“Lord Brancepeth did me the honor to offer me his hand a few minutes ago; I refused it,” she said between her teeth. “I am entirely at a loss to know why you and ‘everybody’ consider that I ought to marry a penniless guardsman who has nothing to recommend him but a handsome face.” “By heaven! That’s cool.” Hurstmanceaux, as he muttered the involuntary words, stared down on her too astonished to say more, too completely stupefied and taken aback to be aware of the indelicacy of his own astonishment. “Have you any more suggestions to make?” she said with her utmost insolence. “Unhappily, I have to speak to you about a very unpleasant thing,” said Hurstmanceaux and paused. “You never speak of anything that is not unpleasant by any chance,” said his sister. “Bray unburden yourself.” “Well then,” said Hurstmanceaux, not softened by her manner, “briefly, I must ask you to be so good as to give up the family jewels out of your keeping; the bank will send for them by our orders on Monday.” She was prepared for the question. “I have always had the use of them,” she replied very calmly, “precedent makes possession.” “No, it does not. The late duke never gave you by signature, nor before witnesses, any interest in them or any right of user. He let you wear them as he might have lent me a horse, but the horse having been lent to me would not have become mine through that loan. The jewels are tied up by settlement, and go with the real estate. Your husband renewed that settlement on his deathbed and the jewels go to Jack with the rest of the real estate. Do I make myself clear?” “The little beast!” said Jack’s mother between her teeth. “I do not know why you should call your child bad names. He is _your_ child, there can be no doubt about that. Failing Jack, his brother succeeds. It is not Jack personally who causes you this annoyance, it is the settlement under his father and grandfather’s will. It would be just the same if you had no sons and if Lord Alberic succeeded.” Mouse gave a fierce, nervous, impatient gesture. “Why was I allowed to have the jewels, then, at all if I am to be made ridiculous by having them taken away from me?” “It would have been better if you had not had them, no doubt. But the duke was always good-natured and indulgent, and your husband was of course perfectly aware that the jewels were protected by settlement; he renewed the settlement on his deathbed. Besides, the great Indian diamond is not an ordinary jewel--it is a fortune in itself.” She was prepared for this or some similar remark and did not flinch. “It is precisely that which is so annoying,” she replied. “That jewel is so conspicuous; to appear without it at a drawing-room or any function of any importance would be absurd--odious. Surely some way can be found to leave me the usage of them until the boy’s majority?”