in her
composition that would keep her from vulgar aberrations. Her husband was
such a feeble type that she must have felt doubly she had been put upon
her honor. To deceive such a man as that was to make him more ridiculous
than he was already, and from such a result a woman bearing his name
may very well have shrunk. Perhaps it would have been worse for Lord
Vandeleur, who had every pretension of his order and none of its
amiability, if he had been a better, or at least, a cleverer man. When a
woman behaves so well she is not obliged to be careful, and there is
no need of consulting appearances when one is one's self an appearance.
Lady Vandeleur accepted Ambrose Tester's attentions, and Heaven knows
they were frequent; but she had such an air of perfect equilibrium that
one could n't see her, in imagination, bend responsive. Incense was
incense, but one saw her sitting quite serene among the fumes. That
honor of her acquaintance of which I just now spoke it had been given me
to enjoy; that is to say, I met her a dozen times in the season in a
hot crowd, and we smiled sweetly and murmured a vague question or two,
without hearing, or even trying to hear, each other's answer. If I knew
that Ambrose Tester was perpetually in and out of her house and always
arranging with her that they should go to the same places, I doubt
whether she, on her side, knew how often he came to see me. I don't
think he would have let her know, and am conscious, in saying this, that
it indicated an advanced state of intimacy (with her, I mean).

I also doubt very much whether he asked her to look about, on his
behalf, for a future Lady Tester. This request he was so good as to make
of me; but I told him I would have nothing to do with the matter. If
Joscelind is unhappy, I am thankful to say the responsibility is not
mine. I have found English husbands for two or three American girls, but
providing English wives is a different affair. I know the sort of men
that will suit women, but one would have to be very clever to know the
sort of women that will suit men. I told Ambrose Tester that he must
look out for himself, but, in spite of his promise, I had very little
belief that he would do anything of the sort. I thought it probable that
the old baronet would pass away without seeing a new generation come
in; though when I intimated as much to Mr. Tester, he made answer in
substance (it was not quite so crudely said) that his father, old as he
wa