the world well lost,' with me. Let them go to—where they belong, to speak politely. But if you saw how they abuse me, Helen, you would love me all the more, for having ventured so much for your sake."

He pulled out his crumpled letters. I thought he was going to shew them to me, and told him I did not wish to see them.

"I'm not going to shew them to you, love," said he. "They're hardly fit for a lady's eyes—the most part of them. But look here. This