Why do you ask me twice?
How can hands stained with the ink of a counting-house, soiled with the grease of a wool-warehouse, ever again be permitted to come into contact with aristocratic palms ?" "There would be a difficulty, no doubt; still you are such a complete Seacombe in appearance, feature, language, almost manner, I wonder they should disown you." "They have disowned me; so talk no more about it." "Do you regret it, William ?" "No." "Why not, lad ?" "Because they are not people with whom I could ever have had any sympathy." "I say you are one of them." "That merely proves that you know nothing at all about it; I am my mother's son, but not my uncles' nephew." "Still--one of your uncles is a lord, though rather an obscure and not a very wealthy one, and the other a right honourable: you should consider worldly interest." "Nonsense, Mr.Hunsden.You know or may know that even had I desired to be submissive to my uncles, I could not have stooped with a good enough grace ever to have won their favour.

I should have sacrificed my own comfort and not have gained their patronage in return." "Very likely--so you calculated your wisest plan was to follow your own devices at once ?" "Exactly.

I must follow my own devices--I must, till the day of my death; because I can neither comprehend, adopt, nor work out those of other people." Hunsden yawned.

"Well," said he, "in all this, I see but one thing clearly-that is, that the whole affair is no business of mine." He stretched himself and again yawned.

"I wonder what time it is," he went on: "I have an appointment for seven o'clock." "Three quarters past six by my watch." "Well, then I'll go." He got up.