Miss Hamilton had no time to reply; her cousin's laugh and ready word were before her.
I found the same thing happen when Mr.Tudor addressed me: before he had finished his sentence she had challenged the attention of the table.
'Giles,' she said good-humouredly, 'do you know what Mr.Tudor said in the drawing-room just now, that it was the bounden duty of the Heathfield folk to spoil and make much of Miss Garston ?' Both Mr.Tudor and I looked confused at this audacious speech, but he tried to defend himself as well as he could.
'No, no, Miss Darrell, that was not quite what I said; the whole style of the sentence is too laboured to belong to me: "bounden duty,"-- no, it does not sound like me at all.' 'We need not quarrel about terms,' she persisted; 'your meaning was just the same.

Come, Mr.Tudor, you cannot unsay your own words, that it was right for you all to make much of Miss Garston.' I thought this was spoken in the worst possible taste, and I am sure Mr.
Hamilton thought so too, for he smiled slightly and said, 'Nonsense, Etta! you let your tongue run away with you.

I daresay that was not Tudor's meaning at all; he is the most matter-of-fact fellow I know, and could not coin a compliment to save his life.

Besides which, I expect he has found out by this time that it would be rather difficult to spoil Miss Garston.

That cuts both ways, eh!' looking at me rather mischievously.
'Oh, if all the gentlemen are in conspiracy to defend Miss Garston, I will say no more,' returned Miss Darrell, with a shrug, but she did not say it quite pleasantly.