Small？Shemadeitsoundimmense。
Ithinkhe’snarrow，selfish。Hetakeshimselfsoseriously！
Hehasagreatrespectforhimself。Idon’tblamehimforthat，
saidIsabel。Itmakesonemoresuretorespectothers。
Ralphforamomentfeltalmostreassuredbyherreasonabletone。
Yes，buteverythingisrelative。oneoughttofeelone’srelationtothings-toothers。Idon’tthinkMr。Osmonddoesthat。
I’vechieflytodowithhisrelationtome。Inthathe’sexcellent。
He’stheincarnationoftaste，Ralphwenton，thinkinghardhowhecouldbestexpressGilbertOsmond’ssinisterattributeswithoutputtinghimselfinthewrongbyseemingtodescribehimcoarsely。Hewishedtodescribehimimpersonally，scientifically。Hejudgesandmeasures，approvesandcondemns，altogetherbythat。
It’sahappythingthenthathistasteshouldbeexquisite。
It’sexquisite，indeed，sinceithasledhimtoselectyouashisbride。Buthaveyoueverseensuchataste-areallyexquisiteone-ruffled？
Ihopeitmayneverbemyfortunetofailtogratifymyhusband’s。
AtthesewordsasuddenpassionleapedtoRalph’slips。Ah，that’swilful，that’sunworthyofyou！Youwerenotmeanttobemeasuredinthatway-youweremeantforsomethingbetterthantokeepguardoverthesensibilitiesofasteriledilettante！
Isabelrosequicklyandhedidthesame，sothattheystoodforamomentlookingateachotherasifhehadflungdownadefianceoraninsult。ButYougotoofar，shesimplybreathed。
I’vesaidwhatIhadonmymind-andI’vesaiditbecauseIloveyou！
Isabelturnedpale：washetooonthattiresomelist？Shehadasuddenwishtostrikehimoff。Ahthen，you’renotdisinterested！
Iloveyou，butIlovewithouthope，saidRalphquickly，forcingasmileandfeelingthatinthatlastdeclarationhehadexpressedmorethanheintended。
Isabelmovedawayandstoodlookingintothesunnystillnessofthegarden。butafteralittlesheturnedbacktohim。I’mafraidyourtalkthenisthewildnessofdespair！Idon’tunderstandit-butitdoesn’tmatter。I’mnotarguingwithyou。it’simpossibleIshould。
I’veonlytriedtolistentoyou。I’mmuchobligedtoyouforattemptingtoexplain，shesaidgently，asiftheangerwithwhichshehadjustsprunguphadalreadysubsided。It’sverygoodofyoutotrytowarnme，ifyou’rereallyalarmed。butIwon’tpromisetothinkofwhatyou’vesaid：Ishallforgetitassoonaspossible。Tryandforgetityourself。you’vedoneyourduty，andnomancandomore。I
can’texplaintoyouwhatIfeel，whatIbelieve，andIwouldn’tifIcould。ShepausedamomentandthenwentonwithaninconsequencethatRalphobservedeveninthemidstofhiseagernesstodiscoversomesymptomofconcession。Ican’tenterintoyourideaofMr。
Osmond。Ican’tdoitjustice，becauseIseehiminquiteanotherway。
He’snotimportant-no，he’snotimportant。he’samantowhomimportanceissupremelyindifferent。Ifthat’swhatyoumeanwhenyoucallhim’small，’thenhe’sassmallasyouplease。Icallthatlarge-it’sthelargestthingIknow。Iwon’tpretendtoarguewithyouaboutapersonI’mgoingtomarry，Isabelrepeated。I’mnotintheleastconcernedtodefendMr。Osmond。he’snotsoweakastoneedmydefence。IshouldthinkitwouldseemstrangeeventoyourselfthatIshouldtalkofhimsoquietlyandcoldly，asifhewereanyoneelse。Iwouldn’ttalkofhimatalltoanyonebutyou。andyou，afterwhatyou’vesaid-Imayjustansweryouonceforall。Pray，wouldyouwishmetomakeamercenarymarriage-whattheycallamarriageofambition？I’veonlyoneambition-tobefreetofollowoutagoodfeeling。Ihadothersonce，butthey’vepassedaway。DoyoucomplainofMr。Osmondbecausehe’snotrich？That’sjustwhatIlikehimfor。I’vefortunatelymoneyenough。I’veneverfeltsothankfulforitasto-day。TherehavebeenmomentswhenIshouldliketogoandkneeldownbyyourfather’sgrave：hedidperhapsabetterthingthanheknewwhenheputitintomypowertomarryapoorman-amanwhohasbornehispovertywithsuchdignity，withsuchindifference。
Mr。Osmondhasneverscramblednorstruggledhehascaredfornoworldlyprize。Ifthat’stobenarrow，ifthat’stobeselfish，thenit’sverywell。I’mnotfrightenedbysuchwords，I’mnotevendispleased。I’monlysorrythatyoushouldmakeamistake。Othersmighthavedoneso，butI’msurprisedthatyoushould。Youmightknowagentlemanwhenyouseeone-youmightknowafinemind。Mr。
Osmondmakesnomistakes！Heknowseverything，heunderstandseverything，hehasthekindest，gentlest，highestspirit。You’vegotholdofsomefalseidea。It’sapity，butIcan’thelpit。itregardsyoumorethanme。Isabelpausedamoment，lookingathercousinwithaneyeilluminedbyasentimentwhichcontradictedthecarefulcalmnessofhermanner-amingledsentiment，towhichtheangrypainexcitedbyhiswordsandthewoundedprideofhavingneededtojustifyachoiceofwhichshefeltonlythenoblenessandpurity，equallycontributed。ThoughshepausedRalphsaidnothing。hesawshehadmoretosay。Shewasgrand，butshewashighlysolicitous。shewasindifferent，butshewasallinapassion。Whatsortofapersonshouldyouhavelikedmetomarry？sheaskedsuddenly。Youtalkaboutone’ssoaringandsailing，butifonemarriesatallonetouchestheearth。Onehashumanfeelingsandneeds，onehasaheartinone’sbosom，andonemustmarryaparticularindividual。YourmotherhasneverforgivenmefornothavingcometoabetterunderstandingwithLordWarburton，andshe’shorrifiedatmycontentingmyselfwithapersonwhohasnoneofhisgreatadvantages-noproperty，notitle，nohonours，nohouses，norlands，norposition，norreputation，norbrilliantbelongingsofanysort。
It’sthetotalabsenceofallthesethingsthatpleasesme。Mr。
Osmond’ssimplyaverylonely，averycultivatedandaveryhonestman-he’snotaprodigiousproprietor。
Ralphhadlistenedwithgreatattention，asifeverythingshesaidmeriteddeepconsideration。butintruthhewasonlyhalfthinkingofthethingsshesaid，hewasfortherestsimplyaccommodatinghimselftotheweightofhistotalimpression-theimpressionofherardentgoodfaith。Shewaswrong，butshebelieved。shewasdeluded，butshewasdismallyconsistent。Itwaswonderfullycharacteristicofherthat，havinginventedafinetheoryaboutGilbertOsmond，shelovedhimnotforwhathereallypossessed，butforhisverypovertiesdressedoutashonours。Ralphrememberedwhatbehadsaidtohisfatheraboutwishingtoputitintoherpowertomeettherequirementsofherimagination。Hehaddoneso，andthegirlhadtakenfulladvantageofluxury。PoorRalphfeltsick。hefeltashamed。Isabelhadutteredherlastwordswithalowsolemnityofconvictionwhichvirtuallyterminatedthediscussion，andshecloseditformallybyturningawayandwalkingbacktothehouse。Ralphwalkedbesideher，andtheypassedintothecourttogetherandreachedthebigstaircase。
HerehestoppedandIsabelpaused，turningonhimafaceofelation-absolutelyandperverselyofgratitude。Hisoppositionhadmadeherownconceptionofherconductclearertoher。Shallyounotcomeuptobreakfast？sheasked。
No。Iwantnobreakfast。I’mnothungry。
Yououghttoeat，saidthegirl。youliveonair。
Ido，verymuch，andIshallgobackintothegardenandtakeanothermouthful。Icamethusfarsimplytosaythis。ItoldyoulastyearthatifyouweretogetintotroubleIshouldfeelterriblysold。That’showIfeelto-day。
DoyouthinkI’mintrouble？
One’sintroublewhenone’sinerror。
Verywell，saidIsabel。Ishallnevercomplainofmytroubletoyou！
Andshemovedupthestaircase。
Ralph，standingtherewithhishandsinhispocketsfollowedherwithhiseyes。thenthelurkingchillofthehigh-walledcourtstruckhimandmadehimshiver，sothathereturnedtothegardentobreakfastontheFlorentinesunshine。
