"I know I may," the girl answered. "Well, then, you must know first of
all, that my father married a second time, and he unfortunately chose a
woman well connected enough, but heartless and an utter snob. I suppose
men are often blind to these hateful qualities before marriage; doubtless
a clever, unscrupulous woman is able to hide her faults when she has the
main chance in view. My stepmother was a good deal younger than my
father, and I dare say on the whole made him, socially at any rate, a
fairly good wife. Her one idea was social aggrandizement at any cost, and
I unhappily was to fall a victim to it.
"I suppose we ought not to blame her for determining that I ought to
marry well; she wanted to do the best for the family and was
constitutionally incapable of making allowance for or considering any
one's private feelings. To make a long story short, my stepmother, in
pursuance of her policy, determined that I should marry a certain peer
whose name I need not mention. He was altogether a bad lot, and I soon
came to know it. I received certain warnings, but without them I could
see that the man was all wrong, and I told my stepmother what I
thought of him.
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