ir lives must of necessity,
even in outward matters, be more separate than before. Elsmere resisted
for a time; then, lured one evening toward this end of February by the
prospect conveyed in a note from Madame de Netteville, wherein Catherine
was mentioned in the most scrupulously civil terms, of meeting one of
the most eminent of French critics, he went, and thenceforward went
often. He had, so far, no particular liking for the hostess; he hated
some of her _habitues_; but there was no doubt that in some ways she
made an admirable holder of a _salon_, and that round about her there
was a subtle mixture of elements, a liberty of discussion and comment,
to be found nowhere else. And how bracing and refreshing was that free
play of equal mind to the man weary sometimes of his leader's _role_ and
weary of himself!

As to the _woman_, his social naivete, which was extraordinary, but in
a man of his type most natural, made him accept her exactly as he found
her. If there were two or three people in Paris or London who knew or
suspected incidents of Madame de Netteville's young married days which
made her reception at some of the strictest English houses a matter of
cynical amusement to them, not the remotest inkling of their knowledge
was ever likely to reach Elsmere. He was not a man who attracted
scandals. Nor was it anybody's interest to spread them. Madame de
Netteville's position in London society was obviously excellent. If she
had peculiarities of manner and speech they were easily supposed to be
French. Meanwhile she was undeniably rich and distinguished, and gifted
with a most remarkable power of protecting herself and her neighbors
from boredom. At the same time, though Elsmere was, in truth, more
interested in her friends than in her, he could not possibly be
insensible to the consideration shown for him in her drawing-room.
Madame de Netteville allowed herself plenty of jests with her intimates
as to the young reformer's social simplicity, his dreams, his optimisms.
But those intimates were the first to notice that as soon as he entered
the room those optimisms of his were adroitly respected. She had various
delicate contrivances for giving him the lead; she exercised a kind of
_surveillance_ over the topics introduced; or in conversation with
him she would play that most seductive part of the cynic shamed out of
cynicism by the neighborhood of the enthusiast.

Presently she began to claim a practical interest