第8章

"WhenOwenmarries？That’slookingsomedistanceahead！I

wanttobetoldthatmeanwhileyou’llhavenoregrets。"

Shehesitated。Whydidhepresshertouncovertohimherpoorstarvedpast？Avaguefeelingofloyalty，adesiretosparewhatcouldnolongerharmher，madeheranswerevasively："Therewillprobablybeno’meanwhile。’Owenmaymarrybeforelong。"

Shehadnotmeanttotouchonthesubject，forherstep—sonhadswornhertoprovisionalsecrecy；butsincetheshortnessofDarrow’sleavenecessitatedapromptadjustmentoftheirownplans，itwas，afterall，inevitablethatsheshouldgivehimatleastahintofOwen’s。

"Owenmarry？Why，healwaysseemslikeafauninflannels！I

hopehe’sfoundadryad。Theremighteasilybeoneleftintheseblue—and—goldwoods。"

"Ican’ttellyouyetwherehefoundhisdryad，butsheISone，Ibelieve：atanyrateshe’llbecometheGivrewoodsbetterthanIdo。Onlytheremaybedifficulties————"

"Well！Atthatagethey’renotalwaystobewishedaway。"

Shehesitated。"Owen，atanyrate，hasmadeuphismindtoovercomethem；andI’vepromisedtoseehimthrough。"

Shewenton，afteramoment’sconsideration，toexplainthatherstep—son’schoicewas，forvariousreasons，notlikelytocommenditselftohisgrandmother。"Shemustbepreparedforit，andI’vepromisedtodothepreparing。YouknowI

alwaysHAVEseenhimthroughthings，andherathercountsonmenow。"

ShefanciedthatDarrow’sexclamationhadinitafaintnoteofannoyance，andwonderedifheagainsuspectedherofseekingapretextforpostponement。

"ButonceOwen’sfutureissettled，youwon’t，surely，forthesakeofwhatyoucallseeinghimthrough，askthatI

shouldgoawayagainwithoutyou？"Hedrewhercloserastheywalked。"Owenwillunderstand，ifyoudon’t。Sincehe’sinthesamecasehimselfI’llthrowmyselfonhismercy。He’llseethatIhavethefirstclaimonyou；hewon’tevenwantyounottoseeit。"

"Owenseeseverything：I’mnotafraidofthat。Buthisfutureisn’tsettled。He’sveryyoungtomarry——tooyoung，hisgrandmotherissuretothink——andthemarriagehewantstomakeisnotlikelytoconvincehertothecontrary。"

"Youdon’tmeanthatit’slikehisfirstchoice？"

"Oh，no！Butit’snotwhatMadamedeChantellewouldcallagoodmatch；it’snotevenwhatIcallawiseone。"

"Yetyou’rebackinghimup？"

"YetI’mbackinghimup。"Shepaused。"Iwonderifyou’llunderstand？WhatI’vemostwantedforhim，andshallwantforEffie，isthattheyshallalwaysfeelfreetomaketheirownmistakes，andnever，ifpossible，bepersuadedtomakeotherpeople’s。EvenifOwen’smarriageisamistake，andhastobepaidfor，Ibelievehe’lllearnandgrowinthepaying。OfcourseIcan’tmakeMadamedeChantelleseethis；butIcanremindherthat，withhischaracter——hisbigrushesofimpulse，hisoddintervalsofebbandapathy——shemaydrivehimintosomeworseblunderifshethwartshimnow。"

"AndyoumeantobreakthenewstoherassoonasshecomesbackfromOuchy？"

"AssoonasIseemywaytoit。Sheknowsthegirlandlikesher：that’sourhope。Andyetitmay，intheend，proveourdanger，makeitharderforusall，whenshelearnsthetruth，thanifOwenhadchosenastranger。Ican’ttellyoumoretillI’vetoldher：I’vepromisedOwennottotellanyone。AllIaskyouistogivemetime，togivemeafewdaysatanyrateShe’sbeenwonderfully’nice，’asshewouldcallit，aboutyou，andaboutthefactofmyhavingsoontoleaveGivre；butthat，again，maymakeitharderforOwen。

Atanyrate，youcansee，can’tyou，howitmakesmewanttostandbyhim？Yousee，Icouldn’tbearitiftheleastfractionofmyhappinessseemedtobestolenfromhis——asifitwerealittlescrapofhappinessthathadtobepiecedoutwithotherpeople’s！"SheclaspedherhandsonDarrow’sarm。"Iwantourlifetobelikeahousewithallthewindowslit：I’dliketostringlanternsfromtheroofandchimneys！"

