and lighted eyes and clasped hands could do it, their
agreement to belong only, and to belong tremen
dously, to each other. They were to leave the place
accordingly an affianced couple; but before they
left it other things still had passed. Densher had
declared his horror of bringing to a premature end
her happy relation with her aunt; and they had
worked round together to a high level of wisdom
and patience. Kate's free profession was that she
wished not to deprive him of Mrs. Lowder's coun
tenance, which, in the long run, she was convinced
he would continue to enjoy; and as, by a blessed
turn, Aunt Maud had demanded of him no promise
that would tie his hands, they should be able to
cultivate their destiny in their own way and yet re
main loyal. One difficulty alone stood out, which
Densher named.

"Of course it will never do we must remem
ber that from the moment you allow her to found
hopes of you for any one else in particular. So
long as her view is content to remain as general as
at present appears, I don't see that we deceive her.
At a given moment, you see, she must be unde
ceived: the only thing therefore is to be ready for
the moment and to face it. Only, after all, in that
case," the young man observed, " one doesn't quite
make out what we shall have got from her."

"What she ll have got from us? " Kate inquired
with a smile. " What she ll have got from us," the
girl went on, " is her own affair it's for her to

[[107]]

p106 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p107w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p108

v?