first naming him. Perhaps he was one of the cases
she had heard of at home those characteristic
cases of people in England who concealed their play
of mind so much more than they showed it. Even
Mr. Densher a little did that. And what made Lord
Mark, at any rate, so real either, when this was a
thing he so definitely insisted on? His type some
how, as by a life, a need, an intention of its own, in
sisted for him; but that was all. It was difficult to
guess his age whether he were a young man who
looked old or an old man who looked young; it
seemed to prove nothing, as against other things,
that he was bald and, as might have been said,
slightly stale, or, more delicately perhaps, dry:
there was such a fine little fidget of preoccupied life
in him, and his eyes, at moments though it was an
appearance they could suddenly lose were as can
did and clear as those of a pleasant boy. Very neat,
very light, and so fair that there was little other in
dication of his moustache than his constantly feel
ing it which was again boyish he would have
affected her as the most intellectual person present
if he had not affected her as the most frivolous.
The latter quality was rather in his look than in any
thing else, though he constantly wore his double
eyeglass, which was, much more, Bostonian and
thoughtful.

The idea of his frivolity had, no doubt, to do with
his personal designation, which represented as yet,
for our young woman, a little confusedly a con-

[[168]]

p167 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p168w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p169

v?