"His mother never tried to deprive him of any of those inestimable advantages!"
Madame de Treymes unclasped her hands with a slight gesture of deprecation.
"Not consciously, perhaps; but silences and reserves can teach so much. His mother has another point of view—"
"Thank heaven!" Durham interjected.
"Thank heaven for her—yes—perhaps; but it would not have done for the boy."
Durham squared his shoulders with the sudden resolve of a man breaking through a throng of ugly phantoms.
"You haven't yet convinced me that it won't have to do for him. At the time of Madame de Malrive's separation, the court made no difficulty about giving her the custody of her son; and you must pardon me for reminding you that the father's unfitness was the reason alleged."
Madame de Treymes shrugged her shoulders. "And my poor brother, you would add, has not changed; but the circumstances have, and that proves precisely what I have been trying to show you: that, in such cases, the general course of events is considered, rather than the action of any one person."
"Then why is Madame de Malrive's action to be considered?"
"Because it breaks up the unity of the family."