The Small House at Allington

Chapter 34

The Combat

I have said that John Eames was at his office punctually at twelve;

but an incident had happened before his arrival there very important

in the annals which are now being told,--so important that it

is essentially necessary that it should be described with some

minuteness of detail.

Lord De Guest, in the various conversations which he had had with

Eames as to Lily Dale and her present position, had always spoken

of Crosbie with the most vehement abhorrence. "He is a damned

blackguard," said the earl, and the fire had come out of his round

eyes as he spoke. Now the earl was by no means given to cursing and

swearing, in the sense which is ordinarily applied to these words.

When he made use of such a phrase as that quoted above, it was to be

presumed that he in some so