He did not know that she was inspired by fury against himself--by
passionate envy of his wife. To him her words seemed only the careless
slander of society, and experience had shown him that in such slanders
there lurked generally some leaven of truth.
"I will not doubt her," he thought, as he walked onward in the
moonlight, too proud and too honourable to linger in order to hear
anything more that Miss Graham might have to say. "I will not doubt the
wife I love so fondly, because idle tongues are already busy with her
fair fame. Already! We have not been married two months, and already
evil tongues drop the poison of doubt into my ear. It seems too cruel!
But I will watch her with this man. Her ignorance of the world may have
caused her to be more familiar with him than the rigid usages of
society would permit. And yet she is generally so dignified, so
reserved--apt to err on the side of coldness rather than of warmth. I
must watch!--I must watch!"
Never before had Sir Oswald known the anguish of distrust. But his was
an impulsive nature, easily swayed by the force of any absorbing
passion. Blindly, unquestionably, as he had abandoned himself to his
love for Honoria Milford, so now he abandoned himself to the jealous
doubts inspired by a malicious woman's lying tongue.
That night his slumbers were broken and feverish. The next day he set
himself to watch his wife and Victor Carrington.
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