His mother, as I
suppose you know, is in America, so there was no one to prevent him.
He stuck to his idea that it would be the saving of him to spend the
winter at Catania. He said he could take servants and furniture, could
make himself comfortable, but in point of fact he hasn't brought
anything. I wanted him at least to go by sea, to save fatigue; but
he said he hated the sea and wished to stop at Rome. After that,
though I thought it all rubbish, I made up my mind to come with him.
I'm acting as-what do you call it in America? a kind of moderator.
Poor Ralph's very moderate now. We left England a fortnight ago, and
he has been very bad on the way. He can't keep warm, and the further
south we come the more he feels the cold. He has got rather a good
man, but I'm afraid he's beyond human help. I wanted him to take
with him some clever fellow-=I mean some sharp young doctor; but he
wouldn't hear of it. If you don't mind my saying so, I think it was
a most extraordinary time for Mrs. Touchett to decide on going to
America."
Isabel had listened eagerly; her face was full of pain and wonder.
"My aunt does that at fixed periods and lets nothing turn her aside.
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