He was
certainly very much struck with her, not probably ever waiting to
declare to himself that she was the most beautiful woman he had
ever seen in his life, but still feeling towards her an attraction
which for the time was strong. A very clever girl would frighten
him; a very horsey girl would disgust him; a very quiet girl would
bore him; or a very noisy girl annoy him. With a shy girl he could
never be at his ease, not enjoying the labour of overcoming such a
barrier; and yet he liked to be able to feel that any female
intimacy which he admitted was due to his own choice and not to
that of the young woman. Arabella Trefoil was not very clever, but
she had given all her mind to this peculiar phase of life, and, to
use a common phrase, knew what she was about. She was quite alive
to the fact that different men require different manners in a young
woman; and as she had adapted herself to Mr. Morton at Washington,
so could she at Rufford adapt herself to Lord Rufford. At the
present moment the lord was in love with her as much as he was wont
to be in love. "Doesn't it seem an immense time since we came here
yesterday?" she said to him. "There has been so much done"
"There has been a great misfortune."
"I suppose that is it. Only for that how very very pleasant it
would have been!"
"Yes, indeed.
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