saw this was, for Milly, fairly inspiring to that
degree in fact that she was even now, on such a
plane, yearning to be supreme. It took, no doubt,
a big dose of inspiration to treat as not funny or
at least as not unpleasant the anomaly, for Kate,
that she knew their gentleman, and for herself, that
Kate was spending the morning with him; but
everything continued to make for this after Milly
had tasted of her draught. She was to wonder in
subsequent reflection what in the world they had
actually said, since they had made such a success of
what they didn't say; the sweetness of the draught
for the time, at any rate, was to feel success assured.
What depended on this for Mr. Densher was all ob
scurity to her, and she perhaps but invented the
image of his need as a short cut to service. What
ever were the facts, their perfect manners, all round,
saw them through. The finest part of Milly's own
inspiration, it may further be mentioned, was the
quick perception that what would be of most service
was, so to speak, her own native wood-note. She
had long?? conscious with shame for her thin
blood, or at least for her poor economy, of her un
used margin as an American girl closely indeed as,
in English air, the text might appear to cover the
page. She still had reserves of spontaneity, if not
of comicality; so that all this cash in hand could now
find employment. She became as spontaneous as
possible and as American as it might conveniently
appeal to Mr. Densher, after his travels, to find her.

[[322]]

p321 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p322w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p323

v?