‘ To a softening down of your ideas of the incompatibility?’ said Bounderby.
‘ If you put it in those terms.’
‘ What made you think of this?’ said Bounderby.
‘ I have already said, I fear Louisa has not been understood. Is it asking too much, Bounderby, that you, so far her elder, should aid in trying to set her right? You have accepted a great charge of her; for better for worse, for—’
Mr. Bounderby may have been annoyed by the repetition of his own words to Stephen Blackpool, but he cut the quotation short with an angry start.
‘ Come!’ said he, ‘I don’t want to be told about that. I know what I took her for, as well as you do. Never you mind what I took her for; that’s my look out.’
‘ I was merely going on to remark, Bounderby, that we may all be more or less in the wrong