Sheendedwithaninwardtremor。Allthroughherexpositionandherappealshehadtoldherselfthatthemomentcouldhardlyhavebeenlesswellchosen。InDarrow’splaceshewouldhavefelt，ashedoubtlessdid，thathercarefullydevelopedargumentwasonlythedisguiseofanhabitualindecision。Itwasthehourofallotherswhenshewouldhavelikedtoaffirmherselfbybrushingasideeveryobstacletohiswishes；yetitwasonlybyopposingthemthatshecouldshowthestrengthofcharactershewantedhimtofeelinher。

ButasshetalkedshebegantoseethatDarrow’sfacegavebacknoreflectionofherwords，thathecontinuedtoweartheabstractedlookofamanwhoisnotlisteningtowhatissaidtohim。Itcausedheraslightpangtodiscoverthathisthoughtscouldwanderatsuchamoment；then，withaflushofjoysheperceivedthereason。

Insomeundefinablewayshehadbecomeaware，withoutturningherhead，thathewassteepedinthesenseofhernearness，absorbedincontemplatingthedetailsofherfaceanddress；andthediscoverymadethewordsthrongtoherlips。Shefeltherselfspeakwithease，authority，conviction。Shesaidtoherself："Hedoesn’tcarewhatI

say——it’senoughthatIsayit——evenifit’sstupidhe’lllikemebetterforit……"Sheknewthateveryinflexionofhervoice，everygesture，everycharacteristicofherperson——itsverydefects，thefactthatherforeheadwastoohigh，thathereyeswerenotlargeenough，thatherhands，thoughslender，werenotsmall，andthatthefingersdidnottaper——sheknewthatthesedeficienciesweresomanychannelsthroughwhichherinfluencestreamedtohim；thatshepleasedhiminspiteofthem，perhapsbecauseofthem；

thathewantedherasshewas，andnotasshewouldhavelikedtobe；andforthefirsttimeshefeltinherveinsthesecurityandlightnessofhappylove。

Theyreachedthecourtandwalkedunderthelimestowardthehouse。Thehalldoorstoodwide，andthroughthewindowsopeningontheterracethesunslantedacrosstheblackandwhitefloor，thefadedtapestrychairs，andDarrow’stravellingcoatandcap，whichlayamongthecloaksandrugspiledonabenchagainstthewall。

Thesightofthesegarments，lyingamongherownwraps，gaveherasenseofhomelyintimacy。Itwasasifherhappinesscamedownfromtheskiesandtookontheplaindressofdailythings。Atlastsheseemedtoholditinherhand。

Astheyenteredthehallhereyelitonanunstampednoteconspicuouslyplacedonthetable。

"FromOwen！Hemusthaverushedoffsomewhereinthemotor。"

ShefeltasecretstirofpleasureattheimmediateinferencethatsheandDarrowwouldprobablylunchalone。

Thensheopenedthenoteandstaredatitinwonder。

"Dear，"Owenwrote，"afterwhatyousaidyesterdayIcan’twaitanotherhour，andI’mofftoFrancheuil，tocatchtheDijonexpressandtravelbackwiththem。Don’tbefrightened；Iwon’tspeakunlessit’ssafeto。Trustmeforthat——butIhadtogo。"

Shelookedupslowly。

"He’sgonetoDijontomeethisgrandmother。Oh，IhopeI

haven’tmadeamistake！"

"You？Why，whathaveyoutodowithhisgoingtoDijon？"

Shehesitated。"ThedaybeforeyesterdayItoldhim，forthefirsttime，thatImeanttoseehimthrough，nomatterwhathappened。AndI’mafraidhe’slosthishead，andwillbeimprudentandspoilthings。Yousee，Ihadn’tmeanttosayawordtohimtillI’dhadtimetoprepareMadamedeChantelle。"

ShefeltthatDarrowwaslookingatherandreadingherthoughts，andthecolourflewtoherface。"Yes：itwaswhenIheardyouwerecomingthatItoldhim。IwantedhimtofeelasIfelt……itseemedtoounkindtomakehimwait！"

Herhandwasinhis，andhisarmrestedforamomentonhershoulder。

"ItWOULDhavebeentoounkindtomakehimwait。"

