After that my aunt was very kind to
me; she came to see me and proposed that I should come with her to
Europe."
"I see," said Ralph. "She has adopted you."
"Adopted me?" The girl stared, and her blush came back to her,
together with a momentary look of pain which gave her interlocutor
some alarm. He had underestimated the effect of his words. Lord
Warburton, who appeared constantly desirous of a nearer view of Miss
Archer, strolled toward the two cousins at the moment, and as he did
so she rested her wider eyes on him. "Oh no; she has not adopted me.
I'm not a candidate for adoption."
"I beg a thousand pardons," Ralph murmured. "I meant- I meant-" He
hardly knew what he meant.
"You meant she has taken me up. Yes; she likes to take people up.
She has been very kind to me; but," she added with a certain visible
eagerness of desire to be explicit, "I'm very fond of my liberty."
"Are you talking about Mrs. Touchett?" the old man called out from
his chair. "Come here, my dear, and tell me about her. I'm always
thankful for information."
The girl hesitated again, smiling. "She's really very benevolent,"
she answered; after which she went over to her uncle, whose mirth
was excited by her words.
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