Out of her sphere - University Library

UNLUCKY A UDLEY DALE. 9a
of her, who was my friend, had it not been
for that letter which you made so light of
the night of the ball. To think that she
should write such a thing, or you give her
cause to do so !'^
" She write it !
she write an anonymous
letter ! Mrs. Thornton is the last woman
in the world to stoop to such a meanness,'^
said Audley angrily, beheving what he
said, and quite deceived in his belief, for
Mrs. Thornton would have written an
anonymous letter if she had thought she
would have benefited herself or a friend
thereby, and injured no one, just in the same
spirit that she would have told an untruth,
if she had believed that any good end would
be achieved by her doing so. Her code
of honour was, perhaps, as different from
that of Audley Dale— gentleman and sol-
dier—as her moral standard was from that
of her husband— priest and Christian.
" If she did n't write it, it is strange