“You will deny this atrocious charge?”
“If I am asked I shall deny it of course,” he said coolly; “but you don’t suppose I am going to talk about it without?”
“But—but—that man believes it to be true!”
“Well, let him.”
“Robert—dear Robert,” she cried, “you must not, you shall not treat it like that! It is as if you were indifferent to this dreadful statement.”
“Because it is better to let it rest, madam, so let it be.”
“No!” she cried, with a wave as it were of her old trust sweeping all before it; “I cannot let it rest. If you will not speak in your own defence, I must!”
“What do you mean?” he said hastily.
“That if for his child’s sake, Robert Hallam will not defend himself against such a vile and cruel lie, his wife will!”
“What will you do?” he said, with an ugly sneer upon his lip.