Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 3.djvu/190

180 woman would be capable of evincing that bitter, cold-blooded, designing malice towards a fancied rival that I have observed in her."

"Markham!!"

"Yes—and it is my belief that Eliza Millward and she, if not the very originators of the slanderous reports that have been propagated, were designedly the encouragers and chief disseminators of them. She was not desirous to mix up your name in the matter, of course, but her delight was, and still is, to blacken your sister's character to the utmost of her power without risking too greatly the exposure of her own malevolence!"

"I cannot believe it;" interrupted my companion, his face burning with indignation.

"Well, as I cannot prove it, I must content myself with asserting that it is so to the best of my belief; but as you would not willingly marry Miss Wilson if it were so, you will do well to be cautious, till you have proved it to be otherwise."