Theymovedsidebysidetowardthestairs。Throughthehazeofblissenvelopingher，Owen’saffairsseemedcuriouslyunimportantandremote。Nothingreallymatteredbutthistorrentoflightinherveins。Sheputherfootontheloweststep，saying："It’snearlyluncheontime——Imusttakeoffmyhat……"andasshestartedupthestairsDarrowstoodbelowinthehallandwatchedher。Butthedistancebetweenthemdidnotmakehimseemlessnear：itwasasifhisthoughtsmovedwithherandtouchedherlikeendearinghands。

Inherbedroomsheshutthedoorandstoodstill，lookingaboutherinafitofdreamywonder。Herfeelingswereunlikeanyshehadeverknown：richer，deeper，morecomplete。Forthefirsttimeeverythinginher，fromheadtofoot，seemedtobefeedingthesamefullcurrentofsensation。

Shetookoffherhatandwenttothedressing—tabletosmoothherhair。Thepressureofthehathadflattenedthedarkstrandsonherforehead；herfacewaspalerthanusual，withshadowsabouttheeyes。Shefeltapangofregretforthewastedyears。"IfIlooklikethistoday，"shesaidtoherself，"whatwillhethinkofmewhenI’millorworried？"

Shebegantorunherfingersthroughherhair，rejoicinginitsthickness；thenshedesistedandsatstill，restingherchinonherhands。

"IwanthimtoseemeasIam，"shethought。

DeeperthanthedeepestfibreofhervanitywasthetriumphantsensethatASSHEWAS，withherflattenedhair，hertiredpallor，herthinsleevesalittletumbledbytheweightofherjacket，hewouldlikeherevenbetter，feelhernearer，dearer，moredesirable，thaninallthesplendoursshemightputonforhim。Inthelightofthisdiscoveryshestudiedherfacewithanewintentness，seeingitsdefectsasshehadneverseenthem，yetseeingthemthroughakindofradiance，asthoughlovewerealuminousmediumintowhichshehadbeenbodilyplunged。

Shewasgladnowthatshehadconfessedherdoubtsandherjealousy。Shedivinedthatamaninlovemaybeflatteredbysuchinvoluntarybetrayals，thattherearemomentswhenrespectforhislibertyappealstohimlessthantheinabilitytorespectit：momentssopropitiousthatawoman’sverymistakesandindiscretionsmayhelptoestablishherdominion。ThesenseofpowershehadbeenawareofintalkingtoDarrowcamebackwithten—foldforce。

Shefeltliketestinghimbythemostfantasticexactions，andatthesamemomentshelongedtohumbleherselfbeforehim，tomakeherselftheshadowandechoofhismood。Shewantedtolingerwithhiminaworldoffancyandyettowalkathissideintheworldoffact。Shewantedhimtofeelherpowerandyettoloveherforherignoranceandhumility。Shefeltlikeaslave，andagoddess，andagirlinherteens……

XIII

Darrow，latethatevening，threwhimselfintoanarmchairbeforehisfireandmused。

Theroomwaspropitioustomeditation。Thered—veiledlamp，thecornersofshadow，thesplashesoffirelightonthecurvesofoldfull—bodiedwardrobesandcabinets，gaveitanairofintimacyincreasedbyitsfadedhangings，itsslightlyfrayedandthreadbarerugs。Everythinginitwasharmoniouslyshabby，withasubtlesought—forshabbinessinwhichDarrowfanciedhediscernedthetouchofFraserLeath。

ButFraserLeathhadgrownsounimportantafactorintheschemeofthingsthatthesemarksofhispresencecausedtheyoungmannoemotionbeyondthatofafaintretrospectiveamusement。

Theafternoonandeveninghadbeenperfect。

Afteramomentofconcernoverherstep—son’sdeparture，AnnahadsurrenderedherselftoherhappinesswithanimpetuositythatDarrowhadneversuspectedinher。Earlyintheafternoontheyhadgoneoutinthemotor，traversingmilesofsober—tintedlandscapeinwhich，hereandthere，ascarletvineyardflamed，clatteringthroughthestreetsofstonyvillages，comingoutonlowslopesabovetheriver，orwindingthroughthepalegoldofnarrowwood—roadswiththeblueofclear—cuthillsattheirend。Overeverythinglayafaintsunshinethatseemeddissolvedinthestillair，andthesmellofwetrootsanddecayingleaveswasmergedinthepungentscentofburningunderbrush。Once，attheturnofawall，theystoppedthemotorbeforearuinedgatewayand，stumblingalongaroadfullofruts，stoodbeforealittleolddesertedhouse，fantasticallycarvedandchimneyed，whichlayinamoatundertheshadeofancienttrees。Theypacedthepathsbetweenthetrees，foundamouldyTempleofLoveonanisletamongreedsandplantains，and，sittingonabenchinthestable—yard，watchedthepigeonscirclingagainstthesunsetovertheircotofpatternedbrick。Thenthemotorflewonintothedusk……

