be imputed: there was nobody she was supposable
as interested for. It was too soon, since she wasn't
interested for herself. Even the richest woman, at
her age, lacked motive, and Milly's motive doubtless
had plenty of time to arrive. She was meanwhile
beautiful, simple, sublime without it whether miss
ing it and vaguely reaching out for it or not; and
with it, for that matter, in the event, would really be
these things just as much. Only then she might
very well have, like Aunt Maud, a manner. Such
were the connections, at all events, in which the collo
quy of our two ladies freshly flickered up in which
it came round that the elder asked the younger if she
had herself, in the afternoon, named Mr. Densher
as an acquaintance.

"Oh no I said nothing of having seen him. I
remembered," the girl explained, " Mrs. Lowder's
wish."

"But that," her friend observed after a moment,
"was for silence to Kate."

Yes but Mrs. Condrip would immediately have
told Kate."

"Why so? since she must dislike to talk about
him."

"Mrs. Condrip must? " Milly thought. " What
she would like most is that her sister should be
brought to think ill of him; and if anything she can
tell her will help that " But Milly dropped sud
denly here, as if her companion would see.

Her companion's interest, however, was all for

[[217]]

p216 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p217w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p218

v?