Mrs. Touchett
and Sir Matthew appeared; Madame Merle was the last.
Before she came Isabel spoke of her to Ralph, who was standing
before the fireplace. "Pray who is this Madame Merle?"
"The cleverest woman I know, not excepting yourself," said Ralph.
"I thought she seemed very pleasant."
"I was sure you'd think her very pleasant."
"Is that why you invited her?"
"I didn't invite her, and when we came back from London I didn't
know she was here. No one invited her. She's a friend of my
mother's, and just after you and I went to town my mother got a note
from her. She had arrived in England (she usually lives abroad, though
she has first and last spent a good deal of time here), and asked
leave to come down for a few days. She's a woman who can make such
proposals with perfect confidence; she's so welcome wherever she goes.
And with my mother there could be no question of hesitating; she's the
one person in the world whom my mother very much admires. If she
were not herself (which she after all much prefers), she would like to
be Madame Merle. It would indeed be a great change."
"Well, she's very charming," said Isabel.
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