Dorcas, faithful to her "young gentlemen," denied strenuously that it could have been John's voice she heard, and 142 resolutely declared, in the teeth of everything, that it was Mr. Inglethorp who had been in the boudoir with her mistress. 
Mr. Inglethorp had been cavorting with other women for years before raising any suspicions among his peers.
mnli hypothesis: Mr. Inglethorp had been cavorting with other women for years before raising any suspicions among his peers. premise: Dorcas, faithful to her "young gentlemen," denied strenuously that it could have been John's voice she heard, and 142 resolutely declared, in the teeth of everything, that it was Mr. Inglethorp who had been in the boudoir with her mistress. 