Whentheycameintheysatbesidethefireintheoakdrawing—room，andDarrownoticedhowdelicatelyherheadstoodoutagainstthesombrepanelling，andmusedontheenjoymenttherewouldalwaysbeinthemerefactofwatchingherhandsastheymovedaboutamongthetea—things……

Theydinedlate，andfacingheracrossthetable，withitslowlightsandflowers，hefeltanextraordinarypleasureinseeingheragainineveningdress，andinlettinghiseyesdwellontheproudshysetofherhead，thewayherdarkhairclaspedit，andthegirlishthinnessofherneckabovetheslightswellofthebreast。Hisimaginationwasstruckbythequalityofreticenceinherbeauty。Shesuggestedafineportraitkeptdowntoafewtones，oraGreekvaseonwhichtheplayoflightistheonlypattern。

Afterdinnertheywentoutontheterraceforalookatthemoon—mistedpark。Throughthecrepuscularwhitenessthetreeshunginblottedmasses。Belowtheterrace，thegardendrewitsdarkdiagramsbetweenstatuesthatstoodlikemuffledconspiratorsontheedgeoftheshadow。Fartheroff，themeadowsunrolledasilver—shottissuetothemantlingofmistabovetheriver；andtheautumnstarstrembledoverheadliketheirownreflectionsseenindimwater。

Helithiscigar，andtheywalkedslowlyupanddowntheflagsinthelanguidair，tillheputanarmabouther，saying："Youmustn’tstaytillyou’rechilled"；thentheywentbackintotheroomanddrewuptheirchairstothefire。

Itseemedonlyamomentlaterthatshesaid："Itmustbeaftereleven，"andstoodupandlookeddownonhim，smilingfaintly。Hesatstill，absorbingthelook，andthinking：

"There’llbeeveningsandevenings"——tillshecamenearer，bentoverhim，andwithahandonhisshouldersaid："Goodnight。"

Hegottohisfeetandputhisarmsabouther。

"Goodnight，"heanswered，andheldherfast；andtheygaveeachotheralongkissofpromiseandcommunion。

Thememoryofitglowedinhimstillashesatoverhiscrumblingfire；butbeneathhisphysicalexultationhefeltacertaingravityofmood。Hishappinesswasinsomesorttherallying—pointofmanyscatteredpurposes。Hesummeditupvaguelybysayingtohimselfthattobelovedbyawomanlikethatmade"allthedifference"……Hewasalittletiredofexperimentingonlife；hewantedto"takealine"，tofollowthingsup，tocentralizeandconcentrate，andproduceresults。Twoorthreemoreyearsofdiplomacy——withherbesidehim！——andthentheirreallifewouldbegin：study，travelandbook—makingforhim，andforher——well，thejoy，atanyrate，ofgettingoutofanatmosphereofbric—a—bracandcard—leavingintotheopenairofcompetingactivities。

Thedesireforchangehadforsometimebeenlatentinhim，andhismeetingwithMrs。Leaththepreviousspringhadgivenitadefinitedirection。Withsuchacomradetofocusandstimulatehisenergieshefeltmodestlybutagreeablysureof"doingsomething"。Andunderthisassurancewasthelurkingsensethathewassomehowworthyofhisopportunity。

Hislife，onthewhole，hadbeenacreditableaffair。Outofmodestchancesandmiddlingtalentshehadbuilthimselfafairlymarkedpersonality，knownsomeexceptionalpeople，doneanumberofinterestingandafewratherdifficultthings，andfoundhimself，atthirty—seven，possessedofanintellectualambitionsufficienttooccupythepassagetoarobustandenergeticoldage。Asfortheprivateandpersonalsideofhislife，ithadcomeuptothecurrentstandards，andifithaddropped，nowandthen，belowamoreidealmeasure，eventhesedeclineshadbeenbrief，parenthetic，incidental。Intherecognizedessentialshehadalwaysremainedstrictlywithinthelimitofhisscruples。

