Touchett."
"I, my dear Miss Stackpole? Never in the world. Isabel Archer has
acted on me- yes; she acts on every one. But I've been absolutely
passive."
"You're too passive then. You had better stir yourself and be
careful. Isabel's changing every day; she's drifting away- right out
to sea. I've watched her and I can see it. She's not the bright
American girl she was. She's taking different views, a different
colour, and turning away from her old ideals. I want to save those
ideals, Mr. Touchett, and that's where you come in."
"Not surely as an ideal?"
"Well, I hope not," Henrietta replied promptly. "I've got a fear
in my heart that she's going to marry one of these fell Europeans, and
I want to prevent it."
"Ah, I see," cried Ralph; "and to prevent it you want me to step
in and marry her?"
"Not quite; that remedy would be as bad as the disease, for you're
the typical, the fell European from whom I wish to rescue her. No; I
wish you to take an interest in another person- a young man to whom
she once gave great encouragement and whom she now doesn't seem to
think good enough. He's a thoroughly grand man and a very dear
friend of mine, and I wish very much you would invite him to pay a
visit here.
Pages:
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213