familiar with her, hinted that there might be a little family difficulty.
"Oh, none in the least," said Lizzie; "but I don't think I shall part with
them." Then she gave Mr. Benjamin an order for a strong box, which was
supplied to her. The strong box, which was so heavy that she could barely
lift it herself, was now in her London bedroom.

On the morning of the third day she read the letter. Miss Macnulty was
staying with her, but she had not said a word to Miss Macnulty about the
letter. She read it up in her own bedroom and then sat down to think about
it. Sir Florian, as he had handed to her the stones for the purpose of a
special dinner party which had been given to them when passing through
London, had told her that they were family jewels. "That setting was done
for my mother," he said, "but it is already old. When we are at home again
they shall be reset." Then he had added some little husband's joke as to a
future daughter-in-law who should wear them. Nevertheless she was not sure
whether the fact of their being so handed to her did not make them her
own. She had spoken a second time to Mr. Mopus, and Mr. Mopus had asked
her whether there existed any family deed as to the diamonds. She had
heard of no such deed, nor did Mr. Camperdown mention such a deed. After
reading the letter once she read it a dozen times; and then, like a woman,
made up her mind that her safest course would be not to answer it.

But yet she felt sure that something unpleasant would come of it. Mr.
Camperdown was not a man to take up such a question and let it drop. Legal
steps! What did legal steps mean, and what could they do to her? Would Mr.
Camperdown be able to put her in prison, or to take away from her the
estate of Portray? She could swear that her husband had given them to her,
and could invent any form of words she pleased as accompanying the gift.
No one else had been near them then. But she was, and felt herself to be
absolutely, alarmingly ignorant, not only of the laws but of custom in