Fromthisreassuringsurveyofhiscasehecamebacktothecontemplationofitscrowningfelicity。HismindturnedagaintohisfirstmeetingwithAnnaSummersandtookuponebyonethethreadsoftheirfaintlysketchedromance。Hedweltwithpardonableprideonthefactthatfatehadsoearlymarkedhimforthehighprivilegeofpossessingher：

itseemedtomeanthattheyhadreally，inthetruestsenseoftheill—usedphrase，beenmadeforeachother。

Deeperstillthanallthesesatisfactionswasthemereelementalsenseofwell—beinginherpresence。That，afterall，waswhatprovedhertobethewomanforhim：thepleasurehetookinthesetofherhead，thewayherhairgrewonherforeheadandatthenape，hersteadygazewhenhespoke，thegravefreedomofhergaitandgestures。Herecalledeverydetailofherface，thefineveiningsofthetemples，thebluish—brownshadowsinherupperlids，andthewaythereflectionsoftwostarsseemedtoformandbreakupinhereyeswhenheheldherclosetohim……

Ifhehadhadanydoubtastothenatureofherfeelingforhimthosedissolvingstarswouldhaveallayedit。Shewasreserved，shewasshyeven，waswhattheshallowandeffusivewouldcall"cold"。Shewaslikeapicturesohungthatitcanbeseenonlyatacertainangle：anangleknowntonoonebutitspossessor。Thethoughtflatteredhissenseofpossessorship……Hefeltthatthesmileonhislipswouldhavebeenfatuoushadithadawitness。HewasthinkingofherlookwhenshehadquestionedhimabouthismeetingwithOwenatthetheatre：lessofherwordsthanofherlook，andoftheeffortthequestioncosther：thereddeningofhercheek，thedeepeningofthestrainedlinebetweenherbrows，thewayhereyessoughtshelterandthenturnedanddrewonhim。Prideandpassionwereintheconflict——magnificentqualitiesinawife！Thesightalmostmadeupforhismomentaryembarrassmentattherousingofamemorywhichhadnoplaceinhispresentpictureofhimself。

Yes！Itwasworthagooddealtowatchthatfightbetweenherinstinctandherintelligence，andknowone’sselftheobjectofthestruggle……

Mingledwiththesesensationswereconsiderationsofanotherorder。Hereflectedwithsatisfactionthatshewasthekindofwomanwithwhomonewouldliketobeseeninpublic。Itwouldbedistinctlyagreeabletofollowherintodrawing—

rooms，towalkafterherdowntheaisleofatheatre，togetinandoutoftrainswithher，tosay"mywife"ofhertoallsortsofpeople。Hedrapedthesedetailsinthehandsomephrase"She’sawomantobeproudof"，andfeltthatthisfactsomehowjustifiedandennobledhisinstinctiveboyishsatisfactioninlovingher。

Hestoodup，rambledacrosstheroomandleanedoutforawhileintothestarrynight。Thenhedroppedagainintohisarmchairwithasighofdeepcontent。

"Oh，hangit，"hesuddenlyexclaimed，"it’sthebestthingthat’severhappenedtome，anyhow！"

Thenextdaywasevenbetter。Hefelt，andknewshefelt，thattheyhadreachedaclearerunderstandingofeachother。

Itwasasif，afteraswimthroughbrightopposingwaves，withadazzleofsunintheireyes，theyhadgainedaninletintheshadesofacliff，wheretheycouldfloatonthestillsurfaceandgazefardownintothedepths。

Nowandthen，astheywalkedandtalked，hefeltathrillofyouthfulwonderatthecoincidenceoftheirviewsandtheirexperiences，atthewaytheirmindsleapttothesamepointinthesameinstant。

"Theolddelusion，Isuppose，"hesmiledtohimself。"WillNaturenevertireofthetrick？"

Butheknewitwasmorethanthat。Thereweremomentsintheirtalkwhenhefelt，distinctlyandunmistakably，thesolidgroundoffriendshipunderneaththewhirlingdanceofhissensations。"HowIshouldlikeherifIdidn’tloveher！"hesummeditup，wonderingatthemiracleofsuchaunion。