CHAPTER35
Isabel，whenshestrolledintheCascinewithherlover，feltnoimpulsetotellhimhowlittlehewasapprovedatPalazzoCrescentini。
Thediscreetoppositionofferedtohermarriagebyherauntandhercousinmadeonthewholenogreatimpressionuponher。themoralofitwassimplythattheydislikedGilbertOsmond。ThisdislikewasnotalarmingtoIsabel。shescarcelyevenregrettedit。foritservedmainlytothrowintohigherreliefthefact，ineverywaysohonourable，thatshemarriedtopleaseherself。Onedidotherthingstopleaseotherpeople。onedidthisforamorepersonalsatisfaction。
andIsabel’ssatisfactionwasconfirmedbyherlover’sadmirablegoodconduct。GilbertOsmondwasinlove，andhehadneverdeservedlessthanduringthesestill，brightdays，eachofthemnumbered，whichprecededthefulfilmentofhishopes，theharshcriticismpasseduponhimbyRalphTouchett。ThechiefimpressionproducedonIsabel’sspiritbythiscriticismwasthatthepassionofloveseparateditsvictimterriblyfromeveryonebutthelovedobject。Shefeltherselfdisjoinedfromeveryoneshehadeverknownbefore-fromhertwosisters，whowrotetoexpressadutifulhopethatshewouldbehappy，andasurprise，somewhatmorevague，athernothavingchosenaconsortwhowastheheroofaricheraccumulationofanecdote。fromHenrietta，who，shewassure，wouldcomeout，toolate，onpurposetoremonstrate。fromLordWarburton，whowouldcertainlyconsolehimself，andfromCasparGoodwood，whoperhapswouldnot。fromheraunt，whohadcold，shallowideasaboutmarriage，forwhichshewasnotsorrytodisplayhercontempt。andfromRalph，whosetalkabouthavinggreatviewsforherwassurelybutawhimsicalcoverforapersonaldisappointment。Ralphapparentlywishedhernottomarryatall-thatwaswhatitreallymeant-becausehewasamusedwiththespectacleofheradventuresasasinglewoman。Hisdisappointmentmadehimsayangrythingsaboutthemanshehadpreferredeventohim：
IsabelflatteredherselfthatshebelievedRalphhadbeenangry。Itwasthemoreeasyforhertobelievethisbecause，asIsay，shehadnowlittlefreeorunemployedemotionforminorneeds，andacceptedasanincident，infactquiteasanornament，ofherlottheideathattopreferGilbertOsmondasshepreferredhimwasperforcetobreakallotherties。Shetastedofthesweetsofthispreference，andtheymadeherconscious，almostwithawe，oftheinvidiousandremorselesstideofthecharmedandpossessedcondition，greataswasthetraditionalhonourandimputedvirtueofbeinginlove。Itwasthetragicpartofhappiness。one’srightwasalwaysmadeofthewrongofsomeoneelse。
Theelationofsuccess，whichsurelynowflamedhighinOsmond，emittedmeanwhileverylittlesmokeforsobrilliantablaze。
Contentment，onhispart，tooknovulgarform。excitement，inthemostself-consciousofmen，wasakindofecstasyofself-control。Thisdisposition，however，madehimanadmirablelover。itgavehimaconstantviewofthesmittenanddedicatedstate。Heneverforgothimself，asIsay。andsoheneverforgottobegracefulandtender，toweartheappearance-whichpresentedindeednodifficulty-ofstirredsensesanddeepintentions。Hewasimmenselypleasedwithhisyounglady。MadameMerlehadmadehimapresentofincalculablevalue。
Whatcouldbeafinerthingtolivewiththanahighspiritattunedtosoftness？Forwouldnotthesoftnessbeallforone’sself，andthestrenuousnessforsociety，whichadmiredtheairofsuperiority？
Whatcouldbeahappiergiftinacompanionthanaquick，fancifulmindwhichsavedonerepetitionsandreflectedone’sthoughtonapolished，elegantsurface？Osmondhatedtoseehisthoughtreproducedliterally-thatmadeitlookstaleandstupid。hepreferredittobefreshenedinthereproductionevenaswordsbymusic。Hisegotismhadnevertakenthecrudeformofdesiringadullwife。thislady’sintelligencewastobeasilverplate，notanearthenone-aplatethathemightheapupwithripefruits，towhichitwouldgiveadecorativevalue，sothattalkmightbecomeforhimasortofserveddessert。HefoundthesilverqualityinthisperfectioninIsabel。hecouldtapherimaginationwithhisknuckleandmakeitring。Heknewperfectly，thoughhehadnotbeentold，thattheirunionenjoyedlittlefavourwiththegirl’srelations。buthehadalwaystreatedhersocompletelyasanindependentpersonthatithardlyseemednecessarytoexpressregretfortheattitudeofherfamily。Nevertheless，onemorning，hemadeanabruptallusiontoit。
It’sthedifferenceinourfortunetheydon’tlike，hesaid。TheythinkI’minlovewithyourmoney。
Areyouspeakingofmyaunt-ofmycousin？Isabelasked。Howdoyouknowwhattheythink？
You’venottoldmethey’repleased，andwhenIwrotetoMrs。
Touchetttheotherdaysheneveransweredmynote。IftheyhadbeendelightedIshouldhavehadsomesignofit，andthefactofmybeingpoorandyourichisthemostobviousexplanationoftheirreserve。Butofcoursewhenapoormanmarriesarichgirlhemustbepreparedforimputations。Idon’tmindthem。Ionlycareforonething-foryournothavingtheshadowofadoubt。Idon’tcarewhatpeopleofwhomIasknothingthink-I’mnotevencapableperhapsofwantingtoknow。I’veneversoconcernedmyself，Godforgiveme，andwhyshouldIbeginto-day，whenIhavetakentomyselfacompensationforeverything？Iwon’tpretendI’msorryyou’rerich。
I’mdelighted。Idelightineverythingthat’syours-whetheritbemoneyorvirtue。Money’sahorridthingtofollow，butacharmingthingtomeet。Itseemstome，however，thatI’vesufficientlyprovedthelimitsofmyitchforit：Ineverinmylifetriedtoearnapenny，andIoughttobelesssubjecttosuspicionthanmostofthepeopleoneseesgrubbingandgrabbing。Isupposeit’stheirbusinesstosuspect-thatofyourfamily。it’sproperonthewholetheyshould。They’lllikemebettersomeday。sowillyou，forthatmatter。
Meanwhilemybusinessisnottomakemyselfbadblood，butsimplytobethankfulforlifeandlove。Ithasmademebetter，lovingyou，
hesaidonanotheroccasion。ithasmademewiserandeasierandI
won’tpretendtodeny-brighterandnicerandevenstronger。IusedtowantagreatmanythingsbeforeandtobeangryIdidn’thavethem。
TheoreticallyIwassatisfied，asIoncetoldyou。IflatteredmyselfIhadlimitedmywants。ButIwassubjecttoirritation。Iusedtohavemorbid，sterile，hatefulfitsofhunger，ofdesire。NowI’mreallysatisfied，becauseIcan’tthinkofanythingbetter。It’sjustaswhenonehasbeentryingtospelloutabookinthetwilightandsuddenlythelampcomesin。Ihadbeenputtingoutmyeyesoverthebookoflifeandfindingnothingtorewardmeformypains。butnowthatIcanreaditproperlyIseeit’sadelightfulstory。Mydeargirl，Ican’ttellyouhowlifeseemstostretchtherebeforeus-whatalongsummerafternoonawaitsus。It’sthelatterhalfofanItalianday-withagoldenhaze，andtheshadowsjustlengthening，andthatdivinedelicacyinthelight，theair，thelandscape，whichI
havelovedallmylifeandwhichyouloveto-day。Uponmyhonour，I
don’tseewhyweshouldn’tgeton。We’vegotwhatwelike-tosaynothingofhavingeachother。We’vethefacultyofadmirationandseveralcapitalconvictions。We’renotstupid，we’renotmean，we’renotunderbondstoanykindofignoranceordreariness。You’reremarkablyfresh，andI’mremarkablywell-seasoned。We’vemypoorchildtoamuseus。we’lltryandmakeupsomelittlelifeforher。
It’sallsoftandmellow-ithastheItaliancolouring。
