Lydia's color rose, too. Her first impulse was to treat this
outburst as rebellion against her authority, and crush it. But her
sense of justice withheld her.
"Would you have had me betray a fugitive who took refuge in my
house, Bashville? YOU did not betray him."
"No," said Bashville, his expression subdued to one of rueful pride.
"When I am beaten by a better man, I have courage enough to get out
of his way and take no mean advantage of him."
Lydia, not understanding, looked inquiringly at him. He made a
gesture as if throwing something from him, and continued recklessly, "But one way I'm as good as he, and better. A footman is held more
respectable than a prize-fighter. He's told you that he's in love
with you; and if it is to be my last word, I'll tell you that the
ribbon round your neck is more to me than your whole body and soul
is to him or his like. When he took an unfair advantage of me, and
pretended to be a gentleman, I told Mr. Lucian of him, and showed
him up for what he was. But when I found him to-day hiding in the
pantry at the Lodge, I took no advantage of him, though I knew well
that if he'd been no more to you than any other man of his sort,
you'd never have hid him. You know best why he gave himself up to
the police after your seeing his day's work. But I will leave him to
his luck. He is the best man: let the best man win. I am sorry,"
added Bashville, recovering his ordinary suave manner with an
effort, "to inconvenience you by a short notice, but I should take
it as a particular favor if I might go this evening."
"You had better," said Lydia, rising quite calmly, and keeping
resolutely away from her the strange emotional result of being
astonished, outraged, and loved at one unlooked-for stroke. "It is
not advisable that you should stay after what you have just--"
"I knew that when I said it," interposed Bashville hastily and
doggedly.
"In going away you will be taking precisely the course that would be
adopted by any gentleman who had spoken to the same effect. I am not
offended by your declaration: I recognize your right to make it. If
you need my testimony to further your future arrangements, I shall
be happy to say that I believe you to be a man of honor."