rely new
to her, was it not to be expected that things would happen of which she
had never dreamt? The tremor with which she had faced this her first
evening in general society had allayed itself almost as soon as she
entered the room, giving place to a kind of pleasure for which she
was not at all prepared, a pleasure inconsistent with the mood which
governed her life. Perhaps, had she been brought into this world in
those sunny days before her marriage, just such pleasure as this, only
in a more pronounced degree, would have awoke in her and have been
fearlessly indulged. The first shock of the meeting with Hubert having
passed, she was surprised at her self-control, at the ease with which
she found she could converse. Hubert took her down to dinner; on the
stairs he twice turned to look at her face, yet she felt sure that her
hand had betrayed no agitation as it lay on his arm. At table he talked
freely; did he know--she asked herself--that this would relieve her? And
his conversation was altogether unlike what it had been two years and
a half ago--so long it was since she had talked with him under ordinary
conditions. There was still animation, and the note of intellectual
impatience was touched occasionally, but the world had ripened him, his
judgments were based on sounder knowledge, he was more polished, more
considerate--'gentler,' Adela afterwards said to herself. And decidedly
he had gained in personal appearance; a good deal of the bright, eager
boy had remained with him in his days of storm and stress, but now
his features had the repose of maturity and their refinement had fixed
itself in lines of strength.

He talked solely of the present, discussed with her the season's
pictures, the books, the idle business of the town. At length she found
herself able to meet his glance without fear, even to try and read
its character. She thought of the day when her mother told her of his
wickedness. Since then she had made acquaintance with wickedness
in various forms, and now she marvelled at the way in which she had
regarded him. 'I was a child, a child,' she repeated to herself.
Thinking thus, she lost none of his words. He spoke of the things which
interested her most deeply; how much he could teach her, were such
teaching possible!

At last she ventured upon a personal question.

'How is Mrs. Eldon?'

She thought he looked at her gratefully; certainly there was a deep
kindness in his eyes, a look which was o