Theymadeagoodmanyplans，buttheyleftthemselvesalsoagooddealoflatitude。itwasamatterofcourse，however，thattheyshouldliveforthepresentinItaly。ItwasinItalythattheyhadmet，Italyhadbeenapartytotheirfirstimpressionsofeachother，andItalyshouldbeapartytotheirhappiness。OsmondhadtheattachmentofoldacquaintanceandIsabelthestimulusofnew，whichseemedtoassureherafutureatahighlevelofconsciousnessofthebeautiful。Thedesireforunlimitedexpansionhadbeensucceededinhersoulbythesensethatlifewasvacantwithoutsomeprivatedutythatmightgatherone’senergiestoapoint。ShehadtoldRalphshehadseenlifeinayearortwoandthatshewasalreadytired，notoftheactofliving，butofthatofobserving。Whathadbecomeofallherardours，heraspirations，hertheories，herhighestimateofherindependenceandherincipientconvictionthatsheshouldnevermarry？Thesethingshadbeenabsorbedinamoreprimitiveneed-aneedtheanswertowhichbrushedawaynumberlessquestions，yetgratifiedinfinitedesires。Itsimplifiedthesituationatastroke，itcamedownfromabovelikethelightofthestars，anditneedednoexplanation。Therewasexplanationenoughinthefactthathewasherlover，herown，andthatsheshouldbeabletobeofusetohim。
Shecouldsurrendertohimwithakindofhumility，shecouldmarryhimwithakindofpride。shewasnotonlytaking，shewasgiving。
HebroughtPansywithhimtwoorthreetimestotheCascine-Pansywhowasverylittletallerthanayearbefore，andnotmucholder。
Thatshewouldalwaysbeachildwastheconvictionexpressedbyherfather，whoheldherbythehandwhenshewasinhersixteenthyearandtoldhertogoandplaywhilehesatdownalittlewiththeprettylady。Pansyworeashortdressandalongcoat。herhatalwaysseemedtoobigforher。Shefoundpleasureinwalkingoff，withquick，shortsteps，totheendofthealley，andtheninwalkingbackwithasmilethatseemedanappealforapprobation。Isabelapprovedinabundance，andtheabundancehadthepersonaltouchthatthechild’saffectionatenaturecraved。Shewatchedherindicationsasifforherselfalsomuchdependedonthem-Pansyalreadysorepresentedpartoftheserviceshecouldrender，partoftheresponsibilityshecouldface。HerfathertooksothechildishviewofherthathehadnotyetexplainedtoherthenewrelationinwhichhestoodtotheelegantMissArcher。Shedoesn’tknow，hesaidtoIsabel。shedoesn’tguess。shethinksitperfectlynaturalthatyouandIshouldcomeandwalkheretogethersimplyasgoodfriends。Thereseemstomesomethingenchantinglyinnocentinthat。it’sthewayIlikehertobe。No，I’mnotafailure，asIusedtothink。I’vesucceededintwothings。I’mtomarrythewomanIadore，andI’vebroughtupmychild，asIwished，intheoldway。
Hewasveryfond，inallthings，oftheoldway。thathadstruckIsabelasoneofhisfine，quiet，sincerenotes。Itoccurstomethatyou’llnotknowwhetheryou’vesucceededuntilyou’vetoldher，shesaid。Youmustseehowshetakesyournews。Shemaybehorrified-shemaybejealous。
I’mnotafraidofthat。she’stoofondofyouonherownaccount。I
shouldliketoleaveherinthedarkalittlelonger-toseeifitwillcomeintoherheadthatifwe’renotengagedweoughttobe。
IsabelwasimpressedbyOsmond’sartistic，theplasticview，asitsomehowappeared，ofPansy’sinnocence-herownappreciationofitbeingmoreanxiouslymoral。Shewasperhapsnotthelesspleasedwhenhetoldherafewdayslaterthathehadcommunicatedthefacttohisdaughter，whohadmadesuchaprettylittlespeech-Oh，thenI
shallhaveabeautifulsister！
Shewasneithersurprisednoralarmed。shehadnotcried，asheexpected。
Perhapsshehadguessedit，saidIsabel。
Don’tsaythat。IshouldbedisgustedifIbelievedthat。Ithoughtitwouldbejustalittleshock。butthewayshetookitprovesthathergoodmannersareparamount。That’salsowhatIwished。Youshallseeforyourself。to-morrowsheshallmakeyouhercongratulationsinperson。
Themeeting，onthemorrow，tookplaceattheCountessGemini’s，whitherPansyhadbeenconductedbyherfather，whoknewthatIsabelwastocomeintheafternoontoreturnavisitmadeherbytheCountessonlearningthattheyweretobecomesisters-in-law。
CallingatCasaTouchettthevisitorhadnotfoundIsabelathome。butafterouryoungwomanhadbeenusheredintotheCountess’sdrawing-roomPansyarrivedtosaythatherauntwouldpresentlyappear。Pansywasspendingthedaywiththatlady，whothoughtherofanagetobegintolearnhowtocarryherselfincompany。ItwasIsabel’sviewthatthelittlegirlmighthavegivenlessonsindeportmenttoherrelative，andnothingcouldhavejustifiedthisconvictionmorethanthemannerinwhichPansyacquittedherselfwhiletheywaitedtogetherfortheCountess。Herfather’sdecision，theyearbefore，hadfinallybeentosendherbacktotheconventtoreceivethelastgraces，andMadameCatherinehadevidentlycarriedouthertheorythatPansywastobefittedforthegreatworld。
Papahastoldmethatyou’vekindlyconsentedtomarryhim，saidthisexcellentwoman’spupil。It’sverydelightful。Ithinkyou’llsuitverywell。
YouthinkIshallsuityou？
You’llsuitmebeautifully。butwhatImeanisthatyouandpapawillsuiteachother。You’rebothsoquietandsoserious。You’renotsoquietashe-orevenasMadameMerle。butyou’remorequietthanmanyothers。Heshouldnotforinstancehaveawifelikemyaunt。
She’salwaysinmotion，inagitation-to-dayespecially。you’llseewhenshecomesin。Theytoldusattheconventitwaswrongtojudgeourelders，butIsupposethere’snoharmifwejudgethemfavourably。
You’llbeadelightfulcompanionforpapa。
Foryoutoo，Ihope，Isabelsaid。
Ispeakfirstofhimonpurpose。I’vetoldyoualreadywhatI
myselfthinkofyou。Ilikedyoufromthefirst。IadmireyousomuchthatIthinkitwillbeagoodfortunetohaveyoualwaysbeforeme。You’llbemymodel。IshalltrytoimitateyouthoughI’mafraiditwillbeveryfeeble。I’mverygladforpapa-heneededsomethingmorethanme。WithoutyouIdon’tseehowhecouldhavegotit。You’llbemystepmother，butwemustn’tusethatword。They’realwayssaidtobecruel。butIdon’tthinkyou’lleversomuchaspinchorevenpushme。I’mnotafraidatall。
MygoodlittlePansy，saidIsabelgently，Ishallbeeversokindtoyou。Avague，inconsequentvisionofhercominginsomeoddwaytoneedithadintervenedwiththeeffectofachill。
Verywellthen，I’venothingtofear，thechildreturnedwithhernoteofpreparedpromptitude。Whatteachingshehadhad，itseemedtosuggest-orwhatpenaltiesfornon-performanceshedreaded！
Herdescriptionofheraunthadnotbeenincorrect。theCountessGeminiwasfurtherthaneverfromhavingfoldedherwings。SheenteredtheroomwithaflutterthroughtheairandkissedIsabelfirstontheforeheadandthenoneachcheekasifaccordingtosomeancientprescribedrite。Shedrewthevisitortoasofaand，lookingatherwithavarietyofturnsofthehead，begantotalkverymuchasif，seatedbrushinhandbeforeaneasel，shewereapplyingaseriesofconsideredtouchestoacompositionoffiguresalreadysketchedin。
IfyouexpectmetocongratulateyouImustbegyoutoexcuseme。I
don’tsupposeyoucareifIdoornot。Ibelieveyou’resupposednottocare-throughbeingsoclever-forallsortsofordinarythings。
ButIcaremyselfifItellfibs。Inevertellthemunlessthere’ssomethingrathergoodtobegained。Idon’tseewhat’stobegainedwithyou-especiallyasyouwouldn’tbelieveme。Idon’tmakeprofessionsanymorethanImakepaperflowersorflounceylampshades-Idon’tknowhow。Mylampshadeswouldbesuretotakefire，myrosesandmyfibstobelargerthanlife。I’mverygladformyownsakethatyou’retomarryOsmond。butIwon’tpretendI’mgladforyours。You’reverybrilliant-youknowthat’sthewayyou’realwaysspokenof。you’reanheiressandverygood-lookingandoriginal，notbanal。soit’sagoodthingtohaveyouinthefamily。Ourfamily’sverygood，youknow。Osmondwillhavetoldyouthat。andmymotherwasratherdistinguished-shewascalledtheAmericanCorinne。Butwe’redreadfullyfallen，Ithink，andperhapsyou’llpickusup。I’vegreatconfidenceinyou。thereareeversomanythingsIwanttotalktoyouabout。Inevercongratulateanygirlonmarrying。I
