What had you taught her to enable her to defend herself from the evil in the world?
How was she armed to preserve intact what you call honour?
You and your wife had set her the example of the respect due to wealth and high birth by allowing that young man to come to your house, thinking it an honour that a gentleman should have fallen in love with your daughter.

When the inevitable results of social inequality came about she could not give him up; she had one of those noble natures that rise in revolt against the prejudices of the world, even at the risk of suffering all the bitterness of their rebellion, and she fell vanquished.

Whom can you blame?
Her ignorance, her life of isolation from the world, or yourselves who never taught her better, and who, blinded by ambition, let her wander to the edge of the precipice?
Blame her less than anybody.

Unhappy girl! She has paid with interest her noble defiance of social prejudices.

She has been vanquished in the social fight--a corpse that has to be buried; and you, her father, ought to be the one to fulfil that work of mercy." Esteban, with his head bent, continued to make gestures of refusal.
"Brother," said Gabriel solemnly; "if you hold tenaciously to your refusal I have only one thing more to say.