u Osmonds are a fine
race--your blood must flow from some very pure source. Your brother,
like an intelligent man, has had the conviction of it if he has not
had the proofs. You're modest about it, but you yourself are extremely
distinguished. What do you say about your niece? The child's a little
princess. Nevertheless," Madame Merle added, "it won't be an easy matter
for Osmond to marry Miss Archer. Yet he can try."

"I hope she'll refuse him. It will take him down a little."

"We mustn't forget that he is one of the cleverest of men."

"I've heard you say that before, but I haven't yet discovered what he
has done."

"What he has done? He has done nothing that has had to be undone. And he
has known how to wait."

"To wait for Miss Archer's money? How much of it is there?"

"That's not what I mean," said Madame Merle. "Miss Archer has seventy
thousand pounds."

"Well, it's a pity she's so charming," the Countess declared. "To be
sacrificed, any girl would do. She needn't be superior."

"If she weren't superior your brother would never look at her. He must
have the best."

"Yes," returned the Countess as they went forward a little to meet
the others, "he's very hard to satisfy. That makes me tremble for her
happiness!"

CHAPTER XXVI

Gilbert Osmond came to see Isabel again; that is he came to Palazzo
Crescentini. He had other friends there as well, and to Mrs. Touchett
and Madame Merle he was always impartially civil; but the former of
these ladies noted the fact that in the course of a fortnight he
called five times, and compared it with another fact that she found no
difficulty in remembering. Two visits a year had hitherto constituted
his regular tribute to Mrs. Touchett's worth, and she had never
observed him select for such visits those moments, of almost periodical
recurrence, when Madame Merle was under her roof. It was not for Madame
Merle that he came; these two were old friends and he never put himself
out for her. He was not fond of Ralph--Ralph had told her so--and it was
not supposable that Mr. Osmond had suddenly taken a fancy to her son.
Ralph was imperturbable--Ralph had a kind of loose-fitting urbanity
that wrapped him about like an ill-made overcoat, but of which he
never divested himself; he thought Mr. Osmond very good company and was
willing at any time to look at him in the light of hospitality. But he
didn't flatter himself that the desire to repair a past injustice was
the moti