He stood silent before her, looking away from her, thinking over it all.  He certainly had believed himself to be violently in love with Lady Laura, and yet when he had just now entered her drawing-room, he had almost forgotten that there had been such a passage in his life.  And he had believed that she had forgotten it,—­even though she had counselled him not to come to Loughlinter within the last nine months!  He had been a boy then, and had not known himself;—­but now he was a man, and was proud of the intensity of his love.  There came upon him some passing throb of pain from his shoulder, reminding him of the duel, and he was proud also of that.  He had been willing to risk everything,—­life, prospects, and position,—­sooner than abandon the slight hope which was his of possessing Violet Effingham.  And now he was told that this wound in his heart would soon be cured, and was told so by a woman to whom he had once sung a song of another passion.  It is very hard to answer a woman in such circumstances, because her womanhood gives her so strong a ground of vantage!  Lady Laura might venture to throw in his teeth the fickleness of his heart, but he could not in reply tell her that to change a love was better than to marry without love,—­that to be capable of such a change showed no such inferiority of nature as did the capacity for such a marriage.  She could hit him with her argument; but he could only remember his, and think how violent might be the blow he could inflict,—­if it were not that she were a woman, and therefore guarded.  “You will not help me then?” he said, when they had both been silent for a while.

“Help you?  How should I help you?”

“I wanted no other help than this,—­that I might have had an opportunity of meeting Violet here, and of getting from her some answer.”

“Has the question then never been asked already?” said Lady Laura.  To this Phineas made no immediate reply.  There was no reason why he should show his whole hand to an adversary.  “Why do you not go to Lady Baldock’s house?” continued Lady Laura.  “You are admitted there.  You know Lady Baldock.  Go and ask her to stand your friend with her niece.  See what she will say to you.  As far as I understand these matters, that is the fair, honourable, open way in which gentlemen are wont to make their overtures.”

“I would make mine to none but to herself,” said Phineas.

“Then why have you made it to me, sir?” demanded Lady Laura.

“I have come to you as I would to my sister.”

“Your sister?  Psha!  I am not your sister, Mr. Finn.  Nor, were I so, should I fail to remember that I have a dearer brother to whom my faith is pledged.  Look here.  Within the last three weeks Oswald has sacrificed everything to his father, because he was determined that Mr. Kennedy should have the money which he thought was due to my husband.  He has enabled my father to do what he will with Saulsby.  Papa will never hurt him;—­I know that.  Hard as papa is with him, he will never hurt Oswald’s future position.  Papa is too proud to do that.  Violet has heard what Oswald has done; and now that he has nothing of his own to offer her for the future but his bare title, now that he has given papa power to do what he will with the property, I believe that she would accept him instantly.  That is her disposition.”