Unwilling a woman must be to confess herself only the better half of a low-bred brute, with a high varnish--or not, as the case may be; and there is nothing left her to do but set herself to find out the wretch's virtues, or, as he hasn't got any, to invent for him the least unlikely ones.

She wants for her own sake to believe in him, don't you know?
Then she begins to repent having said hard words of the poor gentleman.

The next thing, of course, will be, that you begin to hate the person, to whom you said them, and to persuade yourself she drew them out of you; and so you break off all communication with the obnoxious person; who being, in the present instance, that black-faced sheep, Sepia Yolland, she is very sorry beforehand, and hates Mr.Redmain with all her heart; first, because Hesper Mortimer hates him, and next, but twice as much, because she is going to love him.

It is a great pity _you_ should have him, Hesper.

I wish you would hand him over to me.