Touchett, whose noble tone, as
she said, met with her full approval- her situation at Gardencourt
would have been perfectly comfortable had she not conceived an
irresistible mistrust of the little lady for whom she had at first
supposed herself obliged to "allow" as mistress of the house. She
presently discovered, in truth, that this obligation was of the
lightest and that Mrs. Touchett cared very little how Miss Stackpole
behaved. Mrs. Touchett had defined her to Isabel as both an
adventuress and a bore- adventuresses usually giving one more of a
thrill; she had expressed some surprise at her niece's having selected
such a friend, yet had immediately added that she knew Isabel's
friends were her own affair and that she had never undertaken to
like them all or to restrict the girl to those she liked.
"If you could see none but the people I like, my dear, you'd have
a very small society," Mrs. Touchett frankly admitted; "and I don't
think I like any man or woman well enough to recommend them to you.
When it comes to recommending it's a serious affair. I don't like Miss
Stackpole- everything about her displeases me; she talks so much too
loud and looks at one as if one wanted to look at her- which one
doesn't.
Pages:
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167