Page 284 - the-portrait-of-a-lady

practiced by our heroine toward this accomplished wom-
an, that Isabel had said nothing whatever to her about Lord
Warburton and had been equally reticent on the subject of
Caspar Goodwood. She had not, however, concealed the
fact that she had had opportunities of marrying and had
even let her friend know of how advantageous a kind they
had been. Lord Warburton had left Lockleigh and was gone
to Scotland, taking his sisters with him; and though he had
written to Ralph more than once to ask about Mr. Touchett’s
health the girl was not liable to the embarrassment of such
enquiries as, had he still been in the neighbourhood, he
would probably have felt bound to make in person. He had
excellent ways, but she felt sure that if he had come to Gar-
dencourt he would have seen Madame Merle, and that if he
had seen her he would have liked her and betrayed to her
that he was in love with her young friend. It so happened
that during this lady’s previous visits to Gardencourteach
of them much shorter than the present—he had either not
been at Lockleigh or had not called at Mr. Touchett’s. There-
fore, though she knew him by name as the great man of that
country, she had no cause to suspect him as a suitor of Mrs.
Touchett’s freshly-imported niece.
‘You’ve plenty of time,’ she had said to Isabel in return
for the mutilated confidences which our young woman
made her and which didn’t pretend to be perfect, though
we have seen that at moments the girl had compunctions at
having said so much. ‘I’m glad you’ve done nothing yet—
that you have it still to do. It’s a very good thing for a girl
to have refused a few good offers—so long of course as they

284 The Portrait of a Lady