thinktheyoughttomakeitsomehownotquitesoawfulasteeltrap。I
supposePansyoughtn’ttohearallthis。butthat’swhatshehascometomefor-toacquirethetoneofsociety。There’snoharminherknowingwhathorrorsshemaybeinfor。WhenfirstIgotanideathatmybrotherhaddesignsonyouIthoughtofwritingtoyou，torecommendyou，inthestrongestterms，nottolistentohim。ThenI
thoughtitwouldbedisloyal，andIhateanythingofthatkind。
Besides，asIsay，Iwasenchantedformyself。andafterallI’mveryselfish。Bytheway，youwon’trespectme，notonelittlemite，andweshallneverbeintimate。Ishouldlikeit，butyouwon’t。
Someday，allthesame，weshallbebetterfriendsthanyouwillbelieveatfirst。Myhusbandwillcomeandseeyou，though，asyouprobablyknow，he’sonnosortoftermswithOsmond。He’sveryfondofgoingtoseeprettywomen，butI’mnotafraidofyou。InthefirstplaceIdon’tcarewhathedoes。Inthesecond，youwon’tcareastrawforhim。hewon’tbeabit，atanytime，youraffair，and，stupidasheis，he’llseeyou’renothis。Someday，ifyoucanstandit，I’lltellyouallabouthim。Doyouthinkmynieceoughttogooutoftheroom？Pansy，goandpractisealittleinmyboudoir。
Letherstay，please，saidIsabel。IwouldratherhearnothingthatPansymaynot！
CHAPTER36
Oneafternoonoftheautumnof1876，towarddusk，ayoungmanofpleasingappearancerangatthedoorofasmallapartmentonthethirdfloorofanoldRomanhouse。OnitsbeingopenedheenquiredforMadameMerle。whereupontheservant，aneat，plainwoman，withaFrenchfaceandalady’smaid’smanner，usheredhimintoadiminutivedrawing-roomandrequestedthefavourofhisname。Mr。
EdwardRosier，saidtheyoungman，whosatdowntowaittillhishostessshouldappear。
ThereaderwillperhapsnothaveforgottenthatMr。RosierwasanornamentoftheAmericancircleinParis，butitmayalsoberememberedthathesometimesvanishedfromitshorizon。HehadspentaportionofseveralwintersatPau，andashewasagentlemanofconstitutedhabitshemighthavecontinuedforyearstopayhisannualvisittothischarmingresort。Inthesummerof1876，however，anincidentbefellhimwhichchangedthecurrentnotonlyofhisthoughts，butofhiscustomarysequences。HepassedamonthintheUpperEngadineandencounteredatSaintMoritzacharmingyounggirl。Tothislittlepersonhebegantopay，onthespot，particularattention：shestruckhimasexactlythehouseholdangelhehadlongbeenlookingfor。Hewasneverprecipitate，hewasnothingifnotdiscreet，soheforboreforthepresenttodeclarehispassion。butitseemedtohimwhentheyparted-theyoungladytogodownintoItalyandheradmirertoproceedtoGeneva，wherehewasunderbondstojoinotherfriendsthatheshouldberomanticallywretchedifhewerenottoseeheragain。ThesimplestwaytodosowastogointheautumntoRome，whereMissOsmondwasdomiciledwithherfamily。Mr。RosierstartedonhispilgrimagetotheItaliancapitalandreacheditonthefirstofNovember。Itwasapleasantthingtodo，butfortheyoungmantherewasastrainoftheheroicintheenterprise。Hemightexposehimself，unseasoned，tothepoisonoftheRomanair，whichinNovemberlay，notoriously，muchinwait。Fortune，however，favoursthebrave。andthisadventurer，whotookthreegrainsofquinineaday，hadattheendofamonthnocausetodeplorehistemerity。Hehadmadetoacertainextentgooduseofhistime。hehaddevoteditinvaintofindingaflawinPansyOsmond’scomposition。Shewasadmirablyfinished。shehadhadthelasttouch。shewasreallyaconsummatepiece。HethoughtofherinamorousmeditationagooddealashemighthavethoughtofaDresden-chinashepherdess。MissOsmond，indeed，inthebloomofherjuvenility，hadahintoftherococowhichRosier，whosetastewaspredominantlyforthatmanner，couldnotfailtoappreciate。ThatheesteemedtheproductionsofcomparativelyfrivolousperiodswouldhavebeenapparentfromtheattentionhebestoweduponMadameMerle’sdrawing-room，which，althoughfurnishedwithspecimensofeverystyle，wasespeciallyrichinarticlesofthelasttwocenturies。Hehadimmediatelyputaglassintooneeyeandlookedround。andthenByJove，shehassomejollygoodthings！hehadyearninglymurmured。Theroomwassmallanddenselyfilledwithfurniture。itgaveanimpressionoffadedsilkandlittlestatuetteswhichmighttotterifonemoved。Rosiergotupandwanderedaboutwithhiscarefultread，bendingoverthetableschargedwithknick-knacksandthecushionsembossedwithprincelyarms。WhenMadameMerlecameinshefoundhimstandingbeforethefireplacewithhisnoseveryclosetothegreatlaceflounceattachedtothedamaskcoverofthemantel。Hehadlifteditdelicately，asifheweresmellingit。
It’soldVenetian，shesaid。it’srathergood。
It’stoogoodforthis。yououghttowearit。
TheytellmeyouhavesomebetterinParis，inthesamesituation。
Ah，butIcan’twearmine，smiledthevisitor。
Idon’tseewhyyoushouldn’t！I’vebetterlacethanthattowear。
Hiseyeswandered，lingeringly，roundtheroomagain。You’vesomeverygoodthings。
Yes，butIhatethem。
Doyouwanttogetridofthem？theyoungmanquicklyasked。
No，it’sgoodtohavesomethingtohate：oneworksitoff！
Ilovemythings，saidMr。Rosierashesatthereflushedwithallhisrecognitions。Butit’snotaboutthem，noraboutyours，thatI
cametotalktoyou。
Hepausedamomentandthen，withgreatersoftness：IcaremoreforMissOsmondthanforallthebibelotsinEurope！
MadameMerleopenedwideeyes。Didyoucometotellmethat？
Icametoaskyouradvice。
Shelookedathimwithafriendlyfrown，strokingherchinwithherlargewhitehand。Amaninlove，youknow，doesn’taskadvice。
Whynot，ifhe’sinadifficultposition？That’softenthecasewithamaninlove。I’vebeeninlovebefore，andIknow。Butneversomuchasthistime-reallyneversomuch。Ishouldlikeparticularlytoknowwhatyouthinkofmyprospects。I’mafraidthatforMr。OsmondI’mnot-well，arealcollector’spiece。
Doyouwishmetointercede？MadameMerleaskedwithherfinearmsfoldedandherhandsomemouthdrawnuptotheleft。
IfyoucouldsayagoodwordformeIshouldbegreatlyobliged。
TherewillbenouseinmytroublingMissOsmondunlessIhavegoodreasontobelieveherfatherwillconsent。
You’reveryconsiderate。that’sinyourfavour。Butyouassumeinratheranoff-handwaythatIthinkyouaprize。
You’vebeenverykindtome，saidtheyoungman。That’swhyI
came。
I’malwayskindtopeoplewhohavegoodLouisQuatorze。It’sveryrarenow，andthere’snotellingwhatonemaygetbyit。Withwhichtheleft-handcornerofMadameMerle’smouthgaveexpressiontothejoke。
Buthelooked，inspiteofit，literallyapprehensiveandconsistentlystrenuous。Ah，Ithoughtyoulikedmeformyself！
Ilikeyouverymuch。but，ifyouplease，wewon’tanalyze。
PardonmeifIseempatronizing，butIthinkyouaperfectlittlegentleman。Imusttellyou，however，thatI’venotthemarryingofPansyOsmond。
Ididn’tsupposethat。Butyou’veseemedtomeintimatewithherfamily，andIthoughtyoumighthaveinfluence。
MadameMerleconsidered。Whomdoyoucallherfamily？
Why，herfather。and-howdoyousayitinEnglish？-herbellemere。
Mr。Osmond’sherfather，certainly。buthiswifecanscarcelybetermedamemberofherfamily。Mrs。Osmondhasnothingtodowithmarryingher。I’msorryforthat，saidRosierwithanamiablesighofgoodfaith。IthinkMrs。Osmondwouldfavourme。
