 most
ingratiating virulence, - the dear lock - all, every memento was torn from me.«
    »You are very wrong, Mr. Willoughby, very blame-able,« said Elinor, while
her voice, in spite of herself, betrayed her compassionate emotion; »you ought
not to speak in this way, either of Mrs. Willoughby or my sister. You have made
your own choice. It was not forced on you. Your wife has a claim to your
politeness, to your respect, at least. She must be attached to you, or she would
not have married you. To treat her with unkindness, to speak of her slightingly
is no atonement to Marianne - nor can I suppose it a relief to your own
conscience.«
    »Do not talk to me of my wife,« said he with an heavy sigh. - »She does not
deserve your compassion. - She knew I had no regard for her when we married. -
Well, married we were, and came down to Combe Magna to be happy, and afterwards
returned to town to be gay. - And now do you pity me, Miss Dashwood? - or have I
said all this to no purpose? - Am I - be it only one degree - am I less guilty
in your opinion than I was before? - My intentions were not always wrong. Have I
explained away any part of my guilt?«
    »Yes, you have certainly removed something - a little. - You have proved
yourself, on the whole, less faulty than I had believed you. You have proved
your heart less wicked, much less wicked. But I hardly know - the misery that
you have inflicted - I hardly know what could have made it worse.«
    »Will you repeat to your sister when she is recovered, what I have been
telling you? - Let me be a little lightened too in her opinion as well as in
yours. You tell me that she has forgiven me already. Let me be able to fancy
that a better knowledge of my heart, and of my present feelings, will draw from
her a more spontaneous, more natural, more gentle, less dignified, forgiveness.
Tell her of my misery and my penitence - tell her that my heart was never
inconstant to her, and if you will, that at this moment she is dearer to me than
ever.«
    »I will tell her all that is necessary to what may comparatively be called,
your justification. But you have not explained to me the particular reason of
your coming now, nor how you
