Page 590 - the-portrait-of-a-lady

have happened if she had absented herself for a quarter of
an hour; and then she pronounced-always mentally-that
when their distinguished visitor should wish her to go away
he would easily find means to let her know it. Pansy said
nothing whatever about him after he had gone, and Isabel
studiously said nothing, as she had taken a vow of reserve
until after he should have declared himself. He was a little
longer in coming to this than might seem to accord with the
description he had given Isabel of his feelings. Pansy went
to bed, and Isabel had to admit that she could not now guess
what her stepdaughter was thinking of. Her transparent lit-
tle companion was for the moment not to be seen through.
She remained alone, looking at the fire, until, at the end
of half an hour, her husband came in. He moved about a
while in silence and then sat down; he looked at the fire
like herself. But she now had transferred her eyes from
the flickering flame in the chimney to Osmond’s face, and
she watched him while he kept his silence. Covert obser-
vation had become a habit with her; an instinct, of which
it is not an exaggeration to say that it was allied to that of
self-defence, had made it habitual. She wished as much as
possible to know his thoughts, to know what he would say,
beforehand, so that she might prepare her answer. Prepar-
ing answers had not been her strong point of old; she had
rarely in this respect got further than thinking afterwards
of clever things she might have said. But she had learned
caution-learned it in a measure from her husband’s very
countenance. It was the same face she had looked into with
eyes equally earnest perhaps, but less penetrating, on the

590 The Portrait of a Lady