Great Britain -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Ireland -- Fiction; Love stories; Social classes -- Fiction
But Mr. Prendergast did not, by any means; nor did he enter into the
tone of Owen Fitzgerald's mind. They were both just men, but just in
an essentially different manner. The justice of Mr. Prendergast had
come of thought and education. As a young man, when entering on his
profession, he was probably less just than he was now. He had thought
about matters of law and equity, till thought had shown to him the
beauty of equity as it should be practised,--often by the aid of law,
and not unfrequently in spite of law. Such was the justice of Mr.
Prendergast. That of Owen Fitzgerald had come of impulse and nature,
and was the justice of a very young man rather than of a very wise
one. That title and property did not, as he felt, of justice belong
to him, but to his cousin. What difference could it make in the true
justice of things, whether or no that wretched man was still alive
whom all the world had regarded as dead? In justice he ought to be
dead. Now that this calamity of the man's life had fallen upon Sir
Thomas and Lady Fitzgerald and his cousin Herbert, it would not
be for him to aggravate it by seizing upon a heritage which might
possibly accrue to him under the letter of the world's law, but which
could not accrue to him under heaven's law. Such was the justice
of Owen Fitzgerald; and we may say this of it in its dispraise,
as comparing it with that other justice, that whereas that of Mr.
Prendergast would wear for ever, through ages and ages, that other
justice of Owen's would hardly have stood the pull of a ten years'
struggle. When children came to him, would he not have thought of
what might have been theirs by right; and then have thought of what
ought to be theirs by right; and so on?
But in speaking of justice, he had also spoken of revenge, and Mr.
Prendergast was altogether in the dark. What revenge? He did not know
that poor Owen had lost a love, and that Herbert had found it. In the
midst of all the confused thoughts which this astounding intelligence
had brought upon him, Owen still thought of his love. There Herbert
had robbed him--robbed him by means of his wealth; and in that matter
he desired justice--justice or revenge. He wanted back his love.
Let him have that and Herbert might yet be welcome to his title and
estates.
Mr. Prendergast remained there for some half-hour longer, explaining
what ought to be done, and how it ought to be done. Of course he
combated that idea of Owen's, that the property might be allowed to
remain in the hands of the wrong heir. Had that been consonant with
his ideas of justice he would not have made his visit to Hap House
this morning. Right must have its way, and if it should be that Lady
Fitzgerald's marriage with Sir Thomas had not been legal, Owen, on
Sir Thomas's death, must become Sir Owen, and Herbert could not
become Sir Herbert. So much to the mind of Mr. Prendergast was as
clear as crystal. Let justice be done, even though these Castle
Richmond heavens should fall in ruins.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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