As by the spread of
education and increase of the general well-being every proletaire
was brought nearer to a Duke, so by such action would the Duke be
brought nearer to a proletaire. Such drawing-nearer of the classes
was the object to which all this man's political action tended.
And yet it was a dreadful thing to him that his own daughter
should desire to marry a man so much beneath her own rank and
fortunes as Frank Tregear.
He would not allow himself to believe that the young people could
ever prevail; but nevertheless, as the idea of the thing had not
alarmed Lady Cantrip as it had him, it was necessary that he
should make some apology to Mrs Finn. Each moment of
procrastination was a prick to his conscience. He now therefore
dragged out from the secrecy of some close drawer Mrs Finn's
letter and read it through to himself once again. Yet--it was true
that he had condemned her, and that he had punished her. Though he
had done nothing to her, said nothing, and written but very
little, still he had punished her most severely.
She had written as though the matter was almost one of life and
death to her.
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