There there was a
question as to whose the two other sisters were; they are probably two
of my late aunt's daughters. But who's 'quite independent,' and in
what sense is the term used?- that point's not yet settled. Does the
expression apply more particularly to the young lady my mother has
adopted, or does it characterize her sisters equally?- and is it
used in a moral or in a financial sense? Does it mean that they've
been left well off, or that they wish to be under no obligations? or
does it simply mean that they're fond of their own way?"
"Whatever else it means, it's pretty sure to mean that," Mr.
Touchett remarked.
"You'll see for yourself," said Lord Warburton. "When does Mrs.
Touchett arrive?"
"We're quite in the dark; as soon as she can find a decent cabin.
She may be waiting for it yet; on the other hand she may already
have disembarked in England."
"In that case she would probably have telegraphed to you."
"She never telegraphs when you would expect it- only when you
don't," said the old man. "She likes to drop in on me suddenly; she
thinks she'll find me doing something wrong. She has never done so
yet, but she's not discouraged.
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