mediately, frank and large. He knew, with the
question put, that the hint was just what he had
taken; knew that she had made him quickly forgive
her the display of her power; knew that if he didn't
take care he should understand her, and the
strength of her purpose, to say nothing of that of
her imagination, nothing of the length of her purse,
only too well. Yet he pulled himself up with the
thought, too, that he was not going to be afraid of
understanding her; he was just going to understand
and understand without detriment to the feeblest,
even, of his passions. The play of one's mind let
one in, at the best, dreadfully, in action, in the need
of action, where simplicity was all; but when one
couldn't prevent it the thing was to make it com
plete. There would never be mistakes but for the
original fun of mistakes. What he must use his
fatal intelligence for was to resist. Mrs. Lowder,
meanwhile, might use it for whatever she liked.

It was after she had begun her statement of her
own idea about Kate that he began, on his side, to
reflect that with her manner of offering it as really
sufficient if he would take the trouble to embrace
it she couldn't half hate him. That was all, posi
tively, she seemed to show herself for the time as
attempting; clearly, if she did her intention jus
tice, she would have nothing more disagreeable to
do. " If I hadn't been ready to go very much
further, you understand, I wouldn't have gone so
far. I don't care what you repeat to her the more

[[90]]

p089 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p090w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p091

v?