One or the other.' 'I am not accountable for Mr.Crisparkle's mentioning the matter to me, quite openly,' Neville begins.
'No; that's true; you are not,' Edwin Drood assents.
'But,' resumes Neville, 'I am accountable for mentioning it to you.

And I did so, on the supposition that you could not fail to be highly proud of it.' Now, there are these two curious touches of human nature working the secret springs of this dialogue.

Neville Landless is already enough impressed by Little Rosebud, to feel indignant that Edwin Drood (far below her) should hold his prize so lightly.

Edwin Drood is already enough impressed by Helena, to feel indignant that Helena's brother (far below her) should dispose of him so coolly, and put him out of the way so entirely.
However, the last remark had better be answered.

So, says Edwin: 'I don't know, Mr.Neville' (adopting that mode of address from Mr.
Crisparkle), 'that what people are proudest of, they usually talk most about; I don't know either, that what they are proudest of, they most like other people to talk about.