InthecourseofthemorningatelegramhadcomefromOwenLeath，announcingthathe，hisgrandmotherandEffiewouldarrivefromDijonthatafternoonatfour。ThestationofthemainlinewaseightortenmilesfromGivre，andAnna，soonafterthree，leftinthemotortomeetthetravellers。

WhenshehadgoneDarrowstartedforawalk，planningtogetbacklate，inorderthatthereunitedfamilymighthavetheendoftheafternoontothemselves。Heroamedthecountry—

sidetilllongafterdark，andthestable—clockofGivrewasstrikingsevenashewalkeduptheavenuetothecourt。

Inthehall，comingdownthestairs，heencounteredAnna。

Herfacewasserene，andhisfirstglanceshowedhimthatOwenhadkepthiswordandthatnoneofherforebodingshadbeenfulfilled。

Shehadjustcomedownfromtheschool—room，whereEffieandthegovernesswerehavingsupper；thelittlegirl，shetoldhim，lookedimmenselybetterforherSwissholiday，butwasdroppingwithsleepafterthejourney，andtootiredtomakeherhabitualappearanceinthedrawing—roombeforebeingputtobed。MadamedeChantellewasresting，butwouldbedownfordinner；andasforOwen，Annasupposedhewasoffsomewhereinthepark——hehadapassionforprowlingabouttheparkatnightfall……

Darrowfollowedherintothebrownroom，wherethetea—tablehadbeenleftforhim。Hedeclinedherofferoftea，butshelingeredamomenttotellhimthatOwenhadinfactkepthisword，andthatMadamedeChantellehadcomebackinthebestofhumours，andunsuspiciousoftheblowabouttofall。

"ShehasenjoyedhermonthatOuchy，andithasgivenheralottotalkabout——hersymptoms，andtherivaldoctors，andthepeopleatthehotel。ItseemsshemetyourAmbassadressthere，andLadyWantley，andsomeotherLondonfriendsofyours，andshe’sheardwhatshecalls’delightfulthings’

aboutyou：shetoldmetotellyouso。SheattachesgreatimportancetothefactthatyourgrandmotherwasanEverardofAlbany。She’spreparedtoopenherarmstoyou。Idon’tknowwhetheritwon’tmakeitharderforpoorOwen……thecontrast，Imean……TherearenoAmbassadressesorEverardstovouchforHISchoice！Butyou’llhelpme，won’tyou？

You’llhelpmetohelphim？To—morrowI’lltellyoutherest。NowImustrushupandtuckinEffie……"

"Oh，you’llsee，we’llpullitoffforhim！"heassuredher；

"together，wecan’tfailtopullitoff。"

Hestoodandwatchedherwithasmileasshefleddownthehalf—litvistatothehall。

XIV

IfDarrow，onenteringthedrawing—roombeforedinner，examineditsnewoccupantwithunusualinterest，itwasmoreonOwenLeath’saccountthanhisown。

Anna’shintshadrousedhisinterestinthelad’sloveaffair，andhewonderedwhatmannerofgirltheheroineofthecomingconflictmightbe。HehadguessedthatOwen’srebellionsymbolizedforhisstep—motherherownlongstruggleagainsttheLeathconventions，andheunderstoodthatifAnnasopassionatelyabettedhimitwaspartlybecause，assheowned，shewantedhisliberationtocoincidewithhers。

Theladywhowastorepresent，intheimpendingstruggle，theforcesoforderandtraditionwasseatedbythefirewhenDarrowentered。Amongtheflowersandoldfurnitureofthelargepale—panelledroom，MadamedeChantellehadtheinanimateeleganceofafigureintroducedintoa"still—

life"togivethescale。Andthis，Darrowreflected，wasexactlywhatshedoubtlessregardedasherchiefobligation：

hewassureshethoughtagreatdealof"measure"，andapprovedofmostthingsonlyuptoacertainpoint。

Shewasawomanofsixty，withafigureatonceyoungandold—fashioned。Herfairfadedtints，herquaintcorseting，thepassementerieonhertight—waisteddress，thevelvetbandonhertaperingarm，madeherresemblea"cartedevisite"photographofthemiddlesixties。Onesawher，youngerbutnolessinvinciblylady—like，leaningonachairwithafringedback，acurlinherneck，alocketonhertuckeredbosom，towardtheendofanembossedmoroccoalbumbeginningwithTheBeautiesoftheSecondEmpire。

Shereceivedherdaughter—in—law’ssuitorwithanaffabilitywhichimpliedherknowledgeandapprovalofhissuit。