Verylikely-ifherhusbanddoesn’t。
Heraisedhiseyebrows。Doesshetaketheoppositelinefromhim？
Ineverything。Theythinkquitedifferently。
Well，saidRosier，I’msorryforthat。butit’snoneofmybusiness。
She’sveryfondofPansy。
Yes，she’sveryfondofPansy。
AndPansyhasagreataffectionforher。Shehastoldmehowshelovesherasifshewereherownmother。
Youmust，afterall，havehadsomeveryintimatetalkwiththepoorchild，saidMadameMerle。Haveyoudeclaredyoursentiments？
Never！criedRosier，liftinghisneatly-glovedhand。NevertillI’veassuredmyselfofthoseoftheparents。
Youalwayswaitforthat？You’veexcellentprinciples。youobservetheproprieties。
Ithinkyou’relaughingatme，theyoungmanmurmured，droppingbackinhischairandfeelinghissmallmoustache。Ididn’texpectthatofyou，MadameMerle。
Sheshookherheadcalmly，likeapersonwhosawthingsasshesawthem。Youdon’tdomejustice。Ithinkyourconductinexcellenttasteandthebestyoucouldadopt。Yes，that’swhatIthink。
Iwouldn’tagitateher-onlytoagitateher。Ilovehertoomuchforthat，saidNedRosier。
I’mglad，afterall，thatyou’vetoldme，MadameMerlewenton。
Leaveittomealittle。IthinkIcanhelpyou。
Isaidyouwerethepersontocometo！hervisitorcriedwithpromptelation。
Youwereveryclever，MadameMerlereturnedmoredryly。WhenI
sayIcanhelpyouImeanonceassumingyourcausetobegood。Letusthinkalittleifitis。
I’mawfullydecent，youknow，saidRosierearnestly。Iwon’tsayI’venofaults，butI’llsayI’venovices。
Allthat’snegative，anditalwaysdepends，also，onwhatpeoplecallvices。What’sthepositiveside？What’sthevirtuous？WhathaveyougotbesidesyourSpanishlaceandyourDresdenteacups？
I’veacomfortablelittlefortune-aboutfortythousandfrancsayear。WiththetalentIhaveforarranging，wecanlivebeautifullyonsuchanincome。
Beautifully，no。Sufficiently，yes。Eventhatdependsonwhereyoulive。
Well，inParis。IwouldundertakeitinParis。
MadameMerle’smouthrosetotheleft。Itwouldn’tbefamous。you’dhavetomakeuseoftheteacups，andthey’dgetbroken。
Wedon’twanttobefamous。IfMissOsmondshouldhaveeverythingprettyitwouldbeenough。Whenone’sasprettyassheonecanafford-well，quitecheapfaience。Sheoughtnevertowearanythingbutmuslin-withoutthesprig，saidRosierreflectively。
Wouldn’tyouevenallowherthesprig？She’dbemuchobligedtoyouatanyrateforthattheory。
It’sthecorrectone，Iassureyou。andI’msureshe’denterintoit。Sheunderstandsallthat。that’swhyIloveher。
She’saverygoodlittlegirl，andmosttidy-alsoextremelygraceful。
Butherfather，tothebestofmybelief，cangivehernothing。
Rosierscarcedemurred。Idon’tintheleastdesirethatheshould。
ButImayremark，allthesame，thatheliveslikearichman。
Themoney’shiswife’s。shebroughthimalargefortune。
Mrs。Osmondthenisveryfondofherstepdaughter。shemaydosomething。
Foralove-sickswainyouhaveyoureyesaboutyou！MadameMerleexclaimedwithalaugh。
Iesteemadotverymuch。Icandowithoutit，butIesteemit。
Mrs。Osmond，MadameMerlewenton，willprobablyprefertokeephermoneyforherownchildren。
Herownchildren？Surelyshehasnone。
Shemayhaveyet。Shehadapoorlittleboy，whodiedtwoyearsago，sixmonthsafterhisbirth。Othersthereforemaycome。
Ihopetheywill，ifitwillmakeherhappy。She’sasplendidwoman。MadameMerlefailedtoburstintospeech。Ah，aboutherthere’smuchtobesaid。Splendidasyoulike！We’venotexactlymadeoutthatyou’reaparti。Theabsenceofvicesishardlyasourceofincome。
Pardonme，Ithinkitmaybe，saidRosierquitelucidly。You’llbeatouchingcouple，livingonyourinnocence！Ithinkyouunderrateme。
You’renotsoinnocentasthat？Seriously，saidMadameMerle，ofcoursefortythousandfrancsayearandanicecharacterareacombinationtobeconsidered。Idon’tsayit’stobejumpedat，buttheremightbeaworseoffer。Mr。Osmond，however，willprobablyinclinetobelievehecandobetter。
Hecandosoperhaps。butwhatcanhisdaughterdo？Shecan’tdobetterthanmarrythemansheloves。Forshedoes，youknow，Rosieraddedeagerly。
Shedoes-Iknowit。
Ah，criedtheyoungman，Isaidyouwerethepersontocometo。
ButIdon’tknowhowyouknowit，ifyouhaven’taskedher，MadameMerlewenton。
Insuchacasethere’snoneedofaskingandtelling。asyousay，we’reaninnocentcouple。Howdidyouknowit？
Iwhoamnotinnocent？Bybeingverycrafty。Leaveittome。I’llfindoutforyou。
Rosiergotupandstoodsmoothinghishat。Yousaythatrathercoldly。
Don’tsimplyfindouthowitis，buttrytomakeitasitshouldbe。
I’lldomybest。I’lltrytomakethemostofyouradvantages。
Thankyousoverymuch。MeanwhilethenI’llsayawordtoMrs。
Osmond。
Gardez-vous-enbien！AndMadameMerlewasonherfeet。Don’tsethergoing，oryou’llspoileverything。
Rosiergazedintohishat。hewonderedwhetherhishostesshadbeenafteralltherightpersontocometo。Idon’tthinkI
understandyou。I’manoldfriendofMrs。Osmond，andIthinkshewouldlikemetosucceed。
Beanoldfriendasmuchasyoulike。themoreoldfriendsshehasthebetter，forshedoesn’tgetonverywellwithsomeofhernew。
Butdon’tforthepresenttrytomakehertakeupthecudgelsforyou。
Herhusbandmayhaveotherviews，and，asapersonwhowishesherwell，Iadviseyounottomultiplypointsofdifferencebetweenthem。
PoorRosier’sfaceassumedanexpressionofalarm。asuitforthehandofPansyOsmondwasevenamorecomplicatedbusinessthanhistasteforpropertransitionshadallowed。Buttheextremegoodsensewhichheconcealedunderasurfacesuggestingthatofacarefulowner’sbestsetcametohisassistance。Idon’tseethatI’mboundtoconsiderMr。Osmondsoverymuch！heexclaimed。
No，butyoushouldconsiderher。Yousayyou’reanoldfriend。
Wouldyoumakehersuffer？
Notfortheworld。
Thenbeverycareful，andletthematteralonetillI’vetakenafewsoundings。
Letthematteralone，dearMadameMerle？RememberthatI’minlove。
Oh，youwon’tburnup！Whydidyoucometome，ifyou’renottoheedwhatIsay？
You’reverykind。I’llbeverygood，theyoungmanpromised。
ButI’mafraidMr。Osmond’sprettyhard，headdedinhismildvoiceashewenttothedoor。
MadameMerlegaveashortlaugh。Ithasbeensaidbefore。Buthiswifeisn’teasyeither。
Ah，she’sasplendidwoman！NedRosierrepeated，fordeparture。
Heresolvedthathisconductshouldbeworthyofanaspirantwhowasalreadyamodelofdiscretion。buthesawnothinginanypledgehehadgivenMadameMerlethatmadeitimproperheshouldkeephimselfinspiritsbyanoccasionalvisittoMissOsmond’shome。Hereflectedconstantlyonwhathisadviserhadsaidtohim，andturnedoverinhismindtheimpressionofherrathercircumspecttone。Hehadgonetoherdeconfiance，astheyputitinParis。butitwaspossiblehehadbeenprecipitate。Hefounddifficultyinthinkingofhimselfasrash-hehadincurredthisreproachsorarely。butitcertainlywastruethathehadknownMadameMerleonlyforthelastmonth，andthathisthinkingheradelightfulwomanwasnot，whenonecametolookintoit，areasonforassumingthatshewouldbeeagertopushPansyOsmondintohisarms，gracefullyarrangedasthesemembersmightbetoreceiveher。Shehadindeedshownhimbenevolence，andshewasapersonofconsiderationamongthegirl’speople，whereshehadaratherstrikingappearanceRosierhadmorethanoncewonderedhowshemanageditofbeingintimatewithoutbeingfamiliar。Butpossiblyhehadexaggeratedtheseadvantages。Therewasnoparticularreasonwhysheshouldtaketroubleforhim。acharmingwomanwascharmingtoeveryone，andRosierfeltratherafoolwhenhethoughtofhishavingappealedtoheronthegroundthatshehaddistinguishedhim。
