peeped out of the others. Other looks, other lights, radiant and
steady, with the others, had taken its place, reaching a climax so short
a time ago, that morning of the appearance of the pair on the balcony
of her house to overlook what she had been doing with her father; when
their general interested brightness and beauty, attuned to the outbreak
of summer, had seemed to shed down warmth and welcome and the promise of
protection. They were conjoined not to do anything to startle her--and
now at last so completely that, with experience and practice, they had
almost ceased to fear their liability. Mrs. Assingham, on the other
hand, deprecating such an accident not less, had yet less assurance,
as having less control. The high pitch of her cheer, accordingly, the
tentative, adventurous expressions, of the would-be smiling order, that
preceded her approach even like a squad of skirmishers, or whatever they
were called, moving ahead of the baggage train--these things had at
the end of a fortnight brought a dozen times to our young woman's lips
a challenge that had the cunning to await its right occasion, but of the
relief of which, as a demonstration, she meanwhile felt no little need.
"You've such a dread of my possibly complaining to you that you keep
pealing all the bells to drown my voice; but don't cry out, my dear,
till you're hurt--and above all ask yourself how I can be so wicked as
to complain. What in the name of all that's fantastic can you dream
that I have to complain OF?" Such inquiries the Princess temporarily
succeeded in repressing, and she did so, in a measure, by the aid of her
wondering if this ambiguity with which her friend affected her wouldn't
be at present a good deal like the ambiguity with which she herself must
frequently affect her father. She wondered how she should enjoy, on
HIS part, such a take-up as she but just succeeded, from day to day, in
sparing Mrs. Assingham, and that made for her trying to be as easy
with this associate as Mr. Verver, blessed man, all indulgent but all
inscrutable, was with his daughter. She had extracted from her, none
the less, a vow in respect to the time that, if the Colonel might be
depended on, they would spend at Fawns; and nothing came home to her
more, in this connection, or inspired her with a more intimate interest,
than her sense of absolutely seeing her interlocutress forbear to
observe that Charlotte's view of a long visit, even from such allies,
was th