Much more so than mine are." "Lord Desmond, you may be sure, will not hear of it." "Lord Desmond cannot at present be less of a child than his sister." "I don't know that, Mr.Fitzgerald." "At any rate, Lady Desmond, I will not put my happiness, nor as far as I am concerned in it, his sister's happiness, at his disposal.
When I told her that I loved her, I did not speak, as you seem to think, from an impulse of the moment.

I spoke because I loved her; and as I love her, I shall of course try to win her.

Nothing can absolve me from my engagement to her but her marriage with another person." The countess had once or twice made small efforts to come to terms of peace with him; or rather to a truce, under which there might still be some friendship between them,--accompanied, however, by a positive condition that Clara should be omitted from any participation in it.
She would have been willing to say, "Let all this be forgotten, only for some time to come you and Clara cannot meet each other." But Fitzgerald would by no means agree to such terms; and the countess was obliged to leave his house, having in effect only thrown down a gauntlet of battle; having in vain attempted to extend over it an olive-branch of peace.
He helped her, however, into her little pony carriage, and at parting she gave him her hand.

He just touched it, and then, taking off his hat, bowed courteously to her as she drove from his door..