He would not suffer that Mary and her heart and feelings and interest should be altogether postponed to those of the young heir; and, perhaps, he was unconsciously encouraged in this determination by the reflection that Mary herself might perhaps become a young heiress.
"It is my duty," said Lady Arabella, repeating her words with even a stronger de Courcy intonation; "and your duty also, Dr Thorne." "My duty!" said he, rising from his chair and leaning on the table with the two thigh-bones.

"Lady Arabella, pray understand at once, that I repudiate any such duty, and will have nothing whatever to do with it." "But you do not mean to say that you will encourage this unfortunate boy to marry your niece ?" "The unfortunate boy, Lady Arabella--whom, by the by, I regard as a very fortunate young man--is your son, not mine.

I shall take no steps about his marriage, either one way or the other." "You think it right, then, that your niece should throw herself in his way ?" "Throw herself in his way! What would you say if I came up to Greshamsbury, and spoke to you of your daughters in such language?
What would my dear friend Mr Gresham say, if some neighbour's wife should come and so speak to him?
I will tell you what he would say: he would quietly beg her to go back to her own home and meddle only with her own matters." This was dreadful to Lady Arabella.

Even Dr Thorne had never before dared thus to lower her to the level of common humanity, and liken her to any other wife in the country-side.

Moreover, she was not quite sure whether he, the parish doctor, was not desiring her, the earl's daughter, to go home and mind her own business.