Then, perceiving in Elizabeth no inclination of replying, she added,“Unhappy as the event must be for Lydia, we may draw from it this useful lesson: that loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable; that one false step involves her in endless ruin;that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful;and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behaviour towards the undeserving of the other sex.”
“And was Denny convinced that Wickham would not marry? Did he know of their intending to go off?Had Colonel Forster seen Denny himself?”