If I tell you about it it is not in order that you may weakly condone and gloss over my conduct." Magdalen reflected that Bessie had inherited her father's graceful way of approaching a difficulty by finding a preliminary fault in his listener.
Bessie shut her handsome mouth firmly for a moment, and then opened it with determination.
"I thought that whatever faults I had I was at any rate a lady, but I find I am not.

I discovered something by the merest chance a short time ago, and since then, for the last fortnight I have been acting in a dishonourable and vulgar manner, in short, spying upon another person." "That must have made you miserable." "It has.

I am miserable.

But I deserve that.

I did not come to talk about that.