"True, it is an unpleasant business; but you must remember that you owe it to Miss Fitzgerald to ask her for a definite answer, or to give her some explanation for declining to do so."
"You think there's no escape from it?"
"None that a gentleman can take."
"What do you advise me to do?"
"Find out where you stand in the first place."
"How I stand?"
"Yes. At least one serious charge has been made against the woman whom you propose to make your wife. If true—for your own sake, for your father's sake, you must surrender her. If false, you are equally bound, by honour and chivalry, to disprove it."
"How can I do this?"
"The charge to which I refer is based on the direct evidence of certain letters. See them, and judge for yourself."
"That is easier said than done."