Verylikely-thoughshehadappearedtosayitinjoke-shewasreallyonlythinkingofhisbibelots。Haditcomeintoherheadthathemightofferhertwoorthreeofthegemsofhiscollection？IfshewouldonlyhelphimtomarryMissOsmondhewouldpresentherwithhiswholemuseum。Hecouldhardlysaysotoheroutright。itwouldseemtoogrossabribe。Butheshouldlikehertobelieveit。
ItwaswiththesethoughtsthathewentagaintoMrs。Osmond’s，Mrs。
Osmondhavinganevening-shehadtakentheThursdayofeachweekwhenhispresencecouldbeaccountedforongeneralprinciplesofcivility。TheobjectofMr。Rosier’swell-regulatedaffectiondweltinahighhouseintheveryheartofRome。adarkandmassivestructureoverlookingasunnypiazzettaintheneighbourhoodoftheFarnesePalace。Inapalace，too，littlePansylived-apalacebyRomanmeasure，butadungeontopoorRosier’sapprehensivemind。Itseemedtohimofevilomenthattheyoungladyhewishedtomarry，andwhosefastidiousfatherhedoubtedofhisabilitytoconciliate，shouldbeimmuredinakindofdomesticfortress，apilewhichboreasternoldRomanname，whichsmeltofhistoricdeeds，ofcrimeandcraftandviolence，whichwasmentionedinMurrayandvisitedbytouristswholooked，onavaguesurvey，disappointedanddepressed，andwhichhadfrescoesbyCaravaggiointhepianonobileandarowofmutilatedstatuesanddustyurnsinthewide，nobly-archedloggiaoverhangingthedampcourtwhereafountaingushedoutofamossyniche。InalesspreoccupiedframeofmindhecouldhavedonejusticetothePalazzoRoccanera。hecouldhaveenteredintothesentimentofMrs。Osmond，whohadoncetoldhimthatonsettlingthemselvesinRomesheandherhusbandhadchosenthishabitationfortheloveoflocalcolour。Ithadlocalcolourenough，andthoughheknewlessaboutarchitecturethanaboutLimogesenamelshecouldseethattheproportionsofthewindowsandeventhedetailsofthecornicehadquitethegrandair。ButRosierwashauntedbytheconvictionthatatpicturesqueperiodsyounggirlshadbeenshutuptheretokeepthemfromtheirtrueloves，andthen，underthethreatofbeingthrownintoconvents，hadbeenforcedintounholymarriages。Therewasonepoint，however，towhichhealwaysdidjusticewhenoncehefoundhimselfinMrs。Osmond’swarm，rich-lookingreception-rooms，whichwereonthesecondfloor。Heacknowledgedthatthesepeoplewereverystrongingoodthings。ItwasatasteofOsmond’sown-notatallofhers。thisshehadtoldhimthefirsttimehecametothehouse，when，afteraskinghimselfforaquarterofanhourwhethertheyhadevenbetterFrenchthanheinParis，hewasobligedonthespottoadmitthattheyhad，verymuch，andvanquishedhisenvy，asagentlemanshould，tothepointofexpressingtohishostesshispureadmirationofhertreasures。HelearnedfromMrs。Osmondthatherhusbandhadmadealargecollectionbeforetheirmarriageandthat，thoughhehadannexedanumberoffinepieceswithinthelastthreeyears，hehadachievedhisgreatestfindsatatimewhenhehadnottheadvantageofheradvice。Rosierinterpretedthisinformationaccordingtoprinciplesofhisown。Foradvicereadcash，hesaidtohimself。andthefactthatGilbertOsmondhadlandedhishighestprizesduringhisimpecuniousseasonconfirmedhismostcherisheddoctrine-thedoctrinethatacollectormayfreelybepoorifhebeonlypatient。Ingeneral，whenRosierpresentedhimselfonaThursdayevening，hisfirstrecognitionwasforthewallsofthesaloon。therewerethreeorfourobjectshiseyesreallyyearnedfor。ButafterhistalkwithMadameMerlehefelttheextremeseriousnessofhisposition。andnow，whenhecamein，helookedaboutforthedaughterofthehousewithsucheagernessasmightbepermittedagentlemanwhosesmile，ashecrossedathreshold，alwaystookeverythingcomfortableforgranted。
CHAPTER37
Pansywasnotinthefirstoftherooms，alargeapartmentwithaconcaveceilingandwallscoveredwitholdreddamask。itwashereMrs。Osmondusuallysat-thoughshewasnotinhermostcustomaryplaceto-night-andthatacircleofmorespecialintimatesgatheredaboutthefire。Theroomwasflushedwithsubdued，diffusedbrightness。itcontainedthelargerthingsand-almostalways-anodourofflowers。
Pansyonthisoccasionwaspresumablyinthenextoftheseries，theresortofyoungervisitors，whereteawasserved。Osmondstoodbeforethechimney，leaningbackwithhishandsbehindhim。hehadonefootupandwaswarmingthesole。Halfadozenpersons，scatterednearhim，weretalkingtogether。buthewasnotintheconversation。hiseyeshadanexpression，frequentwiththem，thatseemedtorepresentthemasengagedwithobjectsmoreworththeirwhilethantheappearancesactuallythrustuponthem。Rosier，cominginunannounced，failedtoattracthisattention。buttheyoungman，whowasverypunctilious，thoughhewasevenexceptionallyconsciousthatitwasthewife，notthehusband，hehadcometosee，wentuptoshakehandswithhim。Osmondputouthislefthand，withoutchanginghisattitude。
Howd’yedo？Mywife’ssomewhereabout。
Neverfear。Ishallfindher，saidRosiercheerfully。
Osmond，however，tookhimin。hehadneverinhislifefelthimselfsoefficientlylookedat。MadameMerlehastoldhim，andhedoesn’tlikeit，heprivatelyreasoned。HehadhopedMadameMerlewouldbethere，butshewasnotinsight。perhapsshewasinoneoftheotherroomsorwouldcomelater。HehadneverespeciallydelightedinGilbertOsmond，havingafancyhegavehimselfairs。ButRosierwasnotquicklyresentful，andwherepolitenesswasconcernedhadeverastrongneedofbeingquiteintheright。Helookedroundhimandsmiled，allwithouthelp，andtheninamoment，IsawajollygoodpieceofCapodiMonteto-day，hesaid。
Osmondanswerednothingatfirst。butpresently，whilehewarmedhisboot-sole，Idon’tcareafigforCapodiMonte！hereturned。
Ihopeyou’renotlosingyourinterest？
Inoldpotsandplates？Yes，I’mlosingmyinterest。
Rosierforaninstantforgotthedelicacyofhisposition。You’renotthinkingofpartingwitha-apieceortwo？
No，I’mnotthinkingofpartingwithanythingatall，Mr。
Rosier，saidOsmond，withhiseyesstillontheeyesofhisvisitor。
Ah，youwanttokeep，butnottoadd，Rosierremarkedbrightly。
Exactly。I’venothingIwishtomatch。
PoorRosierwasawarehehadblushed。hewasdistressedathiswantofassurance。Ah，well，Ihave！wasallhecouldmurmur。andheknewhismurmurwaspartlylostasheturnedaway。HetookhiscoursetotheadjoiningroomandmetMrs。Osmondcomingoutofthedeepdoorway。Shewasdressedinblackvelvet。shelookedhighandsplendid，ashehadsaid，andyetohsoradiantlygentle！WeknowwhatMr。Rosierthoughtofherandthetermsinwhich，toMadameMerle，hehadexpressedhisadmiration。Likehisappreciationofherdearlittlestepdaughteritwasbasedpartlyonhiseyefordecorativecharacter，hisinstinctforauthenticity。butalsoonasenseforuncataloguedvalues，forthatsecretofalustrebeyondanyrecordedlosingorrediscovering，whichhisdevotiontobrittlewareshadstillnotdisqualifiedhimtorecognize。Mrs。Osmond，atpresent，mightwellhavegratifiedsuchtastes。Theyearshadtouchedheronlytoenrichher。theflowerofheryouthhadnotfaded，itonlyhungmorequietlyonitsstem。Shehadlostsomethingofthatquickeagernesstowhichherhusbandhadprivatelytakenexception-shehadmoretheairofbeingabletowait。Now，atallevents，framedinthegildeddoorway，shestruckouryoungmanasthepictureofagraciouslady。
YouseeI’mveryregular，hesaid。ButwhoshouldbeifI’mnot？
Yes，I’veknownyoulongerthananyonehere。Butwemustn’tindulgeintenderreminiscences。Iwanttointroduceyoutoayounglady。
