When she awoke a new idea flashed upon her with all the brightness of the morning. Mr. Thornton had learnt her falsehood before he went to the coroner; that suggested the thought, that he had possibly been influenced so to do with a view of sparing her the repetition of her denial. But she pushed this notion on one side with the sick wilfulness of a child. If it were so, she felt no gratitude to him, as it only showed her how keenly he must have seen that she was disgraced already, before he took such unwonted pains to spare her any further trial of truthfulness, which had already failed so signally. She would have gone through the whole--she would have perjured herself to save Frederick, rather--far rather--than Mr. Thornton should have had the knowledge that prompted him to interfere to save her. What ill-fate brought him in contact with the Inspector? What made him be the very magistrate sent for to receive Leonards' deposition? What had Leonards said? How much of it was intelligible to Mr. Thornton, who might already, for aught she knew, be aware of the old accusation against Frederick, through their mutual friend, Mr. Bell? If so, he had striven to save the son, who came in defiance of the law to attend his mother's death-bed. 
When she awoke a new idea flashed upon her. Mr. Thornton had learnt her falsehood before he went to the coroner; so he had possibly done so in order to spare her the repetition of her denial. But she pushed this notion aside with the sick wilfulness of a child. If it were so, she felt no gratitude to him, as it only showed her how keenly he must have seen that she was disgraced already. She would have gone through the whole - she would have perjured herself again to save Frederick, rather than Mr. Thornton should have had the knowledge that prompted him to save her.
What ill-fate brought him in contact with the Inspector? What made him be the very magistrate who received Leonards' deposition? What had Leonards said? For all she knew, Mr. Thornton might already be aware of the accusation against Frederick, through Mr. Bell. If so, he had striven to save the son who came to attend his mother's death-bed. 