To agree to disagree had cost him an effort; he was
ready to agree to almost anything but that, and saw no reason why
either assent or dissent should be so terribly consistent. Mrs.
Touchett indulged in no regrets nor speculations, and usually came
once a year to spend a month with her husband, a period during which
she apparently took pains to convince him that she had adopted the
right system. She was not fond of the English style of life, and had
three or four reasons for it to which she currently alluded; they bore
upon minor points of that ancient order, but for Mrs. Touchett they
amply justified non-residence. She detested bread-sauce, which, as she
said, looked like a poultice and tasted like soap; she objected to the
consumption of beer by her maid-servants; and she affirmed that the
British laundress (Mrs. Touchett was very particular about the
appearance of her linen) was not a mistress of her art. At fixed
intervals she paid a visit to her own country; but this last had
been longer than any of its predecessors.
She had taken up her niece- there was little doubt of that. One
wet afternoon, some four months earlier than the occurrence lately
narrated, this young lady had been seated alone with a book.
Pages:
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42