"Mr. Harris had best be warned," I said to Florac; "will you write him a
word, and let us send a messenger to Newcome?"
At first Florac said, "Parbleu! No;" the affair was none of his, he
attended himself always to this result of Lady Clara's marriage. He had
even complimented Jack upon it years before at Baden, when scenes enough
tragic, enough comical, ma foi, had taken place apropos of this affair.
Why should he meddle with it now?
"Children dishonoured," said I, "honest families made miserable; for
Heaven's sake, Florac, let us stay this catastrophe if we can." I spoke
with much warmth, eagerly desirous to avert this calamity if possible,
and very strongly moved by the tale which I had heard only just before
dinner from that noble and innocent creature, whose pure heart had
already prompted her to plead the cause of right and truth, and to try
and rescue an unhappy desperate sister trembling on the verge of ruin.
"If you will not write to him," said I, in some heat, "if your grooms
don't like to go out of a night" (this was one of the objections which
Florac had raised), "I will walk.
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