Ah，please，whatyounglady？Rosierwasimmenselyobliging。butthiswasnotwhathehadcomefor。
Shesitstherebythefireinpinkandhasnoonetospeakto。
Rosierhesitatedamoment。Can’tMr。Osmondspeaktoher？He’swithinsixfeetofher。
Mrs。Osmondalsohesitated。She’snotverylively，andbedoesn’tlikedullpeople。
Butshe’sgoodenoughforme？Ahnow，that’shard！
Ionlymeanthatyou’veideasfortwo。Andthenyou’resoobliging。
Soisyourhusband。
No，he’snot-tome。AndMrs。Osmondvaguelysmiled。
That’sasignheshouldbedoublysotootherwomen。
SoItellhim，shesaid，stillsmiling。
YouseeIwantsometea，Rosierwenton，lookingwistfullybeyond。
That’sperfect。Goandgivesometomyyounglady。
Verygood。butafterthatI’llabandonhertoherfate。ThesimpletruthisI’mdyingtohavealittletalkwithMissOsmond。
Ah，saidIsabel，turningaway，Ican’thelpyouthere！
Fiveminuteslater，whilehehandedatea-cuptothedamselinpink，whomhehadconductedintotheotherroom，hewonderedwhether，inmakingtoMrs。OsmondtheprofessionIhavejustquoted，hehadbrokenthespiritofhispromisetoMadameMerle。Suchaquestionwascapableofoccupyingthisyoungman’smindforaconsiderabletime。Atlast，however，hebecame-comparativelyspeaking-reckless。hecaredlittlewhatpromiseshemightbreak。Thefatetowhichhehadthreatenedtoabandonthedamselinpinkprovedtobenonesoterrible。forPansyOsmond，whohadgivenhimtheteaforhiscompanion-Pansywasasfondaseverofmakingtea-presentlycameandtalkedtoher。IntothismildcolloquyEdwardRosierenteredlittle。hesatbymoodily，watchinghissmallsweetheart。Ifwelookathernowthroughhiseyesweshallatfirstnotseemuchtoremindusoftheobedientlittlegirlwho，atFlorence，threeyearsbefore，wassenttowalkshortdistancesintheCascinewhileherfatherandMissArchertalkedtogetherofmatterssacredtoelderpeople。ButafteramomentweshallperceivethatifatnineteenPansyhasbecomeayoungladyshedoesn’treallyfilloutthepart。thatifshehasgrownveryprettyshelacksinadeplorabledegreethequalityknownandesteemedintheappearanceoffemalesasstyle。andthatifsheisdressedwithgreatfreshnessshewearshersmartattirewithanundisguisedappearanceofsavingit-verymuchasifitwerelentherfortheoccasion。EdwardRosier，itwouldseem，wouldhavebeenjustthemantonotethesedefects。andinpointoffacttherewasnotaqualityofthisyounglady，ofanysort，thathehadnotnoted。Onlyhecalledherqualitiesbynamesofhisown-someofwhichindeedwerehappyenough。No，she’sunique-she’sabsolutelyunique，heusedtosaytohimself。andyoumaybesurethatnotforaninstantwouldhehaveadmittedtoyouthatshewaswantinginstyle。Style？Why，shehadthestyleofalittleprincess。ifyoucouldn’tseeityouhadnoeye。Itwasnotmodern，itwasnotconscious，itwouldproducenoimpressioninBroadway。thesmall，seriousdamsel，inherstifflittledress，onlylookedlikeanInfantaofVelasquez。ThiswasenoughforEdwardRosier，whothoughtherdelightfullyold-fashioned。Heranxiouseyes，hercharminglips，herslipofafigure，wereastouchingasachildishprayer。Hehadnowanacutedesiretoknowjusttowhatpointshelikedhim-adesirewhichmadehimfidgetashesatinhischair。
Itmadehimfeelhot，sothathehadtopathisforeheadwithhishandkerchief。hehadneverbeensouncomfortable。Shewassuchaperfectjeunefille，andonecouldn’tmakeofajeunefilletheenquiryrequisiteforthrowinglightonsuchapoint。AjeunefillewaswhatRosierhadalwaysdreamedof-ajeunefillewhoshouldyetnotbeFrench，forhehadfeltthatthisnationalitywouldcomplicatethequestion。HewassurePansyhadneverlookedatanewspaperandthat，inthewayofnovels，ifshehadreadSirWalterScottitwastheverymost。AnAmericanjeunefille-whatcouldbebetterthanthat？
Shewouldbefrankandgay，andyetwouldnothavewalkedalone，norhavereceivedlettersfrommen，norhavebeentakentothetheatretoseethecomedyofmanners。Rosiercouldnotdenythat，asthematterstood，itwouldbeabreachofhospitalitytoappealdirectlytothisunsophisticatedcreature。buthewasnowinimminentdangerofaskinghimselfifhospitalitywerethemostsacredthingintheworld。
WasnotthesentimentthatheentertainedforMissOsmondofinfinitelygreaterimportance？Ofgreaterimportancetohim-yes。butnotprobablytothemasterofthehouse。Therewasonecomfort。evenifthisgentlemanhadbeenplacedonhisguardbyMadameMerlehewouldnothaveextendedthewarningtoPansy。itwouldnothavebeenpartofhispolicytoletherknowthataprepossessingyoungmanwasinlovewithher。Buthewasinlovewithher，theprepossessingyoungman。andalltheserestrictionsofcircumstancehadendedbyirritatinghim。WhathadGilbertOsmondmeantbygivinghimtwofingersofhislefthand？IfOsmondwasrude，surelyhehimselfmightbebold。Hefeltextremelyboldafterthedullgirlinsovainadisguiseofrose-colourhadrespondedtothecallofhermother，whocameintosay，withasignificantsimperatRosier，thatshemustcarryherofftoothertriumphs。Themotheranddaughterdepartedtogether，andnowitdependedonlyuponhimthatheshouldbevirtuallyalonewithPansy。Hehadneverbeenalonewithherbefore。
hehadneverbeenalonewithajeunefille。Itwasagreatmoment。
poorRosierbegantopathisforeheadagain。Therewasanotherroombeyondtheoneinwhichtheystood-asmallroomthathadbeenthrownopenandlighted，butthat，thecompanynotbeingnumerous，hadremainedemptyalltheevening。Itwasemptyyet。itwasupholsteredinpaleyellow。therewereseverallamps。throughtheopendooritlookedtheverytempleofauthorizedlove。Rosiergazedamomentthroughthisaperture。hewasafraidthatPansywouldrunaway，andfeltalmostcapableofstretchingoutahandtodetainher。Butshelingeredwheretheothermaidenhadleftthem，makingnomotiontojoinaknotofvisitorsonthefarsideoftheroom。Foralittleitoccurredtohimthatshewasfrightened-toofrightenedperhapstomove。butasecondglanceassuredhimshewasnot，andhethenreflectedthatshewastooinnocentindeedforthat。Afterasupremehesitationheaskedherifhemightgoandlookattheyellowroom，whichseemedsoattractiveyetsovirginal。HehadbeentherealreadywithOsmond，toinspectthefurniture，whichwasoftheFirstFrenchEmpire，andespeciallytoadmiretheclockwhichhedidn’treallyadmire，animmenseclassicstructureofthatperiod。Hethereforefeltthathehadnowbeguntomanoeuvre。
Certainly，youmaygo，saidPansy。andifyoulikeI’llshowyou。Shewasnotintheleastfrightened。
That’sjustwhatIhopedyou’dsay。you’resoverykind，Rosiermurmured。
Theywentintogether。Rosierreallythoughttheroomveryugly，anditseemedcold。ThesameideaappearedtohavestruckPansy。It’snotforwinterevenings。it’sforsummer，shesaid。It’spapa’staste。
hehassomuch。
Hehadagooddeal，Rosierthought。butsomeofitwasverybad。
Helookedabouthim。hehardlyknewwhattosayinsuchasituation。
Doesn’tMrs。Osmondcarehowherroomsaredone？Hasshenotaste？heasked。
Ohyes，agreatdeal。butit’smoreforliterature，saidPansy-andforconversation。Butpapacaresalsoforthosethings。I
thinkheknowseverything。
Rosierwassilentalittle。There’sonethingI’msureheknows！
hebrokeoutpresently。HeknowsthatwhenIcomehereit’s，withallrespecttohim，withallrespecttoMrs。Osmond，who’ssocharming-it’sreally，saidtheyoungman，toseeyou！
Toseeme？AndPansyraisedhervaguely-troubledeyes。
Toseeyou。that’swhatIcomefor，Rosierrepeated，feelingtheintoxicationofarupturewithauthority。
Pansystoodlookingathim，simply，intently，openly。ablushwasnotneededtomakeherfacemoremodest。Ithoughtitwasforthat。
