About mere birth I should never have troubled myself.

I've met daughters of a hundred earls--more or less: clever, jolly little women I could have chucked under the chin and have been chummy with.

Nature creates her own ranks, and puts her ban upon misalliances.

Every time I took you in my arms I should have felt that you had stepped down from your proper order to mate yourself with me and that it was up to me to make the sacrifice good to you by giving you power--position.

Already within the last few weeks, when it looked as if this thing was going to be possible, I have been thinking against my will of a compromise with Carleton that would give me his support.