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James, Henry

"The Portrait Of A Lady"

"
"Don't you indeed? I'm after all very much afraid of you. Do you
think I'm so very easily pleased?" she asked suddenly, changing her
tone.
"No- I don't; I shall try to console myself with that. But there are
a certain number of very dazzling men in the world, no doubt; and if
there were only one it would be enough. The most dazzling of all
will make straight for you. You'll be sure to take no one who isn't
dazzling."
"If you mean by dazzling brilliantly clever," Isabel said- "and I
can't imagine what else you mean- I don't need the aid of a clever man
to teach me how to live. I can find it out for myself."
"Find out how to live alone? I wish that, when you have, you'd teach
me!"
She looked at him a moment; then with a quick smile, "Oh, you
ought to marry!" she said.
He might be pardoned if for an instant this exclamation seemed to
him to sound the infernal note, and it is not on record that her
motive for discharging such a shaft had been of the clearest. He
oughtn't to stride about lean and hungry, however- she certainly
felt that for him. "God forgive you!" he murmured between his teeth as
he turned away.
Her accent had put her slightly in the wrong, and after a moment she
felt the need to right herself.


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