THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. . 337 he wished to punish her by an exhibition of disillusionment ; she did him the justice to believe that it had simply occurred to him that she would now take a good-natured interest in knowing that he was resigned. It was the resignation of a healthy, manly nature, in which sentimental wounds could never fester. British politics had cured him ; she had known they would. She gave an envious thought to the happier lot of men, who are always free to plunge into the healing waters of action. Lord Warburton of course spoke of the past, but he spoke of it with- out implication ; he even went so far as to allude to their former meeting in Rome as a very jolly time. And he told her that he had been immensely interested in hearing of her marriage that it was a great pleasure to him to make Mr. Osmond's ac- quaintance since he could hardly be said to' have made it on the Other occasion. He had not written to her when she married, but he did not apologise to her for that. The only thing he implied was that they were old friends, intimate friends. It was very much as an intimate friend that he said to her, suddenly, after a short pause which he had occupied in smiling, as he looked about him, like a man to whom everything suggested a cheerful interpretation " Well now, I suppose you are very happy, and all that sort of thing ] " Isabel answered with a quick laugh ; the tone of his remark struck her almost as the accent of comedy. " Do you suppose if I were not I would tell you 1 " " Well, I don't know. I don't see why .not." " I do, then. Fortunately, however, I am very happy." " You have got a very good house." " Yes, it's very pleasant. But that's not my merit it's my husband's." " You mean that he has arranged it 1 " " Yes, it was nothing when we came." '* He must be very clever." " He has a genius for upholstery," said Isabel. " There is a great rage for that sort of thing now. But you .nust have a taste of your own." " I enjoy things when they are done ; but I have no ideas. I can never propose anything." " Do you mean that -you accept what others propose 1 " (l Yery willingly, for the most part." " That's a good thing to know. I shall propose you some- thing." " It will bo very kind. I must say, however, that I have in z
