Explore "The Small House at Allington" by Anthony Trollope on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
I have said that John Eames was at his office punctually at twelve; but an incident had happened before his arrival there very important in the annals which are now being told -- so important that it is essentially necessary that it should be described with some minuteness of detail.
Lord De Guest, in the various conversations which he had had with Eames as to Lily Dale and her present position, had always spoken of Crosbie with the most vehement abhorrence. "He is a damned blackguard," said the earl, and the fire had come out of his round eyes as he spoke. Now the earl was by no means given to cursing and swearing, in the sense which is ordinarily applied to these words. When he made use of such a phrase as that quoted above, it was to be presumed that he in some sort meant what he said; and so he did, and had intended to signify that Crosbie by his conduct had merited all such condemnation as was the fitting punishment for blackguardism of the worst description.