Anditwasnotdisagreeabletoyou？
Icouldn’ttell。Ididn’tknow。Younevertoldme，saidPansy。
Iwasafraidofoffendingyou。
Youdon’toffendme，theyounggirlmurmured，smilingasifanangelhadkissedher。
Youlikemethen，Pansy？Rosieraskedverygently，feelingveryhappy。
Yes-Ilikeyou。
Theyhadwalkedtothechimney-piecewherethebigcoldEmpireclockwasperched。theywerewellwithintheroomandbeyondobservationfromwithout。Thetoneinwhichshehadsaidthesefourwordsseemedtohimtheverybreathofnature，andhisonlyanswercouldbetotakeherhandandholditamoment。Thenheraisedittohislips。Shesubmitted，stillwithherpure，trustingsmile，inwhichtherewassomethingineffablypassive。Shelikedhim-shehadlikedhimallthewhile。nowanythingmighthappen！Shewasready-shehadbeenreadyalways，waitingforhimtospeak。Ifhehadnotspokenshewouldhavewaitedforever。butwhenthewordcameshedroppedlikethepeachfromtheshakentree。Rosierfeltthatifheshoulddrawhertowardhimandholdhertohisheartshewouldsubmitwithoutamurmur，wouldresttherewithoutaquestion。ItwastruethatthiswouldbearashexperimentinayellowEmpiresalottino。Shehadknownitwasforherhecame，andyetlikewhataperfectlittleladyshehadcarrieditoff！
You’reverydeartome，hemurmured，tryingtobelievethattherewasafterallsuchathingashospitality。
Shelookedamomentatherhand，wherehehadkissedit。Didyousaypapaknows？
Youtoldmejustnowheknowseverything。
Ithinkyoumustmakesure，saidPansy。
Ah，mydear，whenonceI’msureofyou！Rosiermurmuredinherear。whereuponsheturnedbacktotheotherroomswithalittleairofconsistencywhichseemedtoimplythattheirappealshouldbeimmediate。
TheotherroomsmeanwhilehadbecomeconsciousofthearrivalofMadameMerle，who，wherevershewent，producedanimpressionwhensheentered。Howshediditthemostattentivespectatorcouldnothavetoldyou，forsheneitherspokeloud，norlaughedprofusely，normovedrapidly，nordressedwithsplendour，norappealedinanyappreciablemannertotheaudience。Large，fair，smiling，serene，therewassomethinginherverytranquillitythatdiffuseditself，andwhenpeoplelookedarounditwasbecauseofasuddenquiet。Onthisoccasionshehaddonethequietestthingshecoulddo。afterembracingMrs。Osmond，whichwasmorestriking，shehadsatdownonasmallsofatocommunewiththemasterofthehouse。Therewasabriefexchangeofcommonplacesbetweenthesetwo-theyalwayspaid，inpublic，acertainformaltributetothecommonplace-andthenMadameMerle，whoseeyeshadbeenwandering，askediflittleMr。Rosierhadcomethisevening。
Hecamenearlyanhourago-buthehasdisappeared，Osmondsaid。
Andwhere’sPansy？
Intheotherroom。Thereareseveralpeoplethere。
He’sprobablyamongthem，saidMadameMerle。
Doyouwishtoseehim？Osmondaskedinaprovokinglypointlesstone。
MadameMerlelookedathimamoment。shekneweachofhistonestotheeighthofanote。Yes，IshouldliketosaytohimthatI’vetoldyouwhathewants，andthatitinterestsyoubutfeebly。
Don’ttellhimthat。He’lltrytointerestmemore-whichisexactlywhatIdon’twant。TellhimIhatehisproposal。
Butyoudon’thateit。
Itdoesn’tsignify。Idon’tloveit。Ilethimseethat，myself，thisevening。Iwasrudetohimonpurpose。Thatsortofthing’sagreatbore。There’snohurry。
I’lltellhimthatyou’lltaketimeandthinkitover。
No，don’tdothat。He’llhangon。
IfIdiscouragehimhe’lldothesame。
Yes，butintheonecasehe’lltrytotalkandexplain-whichwouldbeexceedinglytiresome。Intheotherhe’llprobablyholdhistongueandgoinforsomedeepergame。Thatwillleavemequiet。I
hatetalkingwithadonkey。
IsthatwhatyoucallpoorMr。Rosier？
Oh，he’sanuisance-withhiseternalmajolica。
MadameMerledroppedhereyes。shehadafaintsmile。He’sagentleman，hehasacharmingtemper。and，afterall，anincomeoffortythousandfrancs！
It’smisery-’genteel’misery，Osmondbrokein。It’snotwhatI’vedreamedofforPansy。
Verygoodthen。Hehaspromisedmenottospeaktoher。
Doyoubelievehim？Osmondaskedabsent-mindedly。
Perfectly。Pansyhasthoughtagreatdealabouthim。butIdon’tsupposeyouconsiderthatthatmatters。
Idon’tconsideritmattersatall。butneitherdoIbelieveshehasthoughtofhim。
Thatopinion’smoreconvenient，saidMadameMerlequietly。
Hasshetoldyoushe’sinlovewithhim？
Forwhatdoyoutakeher？Andforwhatdoyoutakeme？MadameMerleaddedinamoment。
Osmondhadraisedhisfootandwasrestinghisslimankleontheotherknee。heclaspedhisankleinhishandfamiliarly-hislong，fineforefingerandthumbcouldmakearingforit-andgazedawhilebeforehim。Thiskindofthingdoesn’tfindmeunprepared。It’swhatI
educatedherfor。Itwasallforthis-thatwhensuchacaseshouldcomeupsheshoulddowhatIprefer。
I’mnotafraidthatshe’llnotdoit。
Wellthen，where’sthehitch？
Idon’tseeany。But，allthesame，IrecommendyounottogetridofMr。
Rosier。Keephimonhand。hemaybeuseful。
Ican’tkeephim。Keephimyourself。
Verygood。I’llputhimintoacornerandallowhimsomuchaday。
MadameMerlehad，forthemostpart，whiletheytalked，beenglancingabouther。itwasherhabitinthissituation，justasitwasherhabittointerposeagoodmanyblank-lookingpauses。AlongdropfollowedthelastwordsIhavequoted。andbeforeithadendedshesawPansycomeoutoftheadjoiningroom，followedbyEdwardRosier。ThegirladvancedafewstepsandthenstoppedandstoodlookingatMadameMerleandatherfather。
Hehasspokentoher，MadameMerlewentontoOsmond。
Hercompanionneverturnedhishead。Somuchforyourbeliefinhispromises。Heoughttobehorse-whipped。
Heintendstoconfess，poorlittleman！
Osmondgotup。hehadnowtakenasharplookathisdaughter。Itdoesn’tmatter，hemurmured，turningaway。
PansyafteramomentcameuptoMadameMerlewithherlittlemannerofunfamiliarpoliteness。Thislady’sreceptionofherwasnotmoreintimate。shesimply，assherosefromthesofa，gaveherafriendlysmile。
You’reverylate，theyoungcreaturegentlysaid。
Mydearchild，I’mneverlaterthanIintendtobe。
MadameMerlehadnotgotuptobegracioustoPansy。shemovedtowardEdwardRosier。Hecametomeetherand，veryquickly，asiftogetitoffhismind，I’vespokentoher！hewhispered。
Iknowit，Mr。Rosier。
Didshetellyou？
Yes，shetoldme。Behaveproperlyfortherestoftheevening，andcomeandseemeto-morrowataquarterpastfive。Shewassevere，andinthemannerinwhichsheturnedherbacktohimtherewasadegreeofcontemptwhichcausedhimtomutteradecentimprecation。
HehadnointentionofspeakingtoOsmond。itwasneitherthetimenortheplace。ButheinstinctivelywanderedtowardIsabel，whosattalkingwithanoldlady。Hesatdownontheothersideofher。theoldladywasItalian，andRosiertookforgrantedsheunderstoodnoEnglish。Yousaidjustnowyouwouldn’thelpme，hebegantoMrs。
Osmond。Perhapsyou’llfeeldifferentlywhenyouknow-whenyouknow-！
Isabelmethishesitation。WhenIknowwhat？
Thatshe’sallright。
Whatdoyoumeanbythat？
Well，thatwe’vecometoanunderstanding。
She’sallwrong，saidIsabel。Itwon’tdo。
PoorRosiergazedatherhalf-pleadingly，half-angrily。asuddenflushtestifiedtohissenseofinjury。I’veneverbeentreatedso，hesaid。Whatisthereagainstme，afterall？That’snotthewayI’musuallyconsidered。Icouldhavemarriedtwentytimes。
It’sapityyoudidn’t。Idon’tmeantwentytimes，butoncecomfortably，Isabeladded，smilingkindly。You’renotrichenoughforPansy。Shedoesn’tcareastrawforone’smoney。
No，butherfatherdoes。
Ahyes，hehasprovedthat！